ZINTAN, Libya — Some 30 quad bikes,
motorcycles, and four-wheel drives are rallying in
Libya’s desert — a welcome
but rare taste of normality for a nation lashed by the shifting sands of
conflict.
اضافة اعلان
At the launch in 2013, organizers of the Al-Hamada
rally had envisioned an annual event, yet this year’s episode is only the third
to get beyond the starting line.
Competitors from Libya and Tunisia have taken to the
drivers’ seats, one of them a woman for the first time in a Libyan rally.
The contest sends a message that the country can
pull off “a great sporting event, far from the politics and divisions” that
perennially buffet it, organizer Khaled Drera said.
Libya “wants to progress towards the stability that
it deserves”, said Drera, who is also a tour guide and an expert on the
country’s desert landscapes.
The rally’s name stems from the vast territory at
the heart of Libya’s portion of the Sahara, a stretch of tranquility in a
nation repeatedly engulfed by chaos since the fall of
Muammar Gaddafi in
2011.
For months now, two rival governments have been
vying for power — one based in the capital Tripoli in the country’s west, and
the other appointed by the parliament, based in the east.
Clashes between the two camps have repeatedly shaken
Libya this year, and notably the capital. A confrontation in late August left
at least 30 people dead.
‘Didn’t chicken out’
After departing Thursday
from Zintan, a mountainous small town around 170km southwest of Tripoli, the
competitors have been driving a course that covers more than 400km of largely
flat and stony ground.
The event finishes on Sunday in Ghadames, a
UNESCO world heritage site, dubbed the “desert pearl”, near the border with Algeria
and Tunisia.
Touting photos of the bikes and four-wheel drives
against a backdrop of palm trees and brilliant golden sand, the organizers hope
to attract attention from beyond Libya’s frontiers.
Already, thanks to the presence of the Tunisian
team, this year’s rally is an international event, with organizers hoping to
extend the competitor base in future.
Tunisian Chaima Ben Ammou — the first woman to
compete — said her passion for motorbikes came from her father, who still
accompanies her to both national and international fixtures.
“I’ve made a lot
of sacrifices to get here, but I have the support of my family,” said the
29-year-old, who has won a motocross championship in Tunisia and has put her
law studies on hold to pursue her passion.
She said she did not hesitate in “responding to the
invitation of our Libyan brothers”, ditching her motorbike in favor of a
Japanese four-wheel drive, even though she has no experience competing in that
category.
Wearing a black helmet and with her hair pulled back, she
said she knew she was blazing a trail for other women.
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