22 august 2011

Sent by the European Broadcasting Union for a month in Libya in august 2011 to cover the conflict for live tv transmission, my colleagues and I entered the city of Tripoli on the actual day of its fall to the Libyan rebels, on 22 august. As Muhammar Kaddafi was still running for his escape in the undergrounds of his compound, we passed fresh ruins and burning checkpoints as we entered the liberated city. Teenagers holding Kalashnikovs greeted us with victory signs, shouting “Mewrcy Sarkouzy”! On a day off, I had the chance to visit the Kaddafi family’s houses and compound, as well as its huge network of tunnels.