By Jamie Prentis.
Tunis, 11 June 2017:
The mayor of Sebha says four members of the municipal council who resigned last week did so because one of them wants to be mayor himself.
Saleh Badr “wants it all,” said mayor Hamed Rafeh. But “he doesn’t understand the problems facing the people of Sebha,” he claimed.
“We have to help everybody. The people need many things and we have problems with money, electricity, and security. But he [Badr] wants it all for himself and isn’t interested in helping our people,” the mayor told the Libya Herald.
“He always wants to make problems. I suggested we dig wells to help with the lack of water and its quality in Sebha, but no, he won’t accept it. I’ve always asked him if he is trying to hurt the municipality. How can the people accept him if he is always causing trouble?”, Rafeh said, adding that locals knew Bader was “bad”.
“He convinced the other three to leave. They told me ‘if we resign we will kick you out.’ As I said, he wants it all,” Rafeh added.
He dismissed suggestions the resignations would affect Sebha’s municipality.
“We have many good people who can replace these guys, it will be fine. I am not the man to cut the people off. Let’s show them what we can do,” a defiant Rafeh declared.
The other three resigning members are Ahmed Al-Hudairi, Ibrahim Mehrez and Omaima Bashir.
It has not been possible to contact any of the four members who resigned.