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Libya marks first anniversary of uprising
Crowds in Tripoli and Benghazi begin impromptu celebrations amid heightened security and doubts about new rulers.
Libyans have celebrated on the first anniversary of their uprising against Muammar Gaddafi, with the interim leader, Mustafa Abdel Jalil, pledging to act firmly against further instability.
The former fighters, who toppled Gaddafi last year with NATO backing, set up fresh checkpoints in the capital, Tripoli, on Thursday, as well as in Benghazi, the eastern birthplace of the uprising, and the western port city of Misrata.
The country’s new rulers have not organised any official celebrations at a national level as a mark of respect for the thousands of people killed in the bloody conflict, which left about 15,000 people dead, according to the United Nations.
But spontaneous celebrations began nationwide in cities and towns, led by residents of Benghazi, the city which first rose against Gaddafi and his 42-year-old regime. Protests broke out in Benghazi on February 15 after the arrest of human rights lawyer Fathi Terbil, but the first widely recognised “Day of Rage” came on February 17.
Pictured: People with with post-revolutionary Libyan flags mark the one year anniversary of the revolutionary uprising against Muammar Gaddafi. The flag which was used when Libya gained independence from Italy in 1951, was used as a symbol of resistance against Gaddafi. Esam Omran Al-Fetori/Reuters
