Residents of the Libyan capital were preparing for the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha in relative peace after deadly clashes last month, but they were unconvinced it would outlast the festivities.

With celebrations set for Friday, Randa al-Mahmoudi, a schoolteacher in her thirties, said she was trying to keep life steady for her three children.

"We try, at least for the children, to do things as usual, without thinking about what might happen," she said, shopping in a supermarket in Siyahiya, a western district of Tripoli. "Otherwise, we can't live."

Despite "everything looking normal in Tripoli with traffic jams, open shops and schools, and flights operating," Mahmoudi said, she "can feel something is off".

Nureddin al-Shaouesh, a 48-year-old radio technician, said his children would "tremble when they hear wedding fireworks", thinking they were gunshots in the capital.

Another local, Hamza al-Ahmar, 39, wondered: "What will happen after Eid?........

© Al Monitor