Security in Libya’s capital remains tense two months after the killing of former dictator Muammar Gaddafi ended the eight-month war for liberation.

Recently the airport road was closed because of a gun fight

An incident two weeks ago that saw the temporary closure of the road to the airport, when two armed factions engaged in a gunfight, has exposed the fragile situation in which post-Gaddafi Tripoli finds itself.

A business executive, who chose to remain anonymous, told The Times yesterday his company had postponed sending its employees back to Libya for now because of numerous reports that the situation remained unsafe.

“Not all reports are reliable but we have heard of shootings and very recently the airport road was closed because of a gun fight,” he said.

His views reflect those of another Maltese business executive who was present in Tripoli last month when Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi visited the country.

During a night-time walkabout by the Maltese delegation in Tripoli’s old quarters and the re-christened Martyrs Square, the businessman had cautioned against feeling too safe as children kicked a football in the street and young men played loud music from their cars.

“Do not be taken in by a false sense of security because there are still many weapons in people’s hands and gunfights erupt from time to time,” he said. The man had witnessed a deserted Martyrs Square a couple of weeks before after somebody started shooting at passersby.

But Abdalla Kablan, a Libyan living in Malta, believes the problems are being magnified because people are assuming Libya is now “a normal” country.

“I would like it if Tripoli was like any other European city but this is a post-revolutionary capital and it will take time for things to settle down,” Dr Kablan said.

Having travelled to Tripoli recently, Dr Kablan said the situation in the capital was far safer today for his relatives there than it was in August when the Gaddafi regime still held sway.

“People are much safer today because the indiscriminate killings and torture conducted by the regime have stopped,” he said.

Dr Kablan acknowledges that some Libyans are clamouring for the removal of the armed revolutionaries from the streets but is apprehensive of any such move for now.

“There is no functioning army or police force and the armed revolutionaries are providing the only form of security protecting ordinary people from gangs and possible Gaddafi sympathisers,” he said.

Part of the problem, Dr Kablan added, was the Gaddafi regime’s decision to distribute weapons. He said revolutionaries had taken possession of 90 per cent of the weapons and it was the remaining 10 per cent that was problematic.

“The revolutionaries will have to eventually go back home but this cannot happen until Libya has a functioning army and police force. I also wish to see a normal city,” Dr Kablan said.

Normality is still a long shot though. Two weeks ago a prominent Maltese businessman escaped unhurt after the car transferring him to the airport was caught in crossfire just outside Tripoli.

Fighters from the Zintani brigade, who control the airport, were expecting an attack from another group of fighters connected to the new Libyan government, headed by well-known ­commander Khalifa Belgasim Haftar.

The international airport is a “prize” that is still being fought for by various groups of fighters who are vying for control and power in post-Gaddafi Libya.

“The Zintanis were waiting on a bridge, armed with anti-tank missile launchers and other weapons.

“They thought we were part of Haftar’s entourage and fired at our car with Kalashnikovs,” the businessman said.

No one was hurt in the incident as the driver dodged the gunfire and drove off to safety.

With Air Malta now operating regular flights to Tripoli, a spokesman for the airline said the company was closely monitoring the situation through its representatives in the capital and official Libyan sources.

“The airline is reliably informed that the situation is under control and continues to take all necessary measures to provide a safe and reliable service,” the spokesman said.