THE ROAD TO TRIPOLI
English Transcript
(with timecodes)

00:04 [shouting and gunshots]

00:26 A rebellion that turned into a full-blooded civil war.

00:30 The fighters of Misrata, taking on the army of colonel Muammar Gaddafi.

00:35 For months, the frontlines have been locked down.

00:40 But things started moving to the west.

00:42 Rebel forces make rapid gains, advancing quickly towards their prize, Tripoli.

00:49 Casualty numbers are high. Rebels have little training, and Gaddafi’s forces fight hard.

00:54 Supplies are also running short.

00:56 But reinforcements from the Gulf states start to arrive: NATO has control of the skies.

01:04 The night of the 21st: jubilation.

01:07 Fighters have reached the outskirts of Tripoli, and secret cells in the city rise up.

01:13 At the rebel stronghold, Benghazi, they think they’ve won.

01:17 But have they?

01:20 The sleeper cells of Tripoli can only hold out for so long.

01:31 CAPTION
Western Libyan border

01:32 MAN
My name was on the list, I was on the wanted list.

01:35 INTERVIEWER
So you went back to fight?

01:36 MAN
Anything I can do that’s useful for my country, I’m willing to do.

01:43 VOICEOVER
The three men have just crossed the border.

01:46 They’re trying to get to Tripoli.

01:51 Muaz, Bassa and Tariq.

01:53 MUAZ
Finally, we’re going back home.

01:54 VOICEOVER
Brothers in arms.

02:01 MAN
Myself, I’m an engineer. I’ve never held a weapon in my life before.

02:07 VOICEOVER
They’re taking a road into the unknown. They’ve heard the uprising has started in Tripoli, and they want to help.

02:15 But they don’t look like freedom fighters.

02:17 With the flag of the rebel army trailing from their suburban saloon, they look like football fans heading for the big match.

02:25 But this is no game.

02:28 BROTHER
I wanted to join the rebels in Bab al-Azizia. I was willing to do anything and everything; I was prepared to sacrifice my life.

02:38 VOICEOVER
These are the Nafusa mountains, where the rebels started to push back.

02:43
Using the protection of higher ground, their forces regrouped in May and June.

02:49 In July, they moved down to the plains.

02:53 This time, with NATO, they had vital air support.

03:00 It’s the month of Ramadan, and they stop to break their fast after the sun sets.

03:05 They share their meal at a checkpoint.

03:09 As they eat, Muaz chats with the fighters.

03:12 All of them are from different backgrounds, but now they’re united by one cause.

03:17 MAN
I was benefiting from Gaddafi’s regime. But if everybody only thought about himself, then… this is wrong.

03:25 I mean, my people were not benefiting from Gaddafi’s system.  

03:29 VOICEOVER
Then prayers.

03:32 Gaddafi had suggested religious extremists were in the rebel ranks.

03:39 MAN
Libya is known in the Arab world as one of the most religious countries. Not in an extremist way, but a modern way.

03:47 The Libyans are religious people, but it was not a religious war.

03:53 Overhead the flags flutter: nations who’ve helped their fight.

03:59 Nalut is the first destination on their route.

04:04 This is a major base for the fighters who are heading in an out on the Tripoli road.

04:09 There’s a sense of urgency with all the military traffic.

04:13 The friends aren’t quite sure how they fit in.

04:16 With a borrowed rifle, they look like tourists posing for snaps.

04:22 Then they move on into the night. They need to get to the town of Jadu, where they’re planning to buy guns.

04:35 The next day in Jadu, a group of young men are gripped in front of the TV.

04:42 The situation in Tripoli looks dire.

04:45 Osman moved away with his family. Now he watches live, as his neighbourhood burns.

04:51 Another, Soleiman, will learn later that his uncle has been shot and killed.

04:56 Across town, rebels bring a delivery for Muaz and his friends.

05:01 The guns they’d arranged to pick up have arrived.

05:05 MUAZ
This is the AK-103, this is the Kalashnikov, and this is the F10.

05:09 These are assault rifles, this is what we are trying to get, because the rebels in Tripoli are short of them – and also they are short of RPGs –

05:16 because there are a lot of tanks, Gaddafi is rounding some areas of Tripoli, and the only way to get rid of these tanks is by using the RPGs.

05:29 They look through and pick what they want; the heavier weapons will be delivered to Tripoli in a few days.

05:37 Muaz is an experienced businessman, but he’s never struck a deal like this before.

05:42 MUAZ
It was so difficult, it was a really tough day. Especially if you don’t have experience, if you’ve never dealt with any arms or any guns before.

