No Result
View All Result
Sunday, September 24, 2023
25 °c
Tripoli
24 ° Mon
24 ° Tue
24 ° Wed
25 ° Thu
  • Advertising
  • Contact
LibyaHerald
 
  • Home
  • Libya
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Magazine
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Register
SUBSCRIBE
  • Home
  • Libya
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Magazine
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Register
No Result
View All Result
LibyaHerald
No Result
View All Result
Home Libya

Zuara: How It Started — The Other Side of the Story

byMichel Cousins
April 5, 2012
Reading Time: 3 mins read
A A
13
SHARES
55
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

By Umar Khan

Tripoli, April 5

“Send the national army or armed brigades from any city other than Zuara” is what the delegation . . .[restrict]from Rigdeleen told the leader of the Military Council of Tripoli, Abdul Hakeem Belhaj. Mohammed Zargouni was part of the delegation which met Belhaj several weeks ago soon after an unreported clash between the two cities. He promised to pass on the concerns to the higher authorities in the interim government and also to the Chairman of the NTC, Mustafa Abdul Jalil.

According to Zargouni, a clash took place between the brigade of Sabratha and Rigdeleen which resulted in the death of a fighter from Rigdeleen. Another fighter was taken prisoner before the reported seizure of fighters from Zuara on Saturday. (There is a difference in the number of the fighters as Zuara says 25 of its fighters were seized. Others say there were 21.)

He said that, fearing the reaction from Rigdeleen on the death of one of their soldiers, the brigade from Sabratha which was guarding the borders near the Al-Assah area returned to their city, leaving a brigade from Zuara to guard and patrol the area.

RELATED POSTS

Civil Aviation Authority concludes meetings with Turkish Civil Aviation team inspecting airports for possible return of Turkish airliners

Eastern Libya authorities must lift restrictions on journalists: Amnesty International

The deployment of the brigade from Zuara was not communicated to the Military Council of Rigdeleen, Zargouni said, and considering the sensitivities of the relationship with Zuara, the leaders thought the presence of Zuaran forces might have been a move to attack Rigdeleen on two fronts. In order to counter this, people from Rigdeleen rushed to the borders and seized 21 fighters along with their weapons. They were beaten by the brigade, not knowing that the Zuara fighters had no intention of attacking Rigdeleen. “Whenever you get hold of your enemy, it is hard to control yourself. I cannot lie; they were tortured and then released as soon as we learnt that they had had no intention of attacking us,” Zargouni said.

The fighters were released after having been taken to Al-Jmail. That was the result of negotiations between the two councils, mediated by a small number of people from the neighboring towns. After the return of the fighters to Zuara, its brigades attacked the neighboring towns of Al-Jmail and Rigdeleen upon learning about the torture. They used heavy caliber weapons, “106mm and tanks to hit us.”

Zargouni said that five people had been killed with more than 60 injured in Rigdeleen alone as of Wednesday morning. “The figure was confirmed by the Military Council of Rigdeleen this morning but they are afraid it may increase because of the seriousness of injuries. More than 40 houses were hit and the damage ranges from 15 to 40 percent.”

When asked about the accusation that Qaddafi loyalists were involved and that people of Zuara saw green flags, Zargouni said, “It is ridiculous. I was jailed for 10 years in the 1970s; my brother was sentenced to death. How can we raise Qaddafi’s flag or fight under it when we were fighting it while he was alive? We would never allow that to happen and would be the first ones to fight against it, even unto death.”

According to Zargouni, 80 percent of people supported Qaddafi at the time Rigdeleen was liberated but before the clashes started, the former dictator’s supporters had fallen to 50-55 percent. “We all know each other. We know what they are thinking. It is obvious they were supporting Qaddafi but he’s dead and nobody from our area ever tried to bother us after the liberation of the city. We celebrate together and this is the way we can change their perception of the new Libya. We don’t have to kill them to make them realize what is best for the country and what is the only way we can move forward.”

Umar Khan can be found at twitter.com/umarnkhan [/restrict]

 
Share5Tweet3Share1

Related Posts

Al-Ruqaii seizure violates human rights, says Amnesty International
Libya

Eastern Libya authorities must lift restrictions on journalists: Amnesty International

September 22, 2023
Providing psychosocial support to the thousands affected by Storm Daniel is a priority: UN
Libya

Providing psychosocial support to the thousands affected by Storm Daniel is a priority: UN

September 22, 2023
After the Derna dams disaster, dams in Benghazi and Sirte receive attention
Libya

After the Derna dams disaster, dams in Benghazi and Sirte receive attention

September 22, 2023
Minister of Local Government meets German and Italian ambassadors to discuss Flood Daniel aid and reconstruction
Libya

Minister of Local Government meets German and Italian ambassadors to discuss Flood Daniel aid and reconstruction

September 21, 2023
Public Service Company clears Wadi Mejeneen valley, Ministry inspects valley
Libya

Public Service Company clears Wadi Mejeneen valley, Ministry inspects valley

September 21, 2023
UN’s Derna overview: Officially, only 3,958 confirmed dead and 40,000 displaced
Libya

UN’s Derna overview: Officially, only 3,958 confirmed dead and 40,000 displaced

September 20, 2023
Next Post

Shooting incident in Benghazi: Minister blamed

Ceasefire holds in Zuara, UN "deeply concerned" about clashes

 

Advertise on LibyaHerald

Reach thousands of our site visitors daily

240 x 400px

Advertise Here
ADVERTISEMENT

Top Stories

  • Derna disaster update: Five Greek aid workers die in road accident, Spanish and Maltese teams return home

    Derna disaster update: Five Greek aid workers die in road accident, Spanish and Maltese teams return home

    95 shares
    Share 39 Tweet 24
  • UN’s Derna overview: Officially, only 3,958 confirmed dead and 40,000 displaced

    63 shares
    Share 25 Tweet 16
  • Attorney General launches investigation into Derna dam failures, as aid continues to arrive by air and sea

    70 shares
    Share 29 Tweet 17
  • Latest UN satellite imagery shows extent of Storm Daniel destruction in Derna

    121 shares
    Share 49 Tweet 30
  • EU Copernicus satellite images of Flood Daniel hit Libya released

    48 shares
    Share 19 Tweet 12
LibyaHerald

The Libya Herald first appeared on 17 February 2012 – the first anniversary of the Libyan Revolution. Since then, it has become a favourite go-to source on news about Libya, for many in Libya and around the world, regularly attracting millions of hits.

Recent News

Civil Aviation Authority concludes meetings with Turkish Civil Aviation team inspecting airports for possible return of Turkish airliners

Eastern Libya authorities must lift restrictions on journalists: Amnesty International

Sitemap

  • Why subscribe?
  • Terms & Conditions
  • FAQs
  • Copyright & Intellectual Property Rights
  • Subscribe now

Newsletters

    Be the first to know latest important news & events directly to your inbox.

    Sending ...

    By signing up, I agree to our TOS and Privacy Policy.

    © 2022 LibyaHerald - Powered by Sparx Solutions.

    No Result
    View All Result
    • Login
    • Sign Up
    • Cart
    • Libya
    • Business
    • Advertising
    • About us
    • BusinessEye Magazine
    • Letters
    • Features
    • Why subscribe?
    • FAQs
    • Contact

    © 2022 LibyaHerald - Powered by Sparx Solutions.

    Welcome Back!

    Sign In with Facebook
    Sign In with Linked In
    OR

    Login to your account below

    Forgotten Password? Sign Up

    Create New Account!

    Sign Up with Facebook
    Sign Up with Linked In
    OR

    Fill the forms bellow to register

    *By registering into our website, you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
    All fields are required. Log In

    Retrieve your password

    Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

    Log In
    This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
    Are you sure want to unlock this post?
    Unlock left : 0
    Are you sure want to cancel subscription?