Tripoli, the capital of Libya with about three million population still remains peaceful under the control of Muammar Gaddafi, 12 days after the north African country plunged into turmoil.

The massive protests, demanding for an end to the 42-year rule of the Libyan leader Gaddafi, broke out on Feb. 16 in the eastern city of Benghazi and rapidly spread all over the country.

However, hundreds of Gaddafi’s supporters held demonstrations in the weekend in downtown’s Green square, backing the iron-handed leader. “People love Gaddafi,” they shouted. Meanwhile they also slammed some Arab media for “distorting the information.”

Local residents still enjoy water pipes, coffee and warm sunshine in the roadside coffee bars. “We’re in progress, but it needs time, step by step,” Makkhazoo, a retired Libyan diplomat told Xinhua.

“My life has been disturbed, they told me to stay at home in the evenings,” a German woman who teaches Germany in Tripoli said. Although the city is under heavy guard of the troops loyal to Gaddafi, gunfire can be heard from time to time at night.

Gaddafi’s son Seif al-Islam launched a media campaign on Thursday, inviting the international media to Tripoli to report about “the truth in the city.”

“You can go anywhere to see anything you want to see,” a media official said.

Gadafi also ordered to give each family 500 Libyan dinars ( about 400 U.S. dollars) to improve people’s life, the state radio said on Sunday.

The authority even allowed foreign reporters to visit the Zawiya city on Sunday, some 40 km west of Tripoli. The city reportedly has witnessed heavy clashes between Gaddafi’s troops and anti-government protestors.

The highway heading to Zawiya is strongly occupied with military forces, policemen and some armed men in plain clothes and with their faces masked. Vehicles have to pass at least five checkpoints to reach the restive city.

The central part of Zawiya has been controlled by anti- government protesters after clashes Thursday and Friday. When about 50 foreign reporters arrived in the area, some 300 protestors gathered in the street, waving weapons and chanting slogans as “Game over Gaddafi,” “Gaddafi get out,” and “Free Libya. ”

Mahmoud Magdy Hayawah, a medical college student, told Xinhua that about 200 soldiers attacked them suddenly Thursday morning, ” They killed 23 people and 44 others are injured,” he said.

The protestors defeated the soldiers and captured five of them, now some militia with hunting guns and rifles volunteered to secure the region.

“We protested in peace before, we don’t want to fight with anybody, we just want peace,” Abulgasem, a lecturer in Zawiya university said.

The major big families in Zawiya, have refused to cooperate with Gaddafi anymore, a cleric told Xinhua.

However, the reporters saw a mass demonstration supporting Gaddafi in a nearby district al-Harsha, attended by hundreds of people including women and children. “We don’t want two Libyas, we want one,” a middle aged woman yelled, referring to the unrest that might split the country.

On the way back to Tripoli, nearly 1,000 pro-Gaddafi supporters, mostly young people, blocked the traffic and stopped the journalists, “All people support Gaddafi,” the young man chanted, waving Libya national flags and Gaddafi’s “Green Book.”

“I don’t like the things happened in Benghazi, we can’t live without Gaddafi,” a man holding his baby daughter told Xinhua.

Some Libyans did not want to involve themselves in any kind of struggle. “I just want to live my life in stability, with or without Gaddafi,” Salah, a driver told Xinhua reporters. Enditem (one U.S dollars equals to about 1.25 dinar)