Moammar Gaddafi ruled Libya as a dictator for more than 40 years. In 2011, he lost power in an uprising. He was killed. Libyans waited for their lives to get better after Gaddafi's death. They are still waiting.
Chaos Without End
Libya used to be one of the world's richest nations, thanks to its oil supplies. People there had free health care, education, and other benefits. But Gaddafi was violent. He had links to terrorism.
The fall of Gaddafi brought chaos to Libya. There are three different groups fighting for power. Every night there are battles in the capital city of Tripoli.
A Dark Future
Most Libyans feel that it will get worse. They wait overnight to get a spot in long bank lines. Most often, the banks do not open and have no cash. When there is cash, people can only take out $60 a week. The economy is close to collapse.
Many people try to stay home at night. That is when gunfire starts. It is also when people get kidnapped. Kidnapping has become a common way for criminals to make money.
"Every day, our future is getting darker and darker," said Abdul bin Naji, 57.
Kidnapped
Sulaiman Abu Hallala was kidnapped at gunpoint. He is in his 80s. He was held for 19 days. He didn't have the medicine he needed. His family paid $11,000 to free him.
"I was so scared," Hallala said. "My nephew was kidnapped three months earlier. He was killed after we paid the ransom."
Mohamed Grabli spent 63 days trapped in a room the size of a closet. His family paid about $31,000 to free him.
"All they want is the money," Grabli said. "There are shortages of cash in the country. There are no jobs."
Regret and Fear
Allama el-Motamed, 67, has noticed another troubling thing about Libya these days.
"We always saw ourselves as part of one country," he said. "Now, when someone stops you, he asks, 'Where are you from?' Sometimes he will kill you if you are, for example, from the east. Or maybe he will kill you if you are from the west."
El-Motamed and bin Naji are friends. They feel the same way about the 2011 uprising.
"The revolution was not the right thing," bin Naji said. "Before, people were happy. Before, I was a king. I had a job. I felt like a man. Now, I can't even take out my own money."
Chaos Without End
Libya used to be one of the world's richest nations, thanks to its oil supplies. People there had free health care, education, and other benefits. But Gaddafi was violent. He had links to terrorism.
The fall of Gaddafi brought chaos to Libya. There are three different groups fighting for power. Every night there are battles in the capital city of Tripoli.
A Dark Future
Most Libyans feel that it will get worse. They wait overnight to get a spot in long bank lines. Most often, the banks do not open and have no cash. When there is cash, people can only take out $60 a week. The economy is close to collapse.
Many people try to stay home at night. That is when gunfire starts. It is also when people get kidnapped. Kidnapping has become a common way for criminals to make money.
"Every day, our future is getting darker and darker," said Abdul bin Naji, 57.
Kidnapped
Sulaiman Abu Hallala was kidnapped at gunpoint. He is in his 80s. He was held for 19 days. He didn't have the medicine he needed. His family paid $11,000 to free him.
"I was so scared," Hallala said. "My nephew was kidnapped three months earlier. He was killed after we paid the ransom."
Mohamed Grabli spent 63 days trapped in a room the size of a closet. His family paid about $31,000 to free him.
"All they want is the money," Grabli said. "There are shortages of cash in the country. There are no jobs."
Regret and Fear
Allama el-Motamed, 67, has noticed another troubling thing about Libya these days.
"We always saw ourselves as part of one country," he said. "Now, when someone stops you, he asks, 'Where are you from?' Sometimes he will kill you if you are, for example, from the east. Or maybe he will kill you if you are from the west."
El-Motamed and bin Naji are friends. They feel the same way about the 2011 uprising.
"The revolution was not the right thing," bin Naji said. "Before, people were happy. Before, I was a king. I had a job. I felt like a man. Now, I can't even take out my own money."
Category
🎥
Short film