Philadelphia, US – The American think tank “Middle East Forum” published an article by researcher and former Pentagon official Michael Rubin, highlighting the stark contrast between the stability in areas under the General Command and the chaos in the west of the country. The report stated that “The Libyan Arab Armed Forces now controls more than 81 percent of Libya, including all of the country’s east and south. Where they control, there is security and reconstruction booms,” noting that projects like the New Benghazi Airport will open soon with runways longer than major US airports.
Conversely, the report sharply criticized the situation in the capital, pointing to “the chaos and corruption that still dominate Tripoli.” The author explained that the Tripoli-based Prime Minister Abd al-Hamid Dbeibeh “has squandered Libyan resources and cannot point to any real accomplishments.”
The report added that he claims a monopoly over state resources but “has rebuilt almost nothing in Tripoli. Tripoli’s international airport, for example, remains in ruins more than a decade after militia fighting destroyed it.” The report also pointed out that Tripoli continues to provide shelter to militants and militias.
The report praised the rapid development in Sirte, which “has since become a paradigm of development,” including “The new Gulf of Sirte International Airport is the most modern in North Africa, putting the airports of Cairo and Casablanca to shame, as described by the author.”
The article expanded on the projects, noting that “A new stadium, convention center, and port will soon begin full operations, and a refurbished hospital and renovated university already draw patients and students from across Libya and the region.”
The author confirmed that local officials “are preparing for national institutions (the Libyan National Bank, for example) to locate in the town that is now one of the most modern and advanced in the country, with crime falling almost to zero.” The report concluded by urging the US administration and the international community to listen to Libyans, asserting that “They want unity, but they also want a new beginning. Sirte provides it.”