Qarabuli - With the engines throbbing, young Libyans battle it out among the sand dunes, not with Humvee-style fighting vehicles but brightly coloured and sporty four-wheel drives.
In a weekly escape from the violence gripping their country, they converge every Friday -- the Muslim weekend -- for races in Qarabuli on the Mediterranean coast, 60 kilometres (35 miles) east of Tripoli.
The type of powerful all-terrain vehicles they race up to the top of the dunes were reserved only for the military and regime elite in the days of longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi.
"After the events of 2011, the market was opened to everybody," said one of the organisers, Ahmed Abdelkader Atiga, referring to the revolt which swept away Kadhafi's regime and since when Libya has been mired in chaos.
"Young people started buying four-by-fours," said Atiga, a radio talk show host.
"This place has become a meeting place for young Libyans who come from several towns every Friday. It's a good image which gives hope of resolving differences and saving lives."
Hundreds of motorsport enthusiasts also gather at Qarabuli as spectators, away from the stress and daily uncertainty of life in post-Kadhafi Libya, where rival militias and political administrations are locked in a deadly struggle for dominance.
Jihadists from the Islamic State group have also gained a foothold in the oil-rich North African country, feeding on the political breakdown and lawlessness.
Since October alone, more than 3,000 lives have been lost in fighting, according to Libya Body Count, an independent group which collates data from different sources.
Libya has also been in the news for the African migrants seeking a new life in Europe and left at the mercy of people smugglers exploiting the chaos to ply their lucrative trade with unseaworthy boats leaving from its shores.
AFP
