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By Libya Herald Reporters.
Benghazi 14 January 2015:
Benghazi City Council was reportedly rebuffed when members sought take over part of a local . . .[restrict]bank as a meeting room.
Normally reliable source have told the Libya Herald that councillors went to Al-Tanmia Bank in Alberka and asked if they could use part of the building for their work.
It is understood that the manager refused, saying that the bank had just paid LD 1.5 million in repairs and renovation and had no space for the councillors. It appears that a row broke out but the municipal delegation left the building after local resident arrived and demanded they go.
Benghazi City Council has not enjoyed a strong reputation. People in the city complain that they have to arrange for their own refuse removal on a neighbourhood basis.
In its defence, the council would argue that is has been woefully underfunded by the central government. Last year it sought money to cope with the locals made homeless by the fighting and refugees from elsewhere in the country, as well as damage to key infrastructure. According to Dr. Awad Alqawiri, speaking last year, the council was given a mere million dinars when, in his view, LD 50 million was an absolute minimum.
Alqawiri later resigned from the council accusing the-then mayor, Tariq Al-Urfi of incompetence and the council generally of not facing up to the crisis. Urfi, a supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood, resigned last year by SMS, texting that he had been receiving death threats. Col. Omar Albarasi was elected in his stead.
The city today was notable for an heightened police and army presence throughout central districts. Operation Dignity spokesman Mohamed Hejazi told this newspaper that rumours of a curfew to be imposed from tomorrow were unfounded. The police and army were out in force purely to protect public buildings and ensure order.
The idea of an overnight curfew may anyway have struck Benghazinos as odd. As one resident explained: “We already have a voluntary curfew. Nobody goes out after five or six at night. Why would we? There is nothing to go out for. Everything is closed”.
Fighting continued today in the key Sabri and Leithi districts but seemingly at a less intense level. One Libyan army soldier was reportedly killed in Leithi.
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