A professor at the city's university, who refused to have his name published, explains what is happening: “a lot of mischiefs were committed under the name of religion in the city. The numerous executions that happened struck fear in the hearts of people, and now they are afraid even to make a statement to the media.”
In his estimation, the situation in Libya is open to all possibilities including ISIS returning to other cities in the country. The professor says “there are news of training camps for ISIS followers in the suburbs of Bani Walid city.”
The same state of caution dominates locals, despite the gradual return to normal life. A local woman from Aljiza Albahria neighborhood in Sirte, one of the places where the Libyan army to paid a heavy price to free from ISIS, says “people fear that there are still ISIS sleeper cells in or near the city, that’s why we only go out to get the essentials, and we keep our distance from suspicious places.”
Amid fears, the public company of cleaning services has initiated a major cleaning campaign that included most of the city’s western neighborhoods.
A source in the company's media office mentioned that the campaign started late December. It covered Alza’fran neighborhood which consists of 700 housing units, several hotels, and health and educational facilities, and reached other neighborhoods in the city.
The same source also said to Dune Voices’ Sirte reporter that the campaign includes the main roads of these neighborhoods as well as the side streets, and it involves removing dirt and concrete berms and other war rubble. Another part of the campaign is fixing advertising banners and removing the damaged ones. Re-planting roundabouts, including the infamous Za’faran roundabout, which ISIS used as a place for public executions.
Part of the efforts made to rebuild the city, head of the water directorate in Sirte stated that the company’s maintenance technicians, had repaired the damage to water pipes in neighborhoods 2 or 3 which were severely damaged during the fighting. Drainage channels were treated as well.
The work is well received by locals who expressed their happiness to see services returning to the city; an old man in his seventies from Sirte says “it is good that the services companies are making efforts to rebuild the city, that is a necessity. However, people have legitimate reasons to fear for their lives, people who lived through these dark days, can't easily get over them.”
These words sum up the suffering of people of Sirte, and hints at the long way towards civil peace.
