Random gun firing kills civilians in Libya's Benghazi

After years of fierce fighting between military forces and extremist groups, the Libyan eastern city of Benghazi still suffers insecurity with the tradition of firing live ammunition in the air in social events.

Firing guns in the air in social events is a tradition in Libya. However, Benghazi sees more celebratory gunfire as the city has just emerged from a three-year war that made weapons one of the most important items in every house.

"This has become unbearable, despite army and security orders against shooting randomly in the air during weddings or funerals," Libyan activist Faraj Al-Jalali told Xinhua.

"Those bullets affect men, women, children and the elderly on a weekly basis. Everyone is afraid that bullets might hurt people passing by or even sitting inside a house or a restaurant," Al-Jalali added.

No precise number of victims of random bullets has been obtained. However, a medical official of a government hospital said that his hospital alone received this year "more than 80 people dead and injured by celebratory bullets."

Despite orders by the eastern-army General Abdarrazzag Al-Nathuri to security services to arrest all those who fire bullets randomly, and despite demonstrations and campaigns by activists against this phenomenon, the celebratory gun firing remains an issue in Benghazi.

Waves of condemnations and government decisions were issued after a camera footage surfaced online showing random gun firing kills a young man in Benghazi in front of a cafe about two months ago.

"Did they free us to kill us? Most of those who shoot randomly in the air are young people who supported the army against terrorist organizations in Benghazi," Khadija Al-Ayeb, 40-year-old housewife, told Xinhua.

"Young people have become accustomed to the sound of bullets as they spent more than three full years fighting in Benghazi, long enough to change their behavior in society," she said.

"Security services consider all civilians who own weapons partners of the struggle of war against terrorist organizations, because most of those carrying arms here have participated in the war to liberate the city from terrorism," Al-Ayeb explained.

Benghazi, Libya's second largest city and the birthplace of the 2011 uprising that toppled former leader Muammar Gaddafi, has witnessed a three-year war between the army led by General Khalifa Haftar and extremist groups.

Haftar announced earlier in June taking over the entire city of Benghazi and defeating the rival armed groups. However, some remaining militants are still stationed in some areas in the city.

source: Xinhua