Forgotten south: Rifts costing ordinary Libyans dearly
Southern Libya, lost amid the
current events, suffers from the political divisions and fragmentation that the
country has reached.
This part of Libya has become
forgotten. It is a geopolitical link between Libya and the countries of
sub-Saharan Africa. It also meets geographically with the borders of Chad,
Sudan, Niger and Algeria.
Forgotten south
A new chapter in the suffering of
southern Libya unfolded through a disaster that claimed the lives of dozens of
victims, early this month, due to the explosion of a fuel tanker in the
municipality of Bint Baya in the city of Ubari, whose population does not
exceed 10,000 people, and is located in the middle of the road that links Ubari
with Sabha.
The incident resulted in the death
of seven people and the injury of more than 50 others, including serious cases.
The French Press Agency revealed
that a fuel truck overturned on the main road in the city of Ubari. Dozens of
residents of the area, it said, gathered around it, and tried to seize the fuel
spilled on the road by filling small gallons.
However, the truck exploded, while
these locals were around it. A number of cars also caught fire.
It is worth noting that southern
Libya has been suffering from fuel shortage for years, as smuggling operations
are active, especially fuel smuggling and human trafficking.
Paying the
price
The incident sheds light again on
the impact of the political divisions that Libya has been experiencing for
years, for which citizens pay the price, especially in the south, which is
called the 'forgotten south'.
The Bint Baya Municipal Council
expressed anger at the explosion and the way it was dealt with.
The council said Fezzan City was
deliberately marginalized by successive governments.
It pointed to the neglect of the
people of Fezzan in terms of health, maintenance and modernization of roads.
The Bint Baya council held the Brega
Oil Marketing Company responsible for the incident.
It also called on security
authorities to take action to stop the smuggling of fuel.
Day after day, the wave of protests
against difficult and harsh living conditions in southern Libya escalates.
The suffering of the south comes
amid the country's suffering from a severe political crisis, as two
governments, the first headed by Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh and the second by Fathi
Bashagha battle for power.