Libyans have had enough of militias.
Residents of Shahat took to the streets on Friday (November 15th) to call for an army and police, under the jurisdiction of the chief of staff and the interior ministry.
The demonstration came the same day as a similar anti-militia protest in Tripoli turned deadly.
Here in a town hundreds of kilometres east of Benghazi, citizens have demanded a ban on such paramilitary forces that operate outside of government jurisdiction. Many considered the creation of a "Joint Security Room" for the thwars of the eastern region as a step backward.
At the large rally last Friday, protesters raised signs demanding an army and police, rejecting illegal formations and pressing for security.
They also brandished slogans in solidarity with the city of Benghazi, condemning bombings and assassinations.
The event was accompanied by marching security and police bands as well as support troops of the National Security Directorate.
The demonstration concluded with speeches in the public square, the same area that witnessed peaceful sit-ins during the revolt against the Kadhafi regime.
Saqr Faitouri, one of the demonstration organisers, said he was surprised by the high turnout.
According to the activist, the protest message was "simple and clear: 'army and police, and nothing else' and 'no to ideological militias.'"
"We do not recognise any entity other than the two institutions agreed upon internationally. If the creation of a 'security room' is mandatory, then we should form it with leaders and officers from the army and police," he said.
Faitouri continued, "We should also denounce anyone who attacks the army and police."
"Here in Shahat, we were the first to bring down a stronghold of the tyrant Kadhafi. God willing, we will also from Shahat impose the legitimacy of the army," he added.
Activist Mohammed Said Saleh agreed, "There is no country in the world ruled by militias, security rooms and Shield gunmen. The world knows only the army and the police."
"We want to build a strong national army and police to protect the country, guard the revolution and its gains. Their loyalty would be to God and the nation and would not be based on regional, tribal or partisan affinities," Saleh said.
"These militias cannot be incorporated into any civilian activity because they abide by no rules and do not listen to orders and thus we cannot form an army with them either," he told Magharebia.
He added, "We all have to sensitise society to the importance of the army and the police in protecting the homeland and maintaining security."
"The population of Shahat expressed loudly its rejection of any entity outside the army and police, thereby refusing all armed formations," photographer Nasr Lotrok noted.
"Those formations are the ones who killed and wounded our brothers in Tripoli, where they met white flags with blood and bullets," he added.
© Magharebia.com 2013
