São Paulo – Libya, an Arab country in North Africa, is looking to hire security companies from other countries to protect its borders and to equip and train its Armed Forces. The news was released last Tuesday (24th) by the African news agency Panapress, based on statements made by the spokesperson to the Libyan Ministry of Defence, Abdelrazzak Al-Chahaibi.
According to the spokesperson, the minister of Defence Abdallah Al-Thiéni has been involved in talks with a few foreign companies specializing in border protection, and as a consequence the company received offers. Chahaibi noted that Libya sustains several agreements with neighbouring countries like Egypt, Sudan, