COUNTRY IN FOCUS •
Image by Natanaelignting on Freepik
LIBYA – ONE OF THE LEAST ACCESSIBLE , LEAST EXPLORED AFRICAN JURISDICTIONS
Libya remains one of the least accessible countries in the world and least explored , writes Dr Nicolaas C Steenkamp .
The mention of Libya conjures up images of conflict whenever discussed . Officially known as the State of Libya , the country is situated in the Maghreb region in North Africa and is the fourth largest country in Africa . Libya is made of three historical regions : Tripolitania , Fezzan and Cyrenaica . It has an extremely rich history , with archaeological sites from the Bronze Age and having been part of every major civilisation that ever existed along the Mediterranean over millennia .
Political impasse , economic results A bloodless military coup in 1969 , initiated by a coalition led by Colonel Muammar Gaddafi , placed the country on a path of international isolation until the Arab Spring of 2011 . During the rule of Gaddafi , the country suffered heavily under international sanctions , but at the same time the citizens of Libya enjoyed a high standard of living due to oil exports and extensive government subsidised development .
Following the removal of Gaddafi , the country spiralled into chaos after 2014 , when two rival authorities claimed to govern Libya , which led to a second civil war , with parts of Libya split between the Tobruk and Tripoli-based governments as well as various tribal and Islamist militias . Although there an official cease fire was signed in 2020 , the conflict is still far from resolved .
Per a UN Security Council monthly report dated February 2024 , “ The political impasse in Libya continues between the UN-recognised Government of National Unity ( GNU ), based in Tripoli and led by Prime Minister Hamid Mohammed Dbeibah , and the eastern-based Government of National Stability ( GNS ), led by Prime Minister Osama Hamad and aligned with the House of Representatives ( HoR ) and the self-styled Libyan National Army ( LNA ) under the command of General Khalifa Haftar . The prolonged stalemate between the rival governments – which has persisted since the indefinite postponement of elections that had been scheduled for December 2021 – is a key driver of Libya ’ s political , security and economic instability .” This situation has led to almost zero industrial development taking place and it is nearly impossible for foreigners to visit the country . 1
An extreme environment The Libyan Desert covers most of the country in Aeolian sand with rock outcrops and the climate is extreme , with temperatures ranging from very hot during the day to freezing cold at night . The Kufra group , consisting of Tazerbo , Rebianae and Kufra , are a series of small oases , usually linked to the major depressions . Apart from the scarps , the general flatness of the desert is only interrupted by a series of plateaus and massifs near the centre of the Libyan Desert , around the convergence of the Egyptian-Sudanese-Libyan borders . Further to the south are the massifs of Arkenu , Uweinat and Kissu ,
www . africanmining . co . za African Mining Publication African Mining African Mining • April 2024 • 13