05:50 VOICEOVER
The Jadu rebels give them a crash course. These guys are pretty comfortable with guns.

05:55
Under the Gaddafi regime, weapons maintenance was part of the curriculum in high school.

06:01
This is what they brought… it’s a brand-new one, it’s Russian-made… and I hope I don’t use it. I guess my people will.

06:13 VOICEOVER
Spirits are high. They’re ready to set off on the road to Tripoli.

06:27 The first leg of the journey is smooth, heading down from the mountains.

06:33 The convoy moves at speed.

06:38 Only supplies are heading for the front.

06:42 Huge sandbanks appear on the road – protection for the rebels if they need to retreat.

06:49 Roadblocks every few kilometres.

06:53 The ferocity of the fighting is clear.

06:58 One of the drivers is a Jadu rebel. He’s been fighting for months along this road.

07:05 Now he looks relaxed, but he knows the job’s not done.

07:12 INTERVIEWER
What do you want to do to Gaddafi?

07:15 INTERVIEWEE
Kill him – kill him, yes. Because he killed many people in Libya. From Jadu, and from Tripoli.

07:25 We pass through Zawiya. They fought here for over a week. But victory was key to advance on Tripoli.

07:32 Burnt-out buildings line the route, others taken out by NATO airstrikes.

07:39 They check the route ahead.

07:43 It’s clear until Janzur, on the outskirts.

07:47 Outside the barracks of the Khamis brigade, a band of tanks have become a playground.

07:55 Approaching Tripoli, there’s a noticeable change.

08:01 The convoy stops to prepare.

08:03 Muaz looks tense, but determined. Did he know what he was letting himself in for?

08:10 MUAZ
No, honestly speaking, I had no idea what I was heading into. I just wanted to join the rebels over there and free my country, Tripoli.

08:25 VOICEOVER
Everyone’s shouting. No-one knows what’s going on.

08:30 But they’re close to their objective: the Gaddafi compound of Bab-al-Azizia.

08:37 MAN
At that moment I lost my gun. I had just one goal: “I have to liberate, along with my other brothers in arms.”

08:49 VOICEOVER
Fighters are rushing in and out of the city. A plume of black smoke marks their destination.

08:55 People on the streets are urging them on.

08:58 Tripoli is a city at war, and out of control.

09:04 The fight for Gaddafi’s compound will be the key. But it’s amazingly well-fortified,

09:10 a palace surrounded by at least three security walls.

09:15 MUAZ
I expected that it would last for a couple of weeks, I mean I expected that what happened in Misrata would happen in Tripoli as well.

09:29 VOICEOVER
Outside Gaddafi’s compound, the roundabout of Souk al-Thalatha, madness reigns.

09:37 The fighters racing in and out.

09:41 Gaddafi’s compound is ablaze.

09:44 The battle wasn’t as long as they’d thought.

09:46 MUAZ
The battle only lasted for six, seven hours – less than nine hours. They just ran away.

09:57 VOICEOVER
Muaz has joined up with the fighters from outside. They’d broken Gaddafi’s hold on Tripoli, for the first time in 42 years.

10:08 MUAZ
We think, we are almost sure, that we have taken control of Tripoli.

10:17 TARIQ
First time, first time they have broken Bab-al-Azizia.

10:30 VOICEOVER
The heavy weapons continue to flash past – the casualties, too.

10:24 A young boy, caught in the crossfire.

10:33 Medics treat him as best they can. But they have few supplies.

10:40 Muaz watches, thinking of his own son.

10:48 It’s been a day of vicious fighting, but the rebels are cementing their control.

10:58 Nearby they meet some friends. This is Tariq’s neighbourhood.

11:03 It’s good to be back home.

11:06 BASSA
This is my friend…

11:10 TARIQ
Six months, this has been…

11:12 VOICEOVER
Gunfire – but now, in celebration.

11:18 A joyful expression of release.

11:22 But a moment of reflection for Muaz.

11:25 MUAZ
I feel happy, but at the same time I’m a bit sad to see all this chaos and all these weapons in the street… I’m a bit sad.

11:37 VOICEOVER
The sun is setting. The streets of Tripoli will be dangerous tonight.

11:43 Muaz is concerned. He’s heard that there’s fighting close to his apartment.

11:47 It’s too dangerous to go there now, and Tariq wants to get home.

11:55 The family’s been waiting for the friends to arrive.

11:58 It’s clearly a relief, and a joy.

12:01 TARIQ
Fabulous…

12:03 INTERVIEWER
How long since you’ve been home last?

12:04 TARIQ
Six months.

12:06 INTERVIEWER
And you’ve come home to a free Libya?

12:08 TARIQ
[shaking head] Of course, free Libya – that’s no more Gaddafi, that’s no more fear… thanks God, thanks God…

12:21 VOICEOVER
Tariq’s mother is overcome at seeing her son home safely.

12:29 In these difficult times, everyone is welcomed inside.

12:32 But Tariq’s father thinks that the hard times may soon be gone.

12:38 TARIQ’S FATHER
We hope that everything will be over. And within a short time – maybe one year, two years – it will be another Libya. Sure.

12:50 VOICEOVER
That night, Muaz and Tariq go out on a neighbourhood patrol.

12:55 They stop at a temporary prison.

12:58 Housed in a kindergarten, inmates are accused of being Gaddafi mercenaries.

13:05 A Ukrainian the rebels say was a sniper.

13:07 MAN
He came to Tripoli just two months.

13:10 VOICEOVER
Other Africans, from Niger and Chad.

13:13 They say they’re being treated well, but clearly they’re scared.

13:18 Tens of thousands of black Africans are being rounded up, many of them guilty only of illegal immigration.

13:25 MAN
There is some confusion. It’s very diffiult to distinguish whether this is a mercenary guy or not.

13:30 But the people, they have to – better be safe than be sorry.

13:38 VOICEOVER
The next day, Muaz heads out.

13:41 The roundabout at Souk al-Thalatha is deserted.

13:45 The fighting has moved on.

13:57 The newly-renamed Martyrs’ Square, once a symbol of the Gaddafi regime.

14:06 Crowds are starting to gather, passions inflamed.

14:13 A few shots ring out, but this is friendly fire.

14:18 For Muaz, it all began here, six months ago.

14:22 MUAZ
It was on the 20th of February, I came with all the Libyans, all the Free Libyans.

14:29 We went out on several demonstrations, and we came from that road.

14:36 VOICEOVER
On that day, the protesters had no weapons. They were met with live rounds.

14:41 MUAZ
They were shooting at us with this size of bullet.

14:45 Muaz thinks this was the moment that Gaddafi was doomed.

14:49 MUAZ
It started with one or two persons… then people started going out - one, two, three, four - and when they started using live ammo against us, this is when everybody decided to go out.

15:04 VOICEOVER
That night in February, Muaz lost several friends to troops with heavy weapons on the streets, and snipers.

15:11 MUAZ
One of the snipers was hiding on that building, and another was here on top of this building, so we – there is a place here, inside, we were hiding here.

15:24 We were hiding here, inside here.

15:27 INTERVIEWER
Are you confident now that the snipers are all gone?

15:33 MUAZ
I’m not really very confident that they have got rid of all of them … I am sure there are some still left.

15:41 VOICEOVER
But snipers are still a deadly presence all across Tripoli.

15:51 Muaz reaches his home, but the reunion is sombre.

16:17 Anxious explanations of what has happened.

16:27 MUAZ
His brother has been killed yesterday.

16:33 VOICEOVER
This isn’t the joyous homecoming he’d expected.

16:37 MAN
His young daughter has been shot at the same time.

16:41 MUAZ
This is my baby, and this is my brother, by the way.

16:50 VOICEOVER
The neighbours are assembled for a funeral.

16:56 As they catch up, there’s more bad news.

17:00 Another friend from the neighbourhood has been lost.

17:09 He was shot as he came out of the mosque.

17:19 His brothers sit in mourning.

17:38 Eventually, Muaz is able to get into his apartment, for the first time in months.

17:42 INTERVIEWER
Much as you left it?

17:43 MUAZ
Yeah, yeah.

17:45 Even nicer now.

17:49 Now I know that Gaddafi is gone, and nobody will be knocking on my door.

17:52 VOICEOVER
His son’s room, who he’s left behind in Tunis.

17:55 MUAZ
My son will have a Canadian passport, and then he will be recognised in the world as a human being.

18:01 I am sorry to say it, but under Gaddafi, we were not treated as humans.

18:08 VOICEOVER
After darkness falls, tracer fire shoots into the sky.

18:13 Further away, though, the fighting is moving out of Tripoli.

18:19 When day breaks, things seem relatively calm.

18:24 But, as Tariq points out, the Gaddafi family is trying to hang on.

18:27 TARIQ
This is Muhammad Gaddafi’s car. They had a fight at four o’clock in the morning.

18:32 This one, the other car – they catch them.

18:36 VOICEOVER
But with Gaddafi gone, who would take his place?

18:40 In Benghazi, a transitional government lies in wait.

18:45 Their leader, a former Gaddafi minister – but a man who inspires trust.

18:51 MUAZ
Mr Mustafa Abdul Jalil was the only one, during Gaddafi’s regime, who stood and told him “no.” He was the only one.

18:58 We are with him until the end of the line, and we support him blindly.

19:03 VOICEOVER
But is the capital yet safe?

19:06 Some of the national transitional council have already moved here, to the Corinthia hotel.

19:13 Members of the international press, too.

19:17 The fighters assigned to protect them see a threat.

19:23 They think it’s a sniper, but nobody seems to know. This is the biggest threat in Tripoli today.

19:29 MUAZ
The only thing we were scared of was the – we had only the threat of snipers.  It was very, very serious.

19:36 VOICEOVER
Everyone else takes cover.

19:42 Journalists try to get back to the safety of the hotel.

19:44 MAN
Go, go, go, go…

19:47 MUAZ
…someone standing and shooting…

19:52 VOICEOVER
Suddenly more shots – everyone takes cover again.

20:01 They’re all on edge.

20:05 Reinforcements arrive.

20:12 No-one knows what’s going on.

20:16 Then they spot something.

20:26 Wild shooting – hundreds of rounds fly into the air.

20:38 Then, a pause.

20:42 “God is great,” shout the rebels – their battle cry.

20:48 But as quickly as it started, the threat appears to be gone.

20:52 MAN
They have some mercenaries - and they come and fire on us and run away. Don’t worry; everything is under control.

21:05 VOICEOVER
Over the coming days, rebel fighters solidify their hold over Tripoli.

21:12 As they advance, pro-Gaddafi forces put up little resistance, and flee.

21:20 Some attempt to escape to the south, but the rebels have surrounded the capital with a ring of steel.

21:30 In their wake, evidence of horrendous atrocities.

21:34 At several locations, mass graves are discovered.

21:39 INTERVIEWER
Do you know why your brother was killed?

21:42 MAN
He was just a normal citizen…

22:03 VOICEOVER
Eleven days after the fighters first entered Tripoli, it’s the end of Ramadan, the period of self-sacrifice.

22:13 Thousands come to Martyrs’ Square, to mark the festival of Eid.

22:23 It’s a moment of collective mourning and reflection.

22:29 MAN
We have fought; we have sacrificed. A lot of our children killed in this war to get rid of Gaddafi’s regime, and my people will never be scared again.

22:48 And you can feel that in the assembled crowd.

22:57 For the first time in 42 years, Gaddafi has gone.

23:04 Friends and brothers-in-arms, reunited after six months of war.

23:13 As the crowd finds its voice, the mood changes to joy.

23:19 This is Tripoli’s declaration of victory.

23:29 Gaddafi’s secure compound, Bab-al-Azizia, is now open to all.

23:49 Crowds of Libyans have come to see what was forbidden for so long.

23:59 The fighting has left the building a bare shell – one that Libyans are proud to claim as their own.

24:09 MAN
This is the rubble of Libyans. We are all Libyans, we are all equal, we are one big family.

24:18 VOICEOVER
The chance for a fresh start.

24:22 MAN
The world saw Libya from only Gaddafi’s point of view. Now they have to see it through us – through Libyans.

24:33 VOICEOVER
For Muaz, it’s the end of a journey that began six months before.

24:37 The fight to get here has been long and bitter, friends lost on the way.

24:44 He knows he’s been lucky; there was a price that had to be paid.

24:50 MUAZ
I consider myself – I mean, personally, as Muaz – I really didn’t pay a lot – just losing my business, losing the money of my company – this is nothing.

25:00 But I consider losing 50 000 Libyans a heavy price.

25:04 But we had to pay this price. It’s not easy to get rid of Gaddafi and his regime.

25:10 And I was willing to sacrifice myself, my family, my son – everybody –

25:16 I mean, we were willing to sacrifice our lives, our souls, for our freedom, for our new Libya.

25:30 VOICEOVER
A few weeks later, Muaz is back with his wife and his son in Tunisia.

25:36 In Tripoli, there are still shortages, and the water supply has been cut by retreating Gaddafi loyalists.

25:42 But he’s optimistic.

25:44 MUAZ
I’m talking with my friends and my brother in Libya every day in Tripoli,

25:49 and they tell me every day is better than yesterday.

25:52 VOICEOVER
He will take the family back – but not yet.

25:55 This time, he’s going to take his time going home.