Gaddafi's gone, but life in Tripoli remains difficult

By Nehal El-Sherif, dpa

   Cairo/Tripoli (dpa) – Battle-worn Tripoli witnessed muted festivities as Libyans cautiously celebrated their freedom from Moamer Gaddafi and the Eid al-Fitr feast at the end of Ramadan.

   But with the changes come concerns both for their present needs and the future of Libya.

   Tripoli has become a ghost city, some residents feel, after many families chose to leave the capital - which witnessed pitched battles between Gaddafi's troops and the rebels - to find a safer place with more regular access to electricity, water and fuel.

   Few shops were open in the Libyan capital Wednesday and there was only the occasional car on the streets.

   "People are exhausted and primarily need financial support," said Sifao Adraf, one of the rebels who was fighting in Tripoli.

   "After all what they went through when Gaddafi was in control of Tripoli, they now suffer from lack of cash and basic needs," he told the German Press Agency dpa by phone.

   Many towns in the southern part of the country were also grappling with power outages, lack of water and downed telephone lines, Adraf said.

   Thousands of Libyans gathered Wednesday at Tripoli's renamed Martyrs' Square for special prayers as they began their Eid celebrations. The location was significant - this was once the infamous Green Square, usually filled with Gaddafi's supporters when the "brother leader" still held sway over the capital.

   "There is no place for you Gaddafi after the people have rid
Libya of injustice and tyranny," said the imam leading the prayers.

   He described the six-month civil war as the "greatest revolution in the modern age."

   But as Libyans look ahead to return to a life of some normalcy, their immediate worries are how to get cash, fill fuel tanks, buy food and access clean water.

   When three banks opened a few days ago in Tripoli, and the rebels' Transitional National Council offered 250 dinars (about 210 dollars) for each family, people queued up to access their accounts. But the amount offered was insufficient for even a small family.

   Moreover, three banks were not enough to provide for a city of 1 million people, who have not been paid their salaries for months.

   The lack of cash is not the only problem. There has been no water in homes for weeks. Families who have wells in their houses distribute water to their neighbours for free.

   People also have to endure recurring power cuts throughout the day. Only the five-star hotels have generators powerful enough to provide their guests with electricity. But the hotels also face the risk of total darkness when the fuel for the generators runs out.

   Most of the fuel available in the city is sold on the black market, and was transported from Tunisia or Algeria.

   The gas stations are closed, and those taxis that are available charge 200-400 dollars per day. About a month ago, they used to ask for 50 dollars.

   Several other commodities are sold for double their price now, if they are available.

   On Thursday, sixty delegations from countries and international organizations are gathering in Paris for the "friends of Libya" conference, to discuss the North African nation's estimated 100-150 billion dollars in overseas assets, a proportion of which was frozen under a United Nations sanctions resolution in March.

   With Gaddafi gone, Libyans' problems persist, but they remain hopeful.

   "People here have hope in better living standards in the coming few months," one resident said.

   "You can see it on their faces," he added, "they are smiling and talking to each other on the streets, unlike before when all you could see was grim faces."

   Published here and here