Violence fills vacuum as NTC struggles to control Tripoli

LIBYA's interim government is struggling to control tribal violence and economic collapse in Tripoli, according to latest reports, prompting fears that the capital could become as lawless as post-war Baghdad.  
 
Looting and crime are "part of life", according to The Times, comparing the city to the Iraqi capital following the fall of Saddam Hussein. Local residents are reported as saying the atmosphere makes it too dangerous to go out at night.
 
Last week, a militia force from the Western mountains reportedly invaded a Tripoli hospital hunting for a rival fighter, with at least two deaths in the resultant clashes.
 
There are fears that young people have little faith in the National Transitional Council. The Times reports a student living in one of the most anti-Gaddafi districts of Tripoli saying he would rather ask his local militia for help than go to the police. "The people of the revolution are the ones who guard us," he said.

Another anxiety is the proliferation of weapons. The UN's top envoy in Libya, Ian Martin, said yesterday this was "a very, very serious cause for concern". Martin claimed that shoulder-held missiles, mines and ammunition have been looted and that it will now be very difficult to prevent the smuggling of arms, News 24 reported.
 
Despite appeals, NTC officials have failed to reclaim the arms distributed during Libya's uprising, according to the Times.
 
The interim government is also under pressure over the quality of life it can deliver. A liquidity crisis means people are able to withdraw only a maximum of 750 dinars (£380) a month, making it difficult to buy food during the current holy feast of Eid al-Adha.
 
NTC Vice-President Abdel Hafiz Ghoga recently announced that the cash shortage would improve soon, but did not say how this would be achieved.

Industry has been severely handicapped by 600,000 migrant workers fleeing the country, according to France 24. It is unclear how many of them might return.
 
The country is entering a make-or-break phase following the killing of former leader Muammar Gaddafi. Libyans are scheduled to elect a national assembly to oversee the drafting of a constitution by June 2012, to be followed by parliamentary and presidential elections.
 
Some officials believe the elections should be brought forward, in order to curtail what is becoming a dangerous power vacuum. ·