The luck of the rag-tag rebel forces in Eastern Libya has swung wildy since the uprising began in February. Revolutionaries seized the momentum early on to head west and liberate towns along the coast, only to be beaten back by forces loyal to Colonel Muammar al-Qadhafi; NATO airstrikes turned the tide again just as loyalists were preparing to lay seige to the rebel stronghold of Benghazi.
To document the rebellion and life in the newly-liberated east of the country, Executive made its way to North Africa last month, crossing the border of Western Egypt into Libya. Shops and restaurants had reopened, even if some had no running water with which to cook, while old men and young children alike were signing up to bolster the ranks of a rebel outfit increasingly beset by losses. From Tobruk to Benghazi, Ajdabya to Ras Lanuf, these photographs show a people desperate, yet full of hope, that their struggle could free them and their country from decades of tyranny.
1.The coastal town of Ras Lanuf has seen intense fighting, changing hands multiple times
2. A rebel mans air defenses outside Ajdabya
3. Rebel fighters in Ras Lanuf prepare to head to the frontline
4. Refugees camp out at the border between Libya and Egypt. Many had lost their jobs and belongings and were demanding international aid to allow them to start new lives in their home countries
5. A fresh coat of graffiti marks almost every wall on the streets of Benghazi as residents express their new found freedom
6. Benghazi residents wait for a bank to open. Cash reserves were in short supply after protracted closures
7. The sun rises over eastern Libya, just south of Benghazi.
8. Rebels re-load an artillery piece as they fight to retain control of the oil refinery town of Ras Lanuf
9. A rebel fighter mans a checkpoint north of Ajdabya
10. Children play on a tank in the city of Benghazi
11. TV crews watch as an oil refinery explodes near Ras Lanuf
12. Volunteer border guards check passports on Libya’s border with Egypt
