Libyan Prime Minister Dr Ali Zidan (left), and Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi, two of the protagonists during 2012 in Libya
By Karen Dabrowska
The year 2012 was one of achievements and challenges for Libya. The greatest achievement undoubtedly being the holding of democratic elections in July - the first since 1952. The last national vote prior to that was held in 1965, when no political parties were allowed.
In August the Transitional government handed power to the General National Congress, GNC, which was elected in July. The Congress elected Mohammed Magharief of the liberal National Front Party as its chairman, thereby making him interim head of state.
After the elections Mustafa Abushagur, prime-minister-elect, failed in two attempts to gain parliamentary approval for his government. The National Congress finally elected Dr Ali Zidan, a liberal and leading opposition envoy during the civil war, to succeed him. Zidan’s government was sworn in in November.
Violence and armed clashes continued to be a problem throughout the year. In January clashes erupted between former rebel forces in Benghazi in a sign of discontent with the pace and nature of change under the governing NTC. The deputy head of the NTC, Abdel Hafiz Ghoga, resigned.
The following month scores were killed in clashes between Arab Zawi and African Tebu groups in Al-Kufra in the remote south-east. The Tebu and other African tribes state they were discriminated against by Gaddafi’s regime and are adamant that the situation has not changed under Libya’s new rulers.
In May gunmen burst into government headquarters in Tripoli during a protest against the suspension of bounty payments to groups that had fought against the Gaddafi regime. Security forces restored order.
The following month the government struggled to control local militias, especially in Zintan. The Al-Awfea Brigade briefly took over Tripoli International Airport in protest at the detention of one of its members and a pro-autonomy mob ransacked the election commission building in Benghazi.
In October pro-government forces put down an armed uprising in the western town of Bani Walid. The Libyan authorities alleged that Gaddafi loyalists were still present in the town - a claim rejected by local militiamen.
The death of the libyan convicted of the Lockerbie bombing, Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi seems to have closed a dark chapter in Libya’s history. Libya has agreed to release the Lockerbie files.
Apart from the killing of the US ambassador and three other Americans by armed men who stormed the consulate in Benghazi in September, Westerners have been attacked in Libya.
The US believes armed Islamist groups used protests against a film produced in the US that mocked Prophet Muhammad as cover for the attack. Crowds in Benghazi drove out the Ansar al-Sharia and other militias from the city and nearby Derna, prompting head of state Mohammed Magharief to vow to disband all illegal militias.
An independent panel investigating the attack on the US Consulate in Benghazi said that the State Department suffered from "systemic failures" in its response to the terrorist threat and had insufficient numbers of security on the ground. Three top State Department officials have resigned in the wake of the report.
Tensions between the east and west of the country have not been completely resolved. In March NTC officials in the oil-rich east, centred on Benghazi, launched a campaign to re-establish autonomy for the region, further increasing tension with the central NTC in Tripoli. In November the Benghazi police chief was assassinated by unknown gunmen.
The new government still has to deal with the continued imprisonment of hundreds of former Gaddafi supporters who are being held in makeshift detention centres without charge. Mauritania arrested Gaddafi-era intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi at Nouakchott Airport, and eventually extradited him to stand trial for crimes committed during Gaddafi’s rule. The International Criminal Court and France are also seeking his extradition.
Gaddafi’s son, Seif Al Islam, is still being held in Zintan with no date fixed for his trial, while at the end of the year former Prime Minister al-Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi went on trial in Tripoli on charges of "acts that led to the unjust killing of Libyans" and of funnelling about $25m of public money through Tunisia to help forces loyal to Gaddafi.
Gaddafi’s compound in Tripoli was reduced to a pile of rubble after the revolution in 2011. Today most of the country’s ills are blamed on Gaddafi and his regime, especially the neglect of Libya in favour of Africa and a total lack of attention to Libyan cities where the infrastructure is in urgent need of repair and upgrading.
The private sector is thriving, oil exports have returned to pre-revolution levels and hundreds of ex pats have returned to assist in the development of the new Libya. The health and education sectors are in dire state and civil society is developing slowly but surely. Despite the challenges and difficulties the people are facing the future with optimism and confidence.
Commenting on the business relationship between Britain and Libya the director general of the Libyan British Business Council Robin Lamb told The Tripoli Post that Libya has had a second remarkable year. It held democratic elections, the National Transitional Council voluntarily stood down, a new General National Congress was elected and a new Government was formed.
These are remarkable achievements and set the stage for Prime Minister Zidan and his Ministers to launch in 2013 the revitalisation of Libya's economy and the generation of the business and job opportunities the Libyan people seek.
This is a key area where British business can help. In the United Kingdom, the private sector plays the leading role in one of the world's most innovative, diversified and outward looking economies.
British companies, including the Libyan British Business Council’s 150 members, have developed products, services and skills in competitive and challenging environments in the United Kingdom and throughout the world which they can now bring to relationships with Libyan customers and partners across all business sectors.
The LBBC and its members look forward to developing partnerships with Libyan businesses in the official and private sectors on which they can together build bilateral trade and investment activity to the benefit of both countries and peoples.
Libya still has issues to resolve before business can fully take off. Security is an absolute must for business to thrive and good governance is vital to its efficient operation.
Overwhelming popular endorsement of the electoral process and the Libyan voters’ clear support for moderation in politics provide a democratic mandate for the government to establish a secure and stable environment.
Transparent economic and business decisions, free of corruption, will provide the best prospect for the efficient use of investment capital and other resources. A predictable legal and tax framework will enable Libyan and foreign investors and business managers to take decisions which will establish the best prospect of their companies’ sustainability and profitability.
Foreign partnerships will be an important component of Libya's business success as foreign companies can bring the products, services and expertise which the country needs to diversify its economy and develop the technical, financial and management skills of its people.
In order to ensure that this works to the country's benefit, Libya needs to provide an economic, logistical and legal framework that allows both Libyan and foreign businesses to operate profitably and does not leave Libya at a disadvantage in the global competition for investment.
These are aspirations but I am confident that the Libyan authorities and people have the vision and determination to bring them about in 2013, Mr Lamb concluded.
