Tripoli deployments precede Libyan uprising anniversary

By Waleed Abdullah

TRIPOLI, Libya (AA) - Libyan capital Tripoli on Friday saw heavy security deployments one day before the seventh anniversary of the bloody uprising that led to the ouster and death of leader Muammar Gaddafi after more than four decades in power.

Forces loyal to Libya’s UN-backed unity government closed Tripoli’s Martyrs Square, which is expected to serve as the venue for a number of anniversary activities on Saturday.

Anniversary celebrations kicked off Thursday with a police brass band performing in the square.

Two days earlier, Tripoli’s National Security Directorate sealed all roads leading to the square as a precautionary measure.

For the last week, streets and public squares across the capital have been decked out with flags and banners bearing slogans calling for national unity.

On Feb. 17, 2011, a popular uprising erupted in Libya, which led to the collapse of the Gaddafi regime and his eventual death in October of the same year.

The ensuing power vacuum led to the emergence of several rival seats of government, including one in Tobruk and another in Tripoli, along with a host of heavily-armed militia groups.