Unifeed
LIBYA / YOUNG FIGHTER
STORY: LIBYA / YOUNG FIGHTER
TRT: 5:31
SOURCE: UNICEF
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ARABIC / NATS
DATELINE: 14-16 OCTOBER 2011, BENGHAZI, LIBYA
1. Med shot, women protesting
2. Close up, woman protesting
3. Wide shot, women and flag
4. Close up, young girl protesting
5. Wide shot, women protesting
6. Close up, woman protesting
7. Wide shot, wall of posters of martyrs
8. Close up, posters of martyrs
9. Close up, old woman with flag
10. Wide shot, billboard and poster of young fighter
11. Wide shot, Katiba and helmet
12. Close up, “Abdul”
13. Wide shot, “Abdul” and Katiba
14. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) “Abdul” (Not his real name):
“Revolutionary fighters came from here they formed a militia. I felt it was my duty to fight, so I joined them. We trained for two months and then we went back to fight.”
15. Med shot, “Abdul” walking past burnt building
16. Tilt up, “Abdul” to burned building
17. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) “Abdul” (not his real name):
“My brothers were dying all over Libya and my brothers were dying in Homs, so I felt that I had to do this, it was my duty. The worst fighting in was at the port and at the 36th brigade. When we, the revolutionary fighters, entered, the Gaddafi forces all retreated to those two places, so that was where most of the fighting took place.”
18. Wide shot, burnt out buildings reflected in puddle
19. Wide shot, burnt out cars
20. Wide shot, woman walking past destroyed podium
21. Close up, tracks of burnt out tank
22. Wide shot, burnt out tank turret and barrel
23. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) “Abdul” (not his real name):
“In our militia split half of us went to the navy base at the port, and half of us went to the 36th brigade. I was amongst the half that went to the 36th brigade. When we got there, there were around 300 Gaddafi fighters inside with about 20 tanks and about 20 cars. We were in the mountains and we had to jump over a wall to attack them. That was the worst fighting, 15 of us were killed that day. In our units attack on the brigade, we were split up into groups of five and of my group, 3 men died that I had gotten to know well. ”
24. Pan left, tank to barrel
25. Wide shot, tank next to road
26. Wide shot, tank turret in sand
27. Close up, tank barrel in sand
28. Wide shot, armored truck
29. Close up, ripped canvas and armored truck
30. Wide shot, bullet shells and armored trucks
31. Wide shot, men on tank
32. Close up, wheel and burnt out truck
33. Wide shot, men on tank
34. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) “Abdul” (not his real name):
“During the fighting I was scared, but I also felt alive, and at the end of the day I felt I was doing my duty. After the fighting I returned to Benghazi, but it was difficult to choose between the 2 roads, either go back to school and carry on building my future or go on to the next frontline. If I had been able to choose again, if a car from one of the militia groups had come to pick me up and take me to the fighting in Sirte, I would have gone, without a doubt.”
35. Wide shot, rocket blast on building
36. Close up, rocket blast on building
37. Tilt up, burnt out cars to building
38. Close up, of bullet in wall
39. Wide shot, burnt out building through twisted metal
40. Tilt up, burnt out tank to tanks on trucks
41. Wide shot, “Abdul” on podium
42. Wide shot, over the shoulder, OS “Abdul” looking at Katiba
43. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) “Abdul” (not his real name):
“Of the fighters that I met, there weren’t many that were my age, there wasn’t a large number, but the youngest fighters I came across were fifteen, not younger than fifteen.”
44. Close up, new flag
45. Tilt up, boots to guns
46. Wide shot, kids playing football with youth volunteers
47. Close up, girl reading in class
48. Wide shot, classroom
49. Wide shot, classroom and teacher
50. Pan left, from martyr posters to flags
51. Wide shot, flag
Mothers, wives, sisters and daughters mourn the deaths of sons, husbands, brothers and fathers in Benghazi’s revolution square.
Photographs of martyr’s, those killed in the recent conflict, are plastered everywhere.
Young men dead before their time and many are young boys who are now struggling to adapt to a normal life. Seventeen-year-old “Abdul” not his real name, is one of them.
SOUNDBITE (Arabic) “Abdul” (not his real name):
“Revolutionary fighters came from Homs to Benghazi, here they formed a militia. I felt it was my duty to fight, so I joined them. We trained for two months and then we went back to Homs to fight. My brothers were dying all over Libya and my brothers were dying in Homs, so I felt that I had to do this, it was my duty. The worst fighting in Homs was at the port and at the 36th brigade. When we, the revolutionary fighters, entered Homs, the Gaddafi forces all retreated to those two places, so that was where most of the fighting took place.”
Top of Form
In Homs, our militia split, half of us went to the navy base at the port, and half of us went to the 36th brigade. I was amongst the half that went to the 36th brigade. When we got there, there were around 300 Gaddafi fighters inside with about 20 tanks and about 20 cars. We were in the mountains and we had to jump over a wall to attack them. That was the worst fighting, 15 of us were killed that day. In our units attack on the brigade, we were split up into groups of five and of my group, 3 men died that I had gotten to know well. ”
“During the fighting I was scared, but I also felt alive, and at the end of the day I felt I was doing my duty. After the fighting I returned to Benghazi, but it was difficult to choose between the 2 roads, either go back to school and carry on building my future or go on to the next frontline. If I had been able to choose again, if a car from one of the militia groups had come to pick me up and take me to the fighting in Sirte, I would have gone, without a doubt.”
“Of the fighters that I met, there weren’t many that were my age, there wasn’t a large number, but the youngest fighters I came across were fifteen, not younger than fifteen.”
UNICEF and partners are working with Libya’s interim government to demilitarize the country’s youth.
As part of that process, leaders of 14 youth clubs under the Scouts in the East and Misrata have been trained and 20 adolescents are being trained in child protection and psychosocial support in their areas.
They’re also working to ensure that all children are able to return to school as soon as possible, the return to regular routines is a key part of the demilitarization and normalization process.
The war may be over, but its impact upon Libya’s children will last long after the guns have been silenced.
Download
There is no media available to download.