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Libya ‘not fully liberated’ one year after Qadhafi, says de facto head of state

Libya's de facto head of state Mohammed Megaryef said on Saturday that not all areas of the country have been liberated, in remarks on the first anniversary of Muammar Qadhafi's death.

"The campaign to liberate the country has not been fully completed," Megaryef, the head of Libya's powerful national assembly, said on state television.

He singled out the town of Bani Walid, scene of deadly clashes in recent days, and one of the final strongholds of Qadhafi's dictatorial regime during the 2011 revolution that ousted and killed him.

Megaryef, the president of the democratically elected General National Congress, gave a somber assessment of the post-Qadhafi period.

He noted in particular "delays and negligence" in the formation of a professional army and police force, and the failure to disarm and integrate former rebels.

He also noted that delays in reactivating and reforming the judiciary had hampered national reconciliation.

"This situation has created a state of discontent and tension among different segments of society and contributed to the spread of chaos, disorder, corruption and weakness in the performance of various government agencies," said Megaryef.

The assessment comes one year after rebel fighters captured Qadhafi in his hometown Sirte. Exactly how Qadhafi was killed on 20 October 2011 remains a point of contention.

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