No Result
View All Result
Thursday, July 10, 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

Op-Ed: Ten years after a revolution, Libya remains torn

bySami Zaptia
February 14, 2021
Reading Time: 3 mins read
A A
Op-Ed: Ten years after a revolution, Libya remains torn

(Photo: Suzee in the city).

By Mohamed Alagteaa.

17 February 2011 Revolution graffiti in Tripoli (Photo: Suzee in the city).

13 February 2021:  

It has been ten years since the fate of Libya and its people was altered forever.

It is hard to imagine a decade has passed, because as Libyans, we are still in a fighting mode, both figuratively and literally.

So many lives lost in senseless wars on the hands of men incapable ​of see​ing beyond power, and their own ego. So many opportunities for peace and security squashed in their quest for more ​ill-gotten wealth.

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

The 17th of February is a day pinned in our nation’s history as a scar of a heroine to some, and as a mark of shame to others, yet both fail to realise, it is an open wound.

This anniversary is a reminder of the hopes and aspirations of an open democratic society where all live under a governing system set to provide to its people and believe in its potential and worth. This anniversary is also a reality check of long queues in front of banks, longer queues in front of petrol stations, water shortage, 14-hour power cuts in the gruelling summers of the Sahara Desert, sky high inflation, dangerous triggering rhetoric, militias, kidnapping and casual indiscriminate shelling.

Libyans have become so numb to all of this. We no longer register it, because it is the norm, it is now part of our psyche. Life goes on.

Even in the midst of a global pandemic where the world has changed indefinitely, the status quo remains supreme.

Lately, efforts to salvage what is left were crowned with the formation of a new government garnering blessings from left to right. Yet, the people’s hope in a resolution coming from a recycled administration of the same culprits is simply pragmatic. After all, does it really matter who is appointed when a mass grave is found every day?!

According to these efforts, the elections are to take place in December of this year, so in a completely unrealistic optimistic attempt to believe they will, here are some recommendations on whom “not” to vote for:

1- candidates starting any public appearance with “may Allah have mercy on the blood of the martyrs”.

2- candidates who say we want a “unified police and army” without stating clearly how is that possible with countless militia groups.

3- candidates who just flew in from who no knows where just because they are “successful”.

4- candidates who say women are our “mothers and daughters” or women are “half of society”, and finally,

5- candidates who cannot afford little hunger and are easily fatigued.

This really makes no difference. We can debate the causes and effects, the beliefs, and ideologies, but the truth is that our salvation is beyond any new government or elections. The sickness of tribalism, discrimination, bigotry, intolerance, and patriarchy is the wound we must tend to as a nation seeking redemption.

Maya Angelou once said, “We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.”

The future is bleak, but I take solace in her words, because we should be unrealistic optimists. We must. I choose to believe we are in the midst of those changes and one day, these conditions will no longer be our reality.

 

Mohamed Alagtea is a writer and a former journalist who covered politics, migration and environment for multiple Libyan outlets before pursuing higher education abroad.

This article was contributed by the writer as part of a series of pieces by a number of female and male youth, in and outside Libya, invited by Libya Herald to reflect on the 17th February 2011

Tags: 17 February Revolutionfeatured

Related Posts

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
MoI establishes Elections Security and Protection Department
Libya

Aldabaiba and Menfi stress use of polling feedback to establish consensus basis for constitutional process: report and analysis

June 26, 2025
GNU to take oath at Benghazi HoR session and budget to be approved at Tripoli session: GNU
Libya

“There is no state built by gangs and criminality, it’s built by engineers, youth, consultants, security, police and army”: Aldabaiba

June 23, 2025
GNU to take oath at Benghazi HoR session and budget to be approved at Tripoli session: GNU
Libya

187 new security posts taken over from militias – PM declares victory for the state as all vital Tripoli sites come under its exclusive control for the first time since 2011

June 19, 2025
Next Post

Libya’s Human Rights Commission calls for resolution of detainee, prisoner and missing cases

Call by Chambers of Commerce and Shipping to postpone or cancel use of ECTN

Call by Chambers of Commerce and Shipping to postpone or cancel use of ECTN

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
  • Op-Ed: Reputational Damage Is Worse Than Losing Money

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • A 247,000-bpd oil production increase would achieve US$ 6 billion annually to enhance ability to meet FX demand, maintain strength of LD and achieve economic balance: CBL ‎

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Libya’s economy showed recovery in 2024, remained resilient despite reliance on hydrocarbons and ongoing political and security instability: World Bank

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • CBL demands imports are conducted through official banking instruments and the elimination of the FX black market

    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

Aldabaiba opens First Phase of Tripoli’s Third Ring Road

BP to reopen office in Libya, Shell discusses prospects for cooperation in oil field development‎

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.