Libyans miss life under Gaddafi
<http://www.nation.co.ke/image/view/-/1992202/medRes/811534/-/mer9s7/-/AFP_P IC.jpg> By AFP <http://www.nation.co.ke/authors/1959272-1951940-view-asAuthor-l6k3xi/index. html> More by this Author Five years after an uprising killed Libyas Muammar Gaddafi, residents in the chaos-wracked countrys capital joke they have grown to miss the longtime dictator as the frustrations of daily life mount. Those living in the capital say they are exhausted by power cuts, price increases and a lack of cash flow as rival authorities and militias battle for control of the fragmented oil-rich country. I hate to say it but our life was better under the previous regime, says Fayza al-Naas, a 42-year-old pharmacist, referring to Gaddafis more than four decades of rule. Today, we wait for hours outside banks to beg cashiers to give us some of our own money. Everything is three times more expensive. A UN-backed unity government has struggled to assert its authority nationwide since arriving in Tripoli in March, with a rival parliament in the countrys far east refusing to cede power to it. On Friday it suffered a new blow when a rival seized key offices in the capital and proclaimed the reinstatement of a third administration previously based in Tripoli. The turmoil after Gaddafis 2011 fall has allowed the Islamic State jihadist group to gain a foothold on Europes doorstep after seizing the strongmans hometown of Sirte in June last year. Forces loyal to the unity government have for five months been fighting to expel the last jihadists from the former IS stronghold, with support from US air strikes since early August. With the loyalists weakened by the anti-IS battle, forces led by a controversial field marshal last month seized key oil terminals to its east, allowing the National Oil Company to resume crude exports. The eastern parliament has thrown its support behind Khalifa Haftar, who presents himself as Libyas saviour in the face of a growing jihadist threat but is a hugely divisive figure. While his army has ousted most jihadists from Benghazi, the birthplace of the 2011 uprising, his detractors accuse him of working towards the single goal of seizing power to establish a new military dictatorship. Libyans are forced to choose between two extremes: either chaos with militias and Islamist extremists as the dominant forces, or military rule, said Libya analyst Mohamed Eljarh. No other convincing options are on offer, added Eljarh, of the Rafik Hariri Centre for the Middle East. Haftars forces have fought for more than two years to expel jihadists from second city Benghazi, while pro-GNA forces are caught up in fighting IS in Sirte. According to Libya expert Mattia Toaldo, these rival forces might then want to extend their influence in other areas of the country and be met with tough local resistance. EM On the 49th Parallel Thé Mulindwas Communication Group "With Yoweri Museveni, Ssabassajja and Dr. Kiiza Besigye, Uganda is in anarchy" Kuungana Mulindwa Mawasiliano Kikundi "Pamoja na Yoweri Museveni, Ssabassajja na Dk. Kiiza Besigye, Uganda ni katika machafuko"
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