More unattributed assassinations attempts are taking place often in Libya, notably in Benghazi. In 2013 and 2014, over 600 killings have been recorded in Libya. The victims are military personnel but also civilians. The depth of the tragedy goes beyond the victims themselves. It also affects the eye witnesses of these killings.
Le ïla is a Libyan coming from Benghazi. She is 25. She directly witnessed two killings: one in October 2013 and the other in September 2014. Results: «Since then, I cannot get used to live with my thoughts. I have the feeling that there are killers following me. I don’t dare walking alone in the street. Every moment, I fear some assassination attempt will take place in front of me now. I cannot sleep well: what I have seen is repeating itself every night as nightmares. I never feel safe » she says.
«I never thought of such a scene: human beings who were holding fast and suddenly, in a second, they become corpse lying on the floor. » she added. «I don’t know what theory could justify such behaviour. I know however that these scenes will never leave my memory » she added.
«In the first event, a man wearing a balaclava stood up in front of the victim, and in cold blood, shot several bullets. And in case I would forget, several days later in the street leading to my home, armed men wearing balaclavas fired several shots, and a bullet entered through the very same window through which I saw the scene of the first killing several days earlier » she explained.
«I am confused with mixed feelings. I am ashamed to have ignored earlier that such a drama will take place so that I would have warned the victim. I feel guilty that I cannot recognise the murderers. My conscience, is far from being at ease, always asks where were you then, at that precise moment? Worse; I am afraid that behind all that, there is a message I must send. » she says, admitting to being close to delirium.
Le ïla is not alone in that situation. A young Libyan high school pupil has witnessed the murder of his father. «It was July 2014. The family had left on a trip. Dad did notice a suspect car coming close to him. He tried to escape certain death. Men wearing hoods shot at him. He died. Under shock, I took the gun. I fired. In vain. » the young man recalls. He goes on: «Nobody can describe what I suffered. I’ve seen from my own eyes people murdering my father. I’ve witnessed my mother being shocked, standing silent, opened mouth. I’ve seen my sister deaf and mumb for days ».
«From that day on, I hate all members of the armed group opposed to that of my father. Now, I see they are all bandits. I’m looking for evidence that would sentence them forever. If need be, I won’t hesitate to take revenge on them » he concludes, defiant.
Dr Taghrid Abdal-Razik Senib is a Libyan psychotherapist living in Tripoli. She summarises the process on how this kind of people formulate feelings and emotions: «the process of physiological and psychological troubles among those who escaped certain death and those who witnessed other persons being killed, is a multiple one. Initially, they do not believe what they saw. This stage lasts between three weeks to three months. Then, they accept reality but are torn into a conflict between their feelings and their cognitive knowledge. This is when they start to develop personality troubles: depression, concentration lapses, pessimism… Then come other psychological troubles such as a keen desire to seek revenge ».
Dr Senib suggests that «these persons first go to a psychiatrist to seek help and psychological rehab ». She also suggests «societal treatment, i.e. sharing real life stories as they lived them, first between victims and between victims and specialists ».
