- In Libya, a dysfunctional Tripoli means a dysfunctional nation |http://bloom.bg/XPHjei
Gunfire Blends With Coffee as Libya Seeks Tripoli Control
By Christopher Stephen - Jan 29, 2013 3:51 AM ETThe crackle of gunfire mixes with the burble of conversation in Cinnabon, Tripoli’s most popular cafe, where customers enjoy cappuccino and chocolate cakes even as Libyan militias battle for control of nearby streets.“There’s gangster trouble over there, you get used to it,” says Majdi Nakua, a photographer, former rebel fighter and patron of the closely held Atlanta-based bakery chain. “But if it goes on for long, that’s not good. That’s not why we fought a revolution.”More than a year after the downfall and death of dictator Muammar Qaddafi, Tripoli is as divided and fractured as the country itself. Photographer: Mahmud Turkia/AFP via Getty ImagesWhile Libya, home to Africa’s largest oil reserves, has seen crude oil production return to pre-war levels of 1.54 million barrels a day, roads in Tripoli are potholed, building projects dormant and laws to create a city council stalled. Photographer: Mahmud Turkia/AFP/Getty ImagesMore than a year after the downfall and death of dictatorMuammar Qaddafi, Tripoli is as divided and fractured as the country itself. The central government has yet to establish order on a city that lacks an elected council and where militias, some loyal to the former regime, vie for control with police, the national army and the gendarmerie.“It’s the capital of the country and if you can’t get Tripoli organized and functioning more smoothly, then it’s going to be harder to do outside of the capital,” Ronald Bruce St John, author of 14 books on Libya, said by telephone fromAlbuquerque, New Mexico. Parties and militias have cut “the country and the major cities into little spheres of interest.”While Libya, home to Africa’s largest oil reserves, has seen crude production return to pre-war levels of 1.54 million barrels a day, roads in Tripoli are potholed, building projects dormant and laws to create a city council stalled.Militia Patchwork
Libya has a prime minister, Ali Zaidan, and a Cabinet but there’s no government control because militias won’t accept orders and won’t disband 15 months after Qaddafi’s downfall. The former dictator’s reluctance to create institutions that could challenge central authority during his 40-year rule means there was “very little for the government to fall back on,” St John said.In Tripoli late yesterday, British embassy officials said they were aware of a “potential threat” against the embassy and were liaising with the Libyan government, without providing details. There was no change in the U.K.’s travel advice, which recommends all but essential travel to the Libyan capital.The power vacuum has left Tripoli a patchwork of militia fiefdoms.The city’s east is largely controlled by former rebels with links to Misrata, a coastal city besieged by Qaddafi forces during most of the uprising. They fly the national tricolor, which has replaced the green flag of the previous regime, and cartoons showing the late ruler being crushed cover the walls of the Suq al Jumaa, Fashloum and Tajoura districts. - RT
@MicahZenko Recall: Repaying French (and UK) support in Afghanistan was justification for Libya intervention toohttp://on.cfr.org/InF1kQ - Mali ethnic tensions boil over; Clinton regrets N.Korea's isolation; UN warned Mali unrest may drive Islamists to Libya http://bit.ly/dUlvmy
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
#Libya, Mess in Tripoli means a dysfunctional nation, gunfire mixes with the burble of conversation in Cinnabon,
