142. Stability is gradually returning to Libya

Libya made headlines during periods of conflict and crisis, but now that stability is gradually returning, we no longer receive updates. 

However, after a long wait, some positive news arrived from Libya. 

The National Museum of Libya, one of the world's premier museums, reopened after 14 years. Firecrackers echoed across Martyr’s Square, located in the centre of Tripoli.

The museum contains Africa’s most extensive collection of classical antiquities, but it was closed during the civil war after the fall of former dictator Muammar Gaddafi. 

Credit is due to certain officials of the antiquities department who succeeded in relocating the museum’s artefacts to secure hideouts, shielding them from thieves and smugglers. 

Libya had been a significant cultural and economic powerhouse.

The issues in Libya remain unresolved. Since 2014, the country has been divided into two opposing governments, one in the east and the other in the west, due to politicians rather than the people. Libya remains near the bottom of the world league tables for press freedom and corruption. 

The current prime minister is not an elected official but an appointee through a UN-supervised process. He was due to remain in power only until elections across the country could be held, but many oppose holding a vote until a referendum on a new constitution has been held. 

However, PM is doing a good job, persuading the world to see Libya through optimists’ eyes. 

Embassies are now reopening, along with long-closed luxury hotels. BP, the British oil multinational, has reopened its office, and new oil investments are on the horizon. 

We hope the museum will help educate Libyans after the distorted teaching of the Gaddafi era, teaching them to respect time and history.