On 25 May, Deutsche Welle published an article by Cathrin Schaer and Islam Alatrash, entitled ‘Can oil money and fancy shopping malls finally unite Libya?’. In their article, Schaer and Alatrash examine the new expansive reconstruction and influx of cash from oil sales in Libya, which has the most oil deposits in Africa. Speaking to analysts and locals, they question whether the positive changes and relative stability brought on by increasing oil revenues has any meaningful impact on the lives of ordinary Libyans, who do not actually benefit from the income of the state. They conclude that ‘despite all the shopping malls and new roads, volatility remains the overriding factor in Libya, whether that's due to international oil prices or Libyan militias' infighting’.
Read the full article here.