Libya’s Two-Faced Liberation: A Triumph or Just Another “Dirty Revolution”?

The fight for Sirte, Muammar Gaddafi's birthplace and one of his last strongholds, has started and the forces of Libya's interim Council have now entered the outskirts of the coastal city, according to Libyan officials.

Libya's new authorities affirm their forces have breached defences south and west of the city, about 8km (5 miles) from the centre, before facing a counter attack by Gaddafi loyalists, which forced them into retreat.

With information mainly coming from officials from the National Transitional Council, understanding what is really taking place in Libya is becoming quite difficult.

Thursday, Nicolas Sarkozy and David Cameron arrived in Libya triumphant and were given a real hero's welcome.

By proving security is assured enough for Gaddafi's enemies to come to Libya, the National Transitional Council (NTC) and the two countries that led the NATO operation wanted to prove the Gaddafi era is well and truly over.

So after more than forty years, Libya is rid of the Colonel who established himself on the continental level by generously giving other African states millions in aid while being very liberal with jail sentences for anybody who would dare question his rule in Libya.

The question is now whether the NTC is the democratically motivated bloc it pretends to be. Within months of the uprisings and the fall of the Tunisian and Egyptian dictators, the Arab Spring has turned into more of a failed attempt to implement real change than anything else, so scepticism is now taking over many analysts when it comes to Libya and its new interim government while bringing to light many questions, especially as fears that as the NATO deadline approaches, the situation is hailed as a victory to rally international support, while the more disturbing details are kept under wraps.

The first one is who are the people leading and living in cities like Sirte or even Bani Walid, areas presented as Gaddafi strongholds. So the NTC is now in control of Libya but fighting in large portions of the city is still on-going and fighters are only divided into anti and pro-Gaddafi camps, with prominent tribal and ethnic divisions that have for so long divided the country being swiftly pushed to the background.

Meanwhile reports from Libya also seem to be mitigated when it comes to the NTC's own forces, with sources saying they might not be as loyal to the interim government as they first asserted and reports of lootings and violations of human rights have also emerged throughout the countries.

In cities where the NTC says Gaddafi loyalists are still in charge, the rebels assaults have also led to people fleeing en masse, which raises questions to the NTC's insistence ex Gaddafi supporters will be welcome in the new and free Libya.

Also, despite claims that Bani Walid and Sirte were "ripped" and would "fall within hours", both towns have launched counter attacks, causing major rebels setback.

Gaddafi loyalists or not, many say the actions and consequences of the NTC forces' assaults on their cities only upped discontentment towards the new government. The Telegraph recently reported how the Town of Tawarga, a pro-Gaddafi settlement and home to 10,000 civilians had been "emptied of its people, vandalised and partly burned by rebel forces," also citing reports of rape and other abuse. The report also quotes rebel leaders as saying in regards to the vast amount of property left behind by the exiled population, "the military council will decide what will happen to the buildings. But over our dead bodies will the Tawargas return."

Another worrying fact is that the NTC forces and leaders have been sending confusing messages throughout the conflict, making it increasingly difficult to trust the reports and information they provide. Gaddafi's son Saif merged from the streets of Tripoli a few weeks ago while the rebels insisted he had been captured and another son of the Colonel which had also been captured managed to mysteriously escape. Later on Gaddafi had been seen in Bani Walid , which a few days later transformed into his sons leading the uprising there.

For many civilians then, the "Liberation" is far from having the triumphant and heroic face that was Thursday displayed by the French, UK, and Libyan leaders. With accusations of deserted cities, exiled civilians, looting, violations of human rights and racism, fears are rising that the new Libyan regime might not be that different from the previous one.