No Result
View All Result
Saturday, July 12, 2025
23 °c
Tripoli
24 ° Sat
24 ° Sun
  • 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

Bani Walid in lockdown as military attempts to prevent return of civilians

byGeorge Grant
October 25, 2012
Reading Time: 3 mins read
A A

By George Grant.

Hundreds of families attempted to make the journey home to Bani Walid today, ahead of Eid Al-Adha. (Photo: George Grant)

Bani Walid, 25 October:

Thousands of refugees were prevented from returning to Bani Walid today by members of the Libya . . .[restrict]Shield brigade who insisted the town had not yet been fully secured.

This morning, the Libya Herald was able to enter Bani Walid before being stopped at a closed checkpoint some one-and-a-half kilometres inside. Brigadesmen manning the post said that house-to-house searches were still being conducted and that the town was not safe to enter.

The occasional thump of RPGs could be heard in the distance, interspersed by sporadic machinegun fire.

RELATED POSTS

Aldabaiba proposes new Road Map for holding elections, loans and land for youth and money for healthcare for war wounded

Cooperation agreements reached between Libyan and the Greek pharmaceutical and medical companies: Tripoli Chamber of Commerce

“Don’t trust them! Don’t let them through!” shouted one of the guards, as a small trickle of civilian vehicles arrived at the checkpoint and attempted to pass. “We found 20 Kalashnikovs in a sheep pen yesterday”, the soldier continued, inferring that Bani Walid residents could use hidden weapons to resume the fighting if allowed home.

Heading back out of Bani Walid a short time later, a second checkpoint was found hastily established on the edge of the town, and manned by the same calibre of ill-disciplined youths as before. In front of them was an enormous convoy of civilian vehicles, backed-up down the road, which the soldiers were refusing to let pass.

As tempers rapidly frayed and yelling began, one soldier pulled out a pistol and pushed it through a car window into a passenger’s face before firing in the air.

Moments later, a hail of 14.5mm bullets thundered over the heads of the crowd, sending terrified civilians, including children, running in every direction. With the road ahead near-blocked by cars and panicked people, the Libya Herald was almost prevented from leaving as one young man reached through the car window and attempted to rip the keys from the ignition.

A group of angry residents was found a little further out of the town complaining that they feared for their possessions if not allowed home, and had to return today to prepare for Eid Al-Adha, which begins this evening.

“We heard on the television yesterday that we could return home for Eid”, said one man, who did not wish to give his name.

“Our government says go back, so I figure how to go back”, said another. “I am so angry. I am without a gun, but if I had one, I would have gone to shoot those people. These people who enter Bani Walid are going to steal from us. We need to go back. We need our children to be happy at Eid.”

By late morning, hundreds of families were making the journey back towards Bani Walid, with soldiers at a checkpoint close to Tarhuna waving them through, apparently oblivious to what lay ahead. Shortly before 14:00 this afternoon, it was reported that the soldiers closing off the town had relented in the face of a deluge of returning refugees, with some residents, although not journalists, being permitted to re-enter.

Well over 25,000 people are believed to have fled the recent conflict inside Bani Walid, although the true figure may well be far higher. Few of the homes seen inside the town today showed any sign of life at all.

The town was officially declared liberated yesterday by Chief of Staff General Yusuf Mangoush, although he warned that pockets of resistance still remained.

Several hundred people are reckoned to have been killed or wounded in the fighting, but with Bani Walid hospital still closed to the media and the phone network down, a precise figure remains impossible to obtain at present.

With the main conflict over, the government has announced the creation of three emergency committees to deal with security, the resumption of essential services and the return of refugees to Bani Walid.

Just how effective these committees will be in addressing the practical needs inside the town remains to be seen, and their work will likely be made more difficult by the profound resentment still found amongst many citizens there, who believe they have been the victims of collective punishment.

The rationale for the assault on Bani Walid, which together with its environs is reckoned to be home to some 80,000 people, was the enforcement of Resolution No. 7 of the National Congress. That resolution demanded the town hand over a number of people wanted for various crimes allegedly committed in the name of the Qaddafi regime and was triggered by the death of Omran Shaban on 25 September.

Security forces are said to have a list of around 1,000 names wanted for arrest, including several members of Khamis Qaddafi’s infamous 32nd Brigade. Yesterday, government spokesman Nasser Al-Manaa said that more than 100 individuals, amongst them members of the Khamis Brigade, had been arrested to date. [/restrict]

Tags: Bani Walidfeatured

Related Posts

Attorney General orders arrests at Jumhouria bank branch for embezzlement
Libya

Attorney General provides update on investigation of incidents resulting from Tripoli 2025 armed clashes and demonstrations

July 11, 2025
GNU to take oath at Benghazi HoR session and budget to be approved at Tripoli session: GNU
Libya

Aldabaiba seeking long term partnership not interim solutions on combatting irregular migration

July 10, 2025
Acting Interior Minister Trabelsi taking steps to counter forged ID numbers and passports
Libya

There are 4 million irregular migrants in Libya: Interior Minister Trabelsi

July 10, 2025
GNU to take oath at Benghazi HoR session and budget to be approved at Tripoli session: GNU
Libya

Aldabaiba: Militias have become criminal gangs and a state within the state

July 9, 2025
Libya Herald exclusive: Responding to the prime minister’s call yesterday to the private sector and banks to do more, leading businessman Husni Bey responds
Business

Op-Ed: Reputational Damage Is Worse Than Losing Money

July 2, 2025
Libyan Russian Economic Forum starts in St. Petersburg
Libya

Libyan Russian Economic Forum starts in St. Petersburg

June 27, 2025
Next Post

The Libya Summit: speakers announced

Bangladeshi refugees from Bani Walid rehoused in Tripoli

ADVERTISEMENT

Top Stories

  • Benghazi port receives 398 containers of mixed goods, 25,000 tons of wheat, 28,500 tons of barley and 6,000 tons of cement

    All imports into Libya must be paid for through official bank transactions

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • BP to reopen office in Libya, Shell discusses prospects for cooperation in oil field development‎

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Libya Development and Reconstruction Fund signs contract with Turkey’s Ankamenia for maintenance of Benghazi University’s medical colleges

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Libyan olive oils win gold at Anatolian, Berlin and Japan 2025 international olive oil competitions

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Op-Ed: Reputational Damage Is Worse Than Losing Money

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
ADVERTISEMENT
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

CBL workshop on ‎”The Role of the Banking Sector in Revitalising Stalled Housing Projects and Urban Development”‎ to be held in Tripoli on 13 July

Attorney General provides update on investigation of incidents resulting from Tripoli 2025 armed clashes and demonstrations

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.

    Welcome Back!

    Login to your account below

    Forgotten Password? Sign Up

    Create New Account!

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

    © 2022 LibyaHerald - Powered by Sparx Solutions.

    This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.