Disarming former Libyan rebels could take months and weapons will not be taken by force, Libya's new prime minister said in an interview broadcast Friday, signaling a shift from previous pledges of quick action.
So, rebel leaders (now the alliance rulers) called for people to rise up and fight the Khaddafi loyalists. At great risk, as the high body count (the new alliance government, I believe, says 25,000 died) shows, the people did just that.
They fought and defeated the loyalists. The loyalists are still out there, armed and angry. And the alliance government is more worried about factions of former rebels fighting for power than the loyalists on the loose.
If you are a former rebel soldier, would you turn in your weapons when loyalists armed to the teeth and angry that you tossed them out of power and privilege are out there?
In the short run, the new government shouldn't try to do more than collect military vehicles (including the "technicals"--4 x 4s with weapons mounted on the truck bed), other heavy weapons, explosives, and grenades. If the former rebels want to keep their rifles and pistols, let them. They need them for self defense at this point.
The leaders will need to find another way to preserve the peace among the factions that doesn't involve sacrificing the foot soldiers who are no longer needed to beat the loyalists.
