Panafrican News Agency

Accumulation of problems, deterioration in living conditions in Libyan trigger demonstrations (News analysis by Youssef BA, PANA correspondent)

Tripoli, Libya (PANA) – Libyans, long time bothered by insecurity caused by 14 months of war, have over the past few weeks intensified demonstrations in Tripoli and other Libyan cities to demand improvement in their living conditions.

Additionally, they have denounced corruption among government officials and political decision-makers of this North African oil-rich country who have failed to find solutions to this situation.

Is this a new awareness creation among citizens or the expression of despair with the bad living conditions of Libyans over the past few years because of the insecurity and division of the country?

It is true that these protests launched by Libyan activists via the Internet were attended by several youths spontaneously, raising many questions regarding their real motivations.

One also wonders if they are manipulated by a determined ideological political trend or a camp of the actors involved in the conflict.

 Libyan civil society activist Hamouda al-Issawi thinks "it is true that the context is particularly difficult for the Libyans since 2011, date of the 17 February revolution and the fall of the regime of Mouamar Khaddafi, plunging the country into security chaos and the fall of the government institution, particularly the security and military organs".

Mr al-Issaoui added that "all along the past decade, the Libyans were subjected to all deprivations and repeated shortages that come again and again, just like a leitmotiv, the lack of cashflow, the delays in the payment of salaries, and the recurrent electricity power and water cuts often used as weapons of war”.

Added to these are “lack of fuel, the closure of airports, the difficult access to basic services, which are no longer quality, absence of health care and the fear of armed clashes, the abductions, the torture and forced disappearances”.

It is worth noting that the spread of the coronavirus contaminations, which is accelerating in the Libyan regions and cities with 12,274 confirmed infections since the outbreak of the disease in the country last March, including 10,274 still active, 209 recoveries and 219 deaths, has accentuated the suffering of the citizens in the country.

Khaled al-Akari, a Libyan university professor, says "the Libyan economy is in prey for serious recession aggravated by the depreciation of the Libyan dinar against the other currencies, particularly on the black market where 1 dollar is traded against 6.35 dinars as officially, 1 dollar is traded at 1.39 dinar and 1 Euro is traded at 7.35 dinars in the parallel market, factors that cause a rise in inflation and an increase in the cost of living".

He reminded the problems in the oil production, main source of the government revenues, regularly at the stop because of the insecurity near the oil sites and the other social protest movements by neighbouring populations and the blockade imposed for seven months by Haftar’s forces, which aggravated the economic situation in the country, causing a revenue loss of more than 8.5 billion dollars and a fall in production by 800,000 barrels per day.

Mr al-Akari underlined that "to this must be added the mismanagement of the different governments which succeeded one another all along the past few years and the incompetence of the majority of officials who indulged in systematic pillaging of public funds, corruption, and nepotism.

According to him, "this situation raise resentments among a large part of the Libyans who feel marginalised and who have, over the past few years, seen their conditions of living deteriorating, their purchase power falling in addition to living in extreme poverty".

"some of the youths who took part in the demonstrations are in prey for threat of famine and lack of financial means, seeing their parents not being able to face the demands of life, forced every time to give up their needs of life because of the lack of power to get them. Simple things have become luxury with the sudden rise in prices which multiplied by twenty for some products like wheat, rice and other foodstuffs which have disappeared from the shelves of stores and shops and the dish of several Libyan families".

Demonstrators posted videos on social networks justifying their protest, saying they are fed up with the corruption that has destroyed the government institutions while they suffer everyday to make both ends meet.

They denounced the unemployment that affects them, the lack of prospects that gives them the feeling of a sacrificed generation.

The protesters said they had no political affiliation and rejected as well Haftar’s militarisation project as well as the Parliament of Aguila Saleh and the presidential council, adding they are motivated by the ‘miserable conditions’ and the gloomy future ahead of them.

The Libyan political analysts, Ali Moujahid, said in a post in his Facebook page that "several observers of the Libyan scene say that the appeals to demonstrate in Tripoli against the disruption of services and the corruption are directly linked to the international audit of the accounts of the central bank in Tripoli and Benghazi".

The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) announced recently the launching of international audit of the divisions of the Libyan central bank, ordered by the UN Security Council at the request of the chairman of the presidential council, Fayez al-Sarraj.

It is worth noting that the chairman of the presidential council mentioned in his televised address the existence of problems within the presidential council because of the intention of some of its members to occupy determined positions, which makes difficult for any cabinet reshuffle to find an efficient team.

He also mentioned the difficulties linked to the quotas in the nomination of ministers, threatening to resort to the declaration of the state of force majeure and to appoint a crisis government in his capacity as chairman of the presidential council.

Mr al-Sarraj also reaffirmed that demonstrating peacefully is an expression and constitutional right, calling to protect the legal and peaceful demonstrations.

For the former minister of Information of the National Transitional Council (ex-NTC), Mahmud Shammam,  "the situation is about to explode and the pressure generates an explosion. We warn all officials that the temporary congestions increase the tension and anger. Demonstrations have only just begun and authorities must take the decisive measures to give back confidence to the people so they believe in a better future".

He suggested in a post on his Facebook page that "these measures begin with an investigation with the lords of corruption and their immediate withdrawal from the corruption centers, the protection of peaceful demonstrations and the satisfaction of the urgent and necessary needs of populations”.

According to him, "the expected change is not to reproduce corruption and replace corruption by corruption and a corrupted class by another corrupted class, but instead initiate a movement of change that overcomes the September injustice (Khaddafi regime) and the February failure (Revolution of February 17)”.

He concluded with a warning: "Don’t underestimate what is happening within demonstrators and demonstrations, which can be transformed into a snowball that grows every day and which includes the condemnation of all corrupted and those who detain the key for power. We warn against the resort to force against demonstrators and we hope that demonstrations will be peaceful and under the Libyan flags, with clear demands".

 

-0-     PANA     BY/TBM/MSA/RA     27Aug2020