By Ahmed Elumami.
Tripoli, 23 December 2013:
Two main roads in the Jebel Nafusa will be closed again from Thursday because of continued . . .[restrict]lawlessness which has seen travellers, robbed, kidnapped and sometimes tortured.
The Jebel Nafusa Joint Security Room today announced that because of the deteriorating security situation, the road between Azizia and Ghariyan and Azizia and Bir Ghanem will be closed.
At the heart of the problem lies the continuing conflict between the towns of Warshefana and Zawia. In October, the road running through Warshefana territory was blocked after a series of attacks. Councils from Zintan, Jadu, Mizdah, Ghariyan, Nalut, Oala and Rujban formed a committee that sought to pressure the government to introduce proper security along the routes.
Deputy head of Ghariyan local council, Ali Moghairbi told the Libya Herald today: “We have submitted several memoranda to the government and the National Congress, but unfortunately, so far there has been no reply. So in order to avoid further problems and to maintain the security of motorists, it has been decided to close the road”.
Moghairbi said that the Jebel Nafusa councils would themselves be securing an alternative route from Wadi Al-Hera, Sbea, Qaser Ben Ghashir to Tripoli. He added that the road closures would stay in place until “the criminals”, whose identity was known to their local councils and the government, were arrested. [/restrict]