With Gaddafi dead, what is next for Libya?

National Transitional Council (NTC) authorities have confirmed the Libyan leader is dead and his remains are in a Misrata mosque. He was killed while trying to flee his hometown Sirte.

According to reports, fighting stopped almost immediately as news of Gaddafi’s death spread.

As most Libyans celebrate on the streets, Libya’s transitional government has begun the process of rebuilding the country.

The NTC’s primary concerns in the immediate future are security and peace. Many fear widespread retribution against those who fought with Gaddafi’s forces, or in the worst case, a state of near-civil war driven by ethnic and tribal divisions.

At the United Nations on Thursday, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for all Libyans to focus on reconciliation and unity, calling on combatants to lay down their arms and for the NTC to include all Libyans in the new government. Now is “a time for generosity of spirit, not revenge,” said Ban.

Elections are scheduled to be held eight months from now.

Libya’s economy is still suffering from the effect of Gaddafi’s 4-decade rule. Despite a wealth of natural resources in the country, most Libyans live on less than $2 per day, and unemployment is estimated at 40 per cent.

Some speculate Gaddafi’s death could put other leaders in the region (Syria or Yemen, for example) under more pressure to transition out of power.

The Stream spoke with Syrian-American Hip-Hop artist Omar Offendum and Mark Vlasic, international criminal lawyer and member of the U.S. delegation to the Pan Am Lockerbie trial at the Hague. We also spoke via Skype with Libyan-American doctor Mahmoud Traina, Libyan blogger Ali Tweel, and Libyan Fighter and intern doctor Mohammed Ali.

Source from : Aljazeera