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By Sami Zaptia.
Tripoli, 10 August 2014:
Fighting has continued overnight in Tripoli between opposing sets of militias in flagrant violation, it seems, . . .[restrict]of national and international efforts and calls for a ceasefire.
The continued fighting is taking place as the House of Representatives (HoR) has called in the Abdullah Al-Thinni government to Tobruk for questioning, including the questioning today of the Chief of Staff Major General Abdussalam Jadallah Al-Obeidi.
The loud booming sounds of explosions seem to have increased and can be heard from almost every part of Tripoli as reports have been coming in of continued shelling in the residential areas of Janzour, Sirraj, Abu Sleem and reports of clashes in the Hay Al-Akwakh estate near the metal bridge end of Airport Road.
These continued clashes come as great efforts are being made by authorities such as the Tripoli Municipal Council and Central Bank of Libya to reestablish some semblance of normality to the city.
These have included efforts to reopen banks and to increase petrol and diesel supply to Tripoli through the arrival of tankers at Tripoli Port.
There have been some reports of movement in the petrol queues that stretch for miles and miles at the relatively few petrol stations open, with the overwhelming majority of petrol stations still it seems unwilling or unable to open.
Whilst it is very difficult to generalize as supply varies from area to area, electricity supply seems to have improved, with some areas experiencing only 4 hours of power cuts. The improved power supply has improved mobile phone coverage and internet connectivity.
One definite improvement has been the return on schedule of running water in taps to most areas, three days after it disappeared – and as promised by the Ministry of Water Resources.
The utilities maintenance departments, be it electricity, telecoms or water have the hapless task of trying to continuously fix supplies as the warring militias continue to damage them – intentionally or unintentionally.
Another relative success story is the stable availability – for those who wish to leave – of various flights out of Libya through Tripoli’s Mitiga airport, Misrata airport or Al-Beida’s Labrak airport.
Nevertheless, with no clear government or HoR declarations on an immanent ceasefire and the lack of petrol, Tripoli still resembles a ghost town with the overwhelming number of shops closed and commercial activity frozen.
Those Tripolitanians who have not either escaped or gone on holiday out of the country are confined to their homes, making only necessary dashes out of their homes for essential supplies. [/restrict]
