Clashes have been concentrated in the area around Benghazi’s commercial district, where I live. My apartment is next to the central police station, which has been targeted by Misrata’s Islamist militias. Rockets are constantly falling in the neighbourhood. The militiamen fire them blindly, so it’s extremely dangerous. Since they feel that everyone is against them, they just fire into the crowd, so to speak. That’s why I decided to move my family to our second apartment, which is in a calmer area by the seafront.



Benghazi residents are terrified that the Islamists will win the battle. The militiamen treat people in a frightening way: a few days ago, they shot two men accused of stealing a car in the middle of the street. The men had been sentenced in an expedited “trial” in front of a “court” that the militants had set up themselves [Editor’s Note: FRANCE 24 was not able to independently verify this information]. They have a skewed vision of justice. We are terrified that if they win the battle over Benghazi, we too could fall victim to these kinds of expedited procedures.



"I really regret having believed in this revolution"



I don’t understand why the West isn’t doing anything for us. They were so quick to help us get rid of Gaddafi, but after that, they left us on our own. No one helped us build a stable state or destroy the arms stockpiled by the regime, which are now in the hands of the militias. Today, we are seeing the result of all this: permanent clashes between the militias and the real risk that the Islamists will take power.



We didn’t have the heart to celebrate Eid [the holiday celebrating the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan]. We had a small gathering with my family but the mood was really sad. We can’t feel happy when there are funerals going on all over town. Even during the revolution, things weren’t this chaotic; the clashes only lasted a few days. This is worse than anything we’ve experienced so far.



I really regret having believed in this revolution and having participated in its launch. I feel guilty when I see all the blood that has been spilled. It’s not easy to live with that.