By Libya Herald reporter.
Tripoli, 20 August 2016:
Regardless of the country’s seemingly intractable political and economic crises, Khoms, 120 kilometres east of Tripoli, is in upbeat mood as it prepares for its summer festival.
The beach along with streets and public areas are being cleaned by an army of volunteers and local organisations including the scouts and the fire brigade ahead of the week-long event which starts next Wednesday. The festival will include an array of competitions including cycing and water sports, such as windsurfing and kite-surfing.
Meanwhile the municipality, which includes the world heritage site of Leptis Magna, has announced that it will levy a regular monthly local tax on shops, organisations and businesses to pay for street cleaning and garbage removal.
It has not yet said what the amount will be.
As in most towns in Libya, life in Khoms carries on as normal despite the wider political problems that are not far away. The town is halfway between Misrata, bearing the brunt of the fight against the Islamic State in Sirte, and the capital with its political vacuum and rival militias.
