The state of security remains a concern in a background of bitter frustrations,
thwarted ambitions and the failure of the government to communicate with
ordinary people. The prospect is that the regional militias will retain
influence as a
consequence of the breakdown of the central power's authority. This would
greatly unbalance the country in favour of those large organisations in urban
areas
against the less military-oriented districts.
The government's ability to guarantee the safety of visitors - whether
commercial or private – is less than reassuring for foreign companies. There
are daily
reports of minor criminal activities and arbitrary actions taken against
individuals and institutions that are unacceptable to the local population. The
security
forces, working without a proper command structure, are extremely weak, and the
police force in particular is undermanned and lacking complete control of the
situation.
There are also areas – for example in the small towns of the Jebel Nafusa - which are out of effective range of the government and which simply go their
own way. Symptomatic of the situation is a report of an attempt to damage the
national power grid on 31st December by nine pro-Colonel Mu'ammar Qadhafi supporters.
The security of commercial contracts signed by foreign companies with Libya's
previous rulers is not entirely established. A high level representation of
Italian companies escorted by strong diplomatic support is expected soon in
Tripoli,
with the Italians firmly sticking to the integrity of previous contracts
despite
the change in government. So far, government spokesmen have reserved the right
to re-assess contracts before endorsement and seek to draw in foreign parties
to
their reconstruction programme.
For more news and expert analysis about Libya, please see Libya Focus and Libya Politics & Security.
© 2012 Menas Associates