By Wil Crisp.
Tripoli, 25 February, 2013:
A group of around 30 former revolutionaries stormed the Prime Minister’s office in Tripoli today.
Speaking at . . .[restrict]the gate of the building, the protesters said they were angry because they hadn’t been paid in more than 18 months.
Around half of them were dressed in military fatigues and one said they were serving members of the border guard.
The wearing of military fatigues, however, no longer carries proof of military involvement. There is a small street of tailors off Tripoli’s Shara Mizran churning out such clothing, selling it to all comers.
One of the protesters, Salem Arifi, had a Ministry of Defence ID card with him. He accused the government of ignoring former revolutionaries and stealing from the Libyan people.
‘They say there is no money for us but we know Libya is a rich country”, he said, “we just want what is rightly ours”.
Another agitated protester added, ‘People are suffering, I haven’t been paid in more than a year.’
“The situation is an outrage”, said Abdul Ati Al-Abidi, another protestor. “We fought for our country putting our lives at risk. And now we continue to serve but we’re not paid. How are we supposed to feed our families and get by?”
An official who appeared to be keeping an eye both on the protest and journalists covering it and who said he was from the Information Ministry, noted that the majority of the demonstrators were no longer part of Libya’s formal security force.
“All we are asking for is for them to join either the police or the army. If they join then they will be paid,” he said.
The storming of the Prime Minister’s office comes in the wake of Friday’s eviction of wounded former revolutionaries from the General National Congress building. They had occupied the debating chamber for nearly three weeks, complaining that they had not received healthcare treatment abroad. After being evicted they then headed for the Prime Ministry Building and tried to force their way into Ali Zeidan’s office. However, they were held in the main reception area before being evicted.
It is not known if any of last Friday’s protestors were among those who stormed the building today.
The protestors were again unlucky this time, even though they managed to get into the Zeidan’s office. He was in Geneva speaking at the 22nd Session of the Human Right Council. [/restrict]
