Libyan Protesters Call for Militias to Leave Tripoli

Approximately 2,000 protesters took to the streets of Tripoli urging militias to relinquish their weapons and retreat to their hometowns. The government has set December 20 as a deadline for the militias to leave, and the local government chief urged residents of the capital to continue staging protests to pressure the former rebels to leave. Protesters waved flags and chanted “We want safety, not weapons,” complaining that they felt unsafe on the streets and that militiamen have been causing problems. ”To me they are not revolutionaries anymore, they are gangs,” said Abdurrauf bin Suleiman, a resident of Tripoli.

Abdallah Naker, an influential commander from the Zintan brigade, said, “It is very difficult to disarm the country overnight. We are all against weapons but there must be a mechanism to disarm the country.” He added, “There is no state currently. We have not received any proposal from the government. When institutions are really set up, we will talk.”