The wild west congress up a certain image in their mind- the open frontier, the beautiful landscape, the exotic inhabitants that occupy that vast land, all that romantic propaganda the American movies and television has showed us for decades. But when you look at the history closely, you realize how different the reality of the wild west was a dark, unforgiving place; Killings, kidnappings, lawlessness. The strong abusing the weak was the way of the land. Civilians unfortunate to be living there are armed and try to defend them selves as much as they can, but this loose recount of the wild west history is the daily reality of many people, not of the 19th century America but in the 21st century, Libya.
The west side of Libya now days mirrors the wild west in many aspects of its dark and unforgiving characteristics. Daily life has become a survival routine, the fear of getting killed or kidnapped cupeled with the financial struggle of having no money due to the lack of cash flow in the banks and the sky-high prices of basic goods. With the cash flow problem hitting everyone in Libya, the same criminal organizations and individuals reverted to ransom to obtain cash.
Anyone, from a wealthy businessman to a person who recently sold a house to children who’s family might have money is a target. One of the worst hit areas in west Libya is Al- Ejelat, a town southwest of Sabratha. Its always been a hotbed of crime and a drug gateway for its close proximity to border town and the open desert in the south. It spiralled in an even worst state since the fall of Al-Gaddafi. Things got even more messy with the town affiliation with general heftier dignity operation and the arrival of the Arouba brigade which included ex Al-Gaddafi supporters in its midst. All this made Al-Ejelat become in odds with all its coastal neighbours. The area became a no-go zone for anyone who is not from there. So when the news broke last day of April that two Sabratha locals disappeared on a road close to Al-Ejelat borders, most of us feared the worst. Bilal and Farhaat Zahmool, young cousins from Sabratha knew not to be so close. The rumour mill started to turn anything from a fake checkpoint they came across to a bad drug deal that went wrong. No one knew the
real reason the two were so close to Al-Ejelat but the distraught family waited to hear from the kidnappers hoping its a ransom situation.
There is a new player in the equation, it seems, that no one is talking about. It is ISIS terrorists who where defeated in Sabratha a few months back. After the US airstrike on a compound in the city has acutely relocated to the lawless town of Al-Ejelat and is looking to start a base for them there using the same tactics they used in Sabratha, to establish a strong hold and a consistent cash revenue.
Things escalated last week when a militia patrol unit came under heavy fire driving past a residential area near Al-Ejelat. Called was Youssif, the unit managed to escape unharmed back to Sabratha, not wanting to appear weak in its own territory Al-Madena brigade and Al-Dabashi brigade stormed the empty residential compound not too far from the Mellith gas refinery after no resistance, the brigades continued to search the area and that’s when the gruesome discovery was made. The bodies of two males bound, slaughtered and discarded in the garden of one of the units. As soon as the bodies wee carried away, the identity of the the victims became known, it was the two boys kidnapped seventeen days ago.
After arriving at Sabratha general hospital, a member of the family confirmed the identities of the bodies and a strong sense of anger swept through the town and in retaliation, members of the victims family set up checkpoints on the coastal road stooping anyone from Al-Ejelat. This situation did not last long as older members of the Zahmool family with some elders from the city managed to calm the situation and free individuals that were stopped. This is just the latest saga in many daily occurrences of that take place in our dusty old towns.