Tense calm in Tripoli as residents seek cash, food (News Feature)

By Nehal El-Sherif Feb 27, 2011, 12:06 GMT

Cairo/Tripoli - People stood in long queues outside banks in the Libyan capital Tripoli on Sunday when many branches re-opened during a day of relative calm in the city.

'I came to access my monthly paycheck, but the queue is too long,' said one man as he stood outside one of the banks near Tripoli's Green Square.

But most of the crowd were waiting for the 500 dinars (410 dollars) the government had recently promised each family would receive for two months.

Men carried their family identification cards and waited at the banks.

Residents said that authorities had also promised to hand them basic commodities, including sugar, cooking oil and vegetables, for free, but government-run markets were not open yet.

Streets were not deserted as they were the day before. Witnesses said there were many cars driving in the centre of the city, and traffic police were seen.

But despite the cautious calm, people were evidently not yet ready to send their children back to school.

With most shops also reopening, many Tripoli residents were out to stock up on food amid worries about a possible food shortage and dwindling supplies.

A father of two was happy to find that prices had gone down. A bag of sugar which cost 2 dinars before the unrest sold for 1.25 dinars on Sunday.

'When people saw what was happening in other cities, they ran to the banks, withdrew some money and bought a lot of basic goods,' he said.

Despite the quiet, the situation remains tense for most Libyans.

'Anyone who tells you the situation in Tripoli is normal I swear is a liar. We feel like we are going to explode,' a local resident said. 'When we leave the house we don't know if we will return.'

Some reports said that forces loyal to Moamer Gaddafi now control only half of Tripoli and his stronghold Bab al-Aziziya neighbourhood is protected by tanks, armoured vehicles and missile launchers.

Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam, once regarded as a reformist and possible successor to his father, said 'life is normal in three- quarters of the country.'

'Peace is coming back to our country,' said the younger Gaddafi.

Witnesses said that Gaddafi forces are surrounding the capital, preventing anyone from coming or going, especially after residents of the eastern cities said they will 'go to liberate their brothers in Tripoli.'

The uprising against Gaddafi, who came to power in 1969, began when clashes erupted between pro-democracy protesters and security forces on February 15 in the second-biggest city, Benghazi.

Violence spread to other cities until it reached Tripoli. Peaceful anti-government protesters in the capital came under fire Friday just before Gaddafi delivered remarks to supporters in the city's main Green Square. But the capital has been quiet since then.

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