Will things get worse before they get better for Libya?

Graffiti covers the walls of Libya's cities; caricatures of Gaddafi and bold paintings of the Libya accompany slogans of "Game Over" in Arabic and English. Whilst the game might well be up for Gaddafi and the previous regime which held the country captive for so many years, the sound of gunfire is a telling sign that the fight is far from over.

Since the revolution distrust has infected the population as they desperately search for a true alternative which promises more than just the old ideals, newly packaged. They search for an alternative which would bring a new beginning to the people of Libya. But Libya is divided along many lines. Many fear loyalists to Gaddafi are still in positions of power and are waiting to seize control once more. The reaction of many has been to form private militias which are concerned with the interests of a few. These armies are often based on regional divides and thus many of the conflicts between them originate from territorial disagreements. With the election looming many also centre on the struggle to gain political power in the newly emerging state for which they fought.

Welders, shop-keepers and teachers. The revolution turned these men into fighters and, many would argue, heroes. Yet their role in the rebuilding of Libya is tarnished by corruption, violence and disorder. It is not enough that many lost their lives in the fighting, but the death toll continues to rise as groups turn on each other. Lead by untrained commanders, the militias say they are fighting for democracy. They do not trust the government and the national army is seen as a threat to the Libya they want.

But in this time of wide-spread instability, people are resorting to desperate measures in order to gain some sort of control. Without a single enemy, the different groups seek out "the next most dangerous difference" in the form of minorities. The detention centres, run by ex-civilians with no training, house thousands of black migrants who are told there is no place for them in the new Libya despite having lived and worked there for most of their lives. Those suspected of supporting Gaddafi are tortured and often killed in an attempt to purge the country of a regime which worked through similar systems of terror. Despite the highly publicised activity of women in the revolution, support for the women running for election is dubious and their posters are graffitied with mocking or sexist rhetoric.

Human rights monitors are stretched to capacity attempting to flag up abuses. There is no legal system in place to enforce laws or bring offenders to trial let alone to give a fair trial to those wrongly accused who are suffering in the appalling conditions of Libya's make-shift prisons.