Thousands of Libyans took to the streets of Tripoli on Friday to protest against militiamen who have besieged government ministries and prevented access to them. The armed groups that this week have besieged government buildings, including the foreign and justice ministries, are calling for a purge of officials linked to the regime of former ruler Muammar Qadhafi. They also want ambassadors who served under Qadhafi to be sacked.
The demonstrators in the streets of the capital on Friday called on the government to dissolve the brigades, which were formed during the 2011 conflict against Qadhafi. They carried banners demanding Tripoli be purged of all armed groups. Among the banners were ones reading "No to armed sit-ins" and "Yes to the isolation law."
On Sunday, Libya's parliament adopted the Political Isolation Law that bars officials who served in Gaddafi's regime from holding office. Libya's new rulers have been struggling to assert their authority and re-establish security in the North African country since Qadhafi's overthrow. Britain on Friday said it was temporarily withdrawing some staff from its embassy in Libya due to the "the security implications of the ongoing political uncertainty."