Rebel forces led by Khalifa Haftar, who styles himself as a field marshal, have cut off water supplies to Tripoli and other cities and towns in order to press the shaky government of Libya into surrender. The situation is thus of grave concern, as the government, recognized by the UN, points out. At the same time, there are people who suggest that Haftar's forces may not have been involved in the snapping of water supply to the cities but other forces.
The government of national accord (GNA) may be trying to score some propaganda points in order to highlight the crisis caused by Haftar's Libyan National Army. Whether that is true is not the point. What is more important is that the suspension of water has left millions of Libyans in a state of suffering in this hot season and unless speedy efforts are made toward ensuring that ordinary people are not deprived of resources in this war of attrition between the government and the rebels, the world could soon have an unmanageable crisis on its hands.
It is sad to see how Libya has collapsed in chaos in the years since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The manner in which Gaddafi ruled his country in his final years was certainly not a beautiful picture to behold, but surely that did not excuse the way in which his enemies, backed by Nato, brought about his fall and death. Libya's recent history is a classic example of how stability in a country can be destroyed by political opposition banking on outside help to remove a government. Such foreign-aided assistance can only cause grief, a reality Libyans confront today.
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