The city of Zawiya, west of Tripoli, witnessed popular protests on Thursday following the circulation of videos that activists claim to show “youth being tortured by African mercenaries inside the headquarters of one of the militias.”
The widely circulated videos on social media showed “scenes of torture, beating, and whipping of a number of young people and insults directed at them.” There were reports of “the killing of one of the victims by his torturers, who also kidnapped his brother.” Meanwhile, a group of young people blocked the coastal highway in Zawiya, as seen in another circulating video.
Angry protesters closed the valves of the Zawiya Oil Refinery early this morning. They also gathered in front of the Zawiya Security Directorate, demanding the dismissal of the security director, and expelled armed vehicles from the area, declaring civil disobedience “in protest against the spread of crime” in the city, according to activists.
One blogger said that what is happening in Zawiya “is not new,” as the city has witnessed “a significant deterioration in the security situation.” The situation there is more difficult than in other cities because it has become “a source of livelihood for criminal formations” that commit “violations” there, the blogger said.
Another Zawiya local wondered how Libyan youth from the city “become victims at the hands of African migrants” who “boast” about their actions “and send videos to each other?” He called for “popular action to put an end to this farce.”
Meanwhile, others blamed the Security Directorate and the Zawiya Municipal Council for what is happening in the city, in addition to the armed groups there. They also called for “not politicizing the popular movement or making it follow any party,” stressing that this movement is for rectifying the situation only “and to arrest the criminals involved in torture operations.”
The city of Zawiya occasionally witnesses clashes between the armed groups spread throughout the city, including the clash that occurred last Sunday at one of the city’s entrances, which resulted in the deaths of four people.
In late February, clashes broke out in the Metred suburb, resulting in the death of two people, one of whom was named Anwar Yahya from the Ouled Abu Hamira tribe, and the injury of two others.
There have also been other clashes in the Dhi Al-Hilal suburb, which claimed the lives of several young people in the city and caused damage to infrastructure and citizens’ property, according to a statement issued by the Western Coastal Military Region at the time.
The city of Zawiya, throughout its history, has always witnessed tensions between its residents and individuals from African communities in Libya, due to its status as a gathering center for immigrants from sub-Saharan African countries seeking to reach Europe via the shores of Zawiya. In 2001, the city witnessed bloody events that resulted in the deaths of more than 130 Libyans and Africans, as well as the burning of diplomatic missions of African countries in the city. The city also witnessed similar events in 2005 that led to the deaths of about 40 Libyans and Africans, most of whom were from Sudan.