Violence spirals in Libya as clashes between rival militia groups continue
For 42 years, this Libyan national anthem was outlawed. During that time, former Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi imposed his own anthem on his people.
In August 2011, Gadhafi's regime fell. A few days later, at a huge celebration in what is now called Revolution Square, the anthem was played in public for the first time since 1969. Libyans old and young stood and sang proudly.
There was a sense that maybe a better future was possible for Libya's six million citizens, but the latest events there have people inside and outside the country wondering what went so wrong.
Different militias from different cities are fighting each other now. Every one of them is telling us that they are protecting the people in the country, while, the fact is, they are killing innocent people during the fight among them.Hussam Arnaout, Tripoli resident
To discuss the situation in Libya, we were joined by three guests:
- Hussam Arnaout lives in the capital of Tripoli. He says his cousin, a political blogger, was abducted four days ago and is still missing.
- Amal Abuzgaya is a Libyan-Canadian whose aunt, Libyan human rights lawyer Salwa Bugaighis, was assassinated in Libya last month. Her uncle, Essam al-Gheriani, remains missing. She is also the spokesperson for the Canadian Libyan Council.
-Mohamed Eljarh is a non-resident Fellow at the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East. He writes on Libya for Foreign Policy's Transitions blog. He was in Tobruk, in eastern Libya.
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This segment was produced by The Current's Pacinthe Mattar, Sujata Berry and intern Wanyee Li.