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Armed Militias in Libya Push for Political Control

Libya’s armed militias are consolidating their authority in key parts of the country and pushing to entrench their power politically.
Members of armed revolutionaries stage a protest in front of the Libyan Justice Ministry in Tripoli April 30, 2013. Gunmen in pick-up trucks surrounded Libya's justice ministry Tuesday to step up demands for former aides to deposed dictator Muammar Gaddafi to be barred from senior government posts, Reuters witnesses said. Tension between the government and armed militias has been rising since authorities began a campaign to dislodge the gunmen from strongholds in the capital Tripoli to help curb lawlessness

Ironically, former Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi claimed in his final days, “I am in the heart of all Libyans, how can I step down?” at a time when the cry from the Libyan people was an unequivocal “Go!”

Tragically, two years later, his claim holds more than a hint of truth. Through control of education and the media, Gadhafi had created a nation of clones who today, after his downfall, are unwittingly or unconsciously reciting the same mantra. Ingrained in this mantra is the culture of conquest and bounty, otherwise known as theft of public funds.

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