TRIPOLI: Libya on Thursday celebrated the 69th anniversary of its independence with military parades held in the centre of the capital Tripoli under tight security.

Hundreds of Libyans carrying the red, green and black national flag gathered at central Tripoli’s Martyrs’ Square — formerly known as Green Square, where toppled dictator Muammar Qadhafi often delivered speeches.

The head of the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA), Fayez al-Sarraj, and members of his cabinet, all wearing masks due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, attended a midday parade of military and police forces. The celebration of Libyan independence on December 24, proclaimed by King Idriss in 1951, was removed from the official calendar for over 40 years under the Qadhafi regime. The holiday was reinstated in 2012.