Photograph by Ben Sutherland
Three days after the bombing of the French embassy in Tripoli, Benghazi citizens rallied to denounce violent acts aimed at destabilising the country.
Participants at the April 26th rally and officials alike said that bombings strained relations with Libya’s friends and neighbours.
“We strongly condemn this act, which we regard as a terrorist act against a brother nation that supported Libya during the revolution,” Libyan Foreign Minister Mohamed Abdel Aziz told AFP after the April 23rd incident.
A little girl was hurt in the bombing and hospitalised, LANA reported. Two embassy guards were also wounded in the attack.
On Monday (April 29th), Libyan Grand Mufti Sheikh Sadeq al-Ghariani issued a statement through Dar al-Fatwa condemning the embassy bombing as “contrary to the teachings of Islam”, Libya Herald reported.
“We must never forget that almighty Allah and His Messenger forbid the killing of ambassadors, messengers, custodians and covenanters, as well as the killing of Muslims,” the mufti said.
At the Benghazi protest, Ahmed Alwarfelli, a 32-year-old who works for military intelligence, suggested the terrorist attack was linked to the war in Mali.
“Al-Qaeda is certainly an actor and there is evidence in a statement issued by al-Qaeda here; however this was known to the French. They chose specifically Tripoli because of the symbolism of the location and the building,” he said.
He added that “Libya and France are declared allies in the war on terror; in addition Libya and especially the French embassy in Tripoli is not protected and was exposed security-wise.”
Ahmed al-Faqih, a security employee at Benghazi Medical Centre, said that the country was “suffering from security chaos”.
“In my opinion, we must co-operate and prevent the achievement of these explosive goals,” he said. “I strongly condemn this kind of explosion that could lead to the death of citizens, which is acceptable neither in religion nor in our customs. Those who are wise among the armed factions must realise that it is time to lay down their weapons in order to give the opportunity to the army and police to implement order and security within the country.”
In the same vein, Ayad al-Obeidi, another employee at Benghazi Medical Centre, said that he thought that the bombing was “linked to militant Islamist groups in Mali in response to France targeting militant groups in Mali, and their primary goal is al-Mangoush”.
As for Omar Al-Dabbagh, he declined to speculate on the perpetrators but said that all bombings required “a serious stand from the loyal people of this country including the congress, the government, the security forces and true rebels”.
“They must stop this chaos; otherwise the country will enter a dark tunnel, God forbid,” al-Dabbagh said.
“We are now facing a greater risk than the one that was posed by the Kadhafi brigades,” he added. “We need to seriously seek the activation of the judiciary after cleaning it up and creating strong security services to implement order because without discipline we won’t have a state.”
Khalil Agouider said he was upset by the bombing, noting the potential for a military response. He also pointed to a possible reduction in medical visas and foreign investment because of safety concerns.
“The picture is painful. Freedom is lacking and power is in the hands of people with unknown origins and affiliations,” he added.
“The militias are serving their own agendas, not the agendas of the citizens or the homeland,” Agouider continued. “We must make hard decisions and take responsibility for them, even if we risk taking some losses which is necessary.”
Written by Asmaa Elourfi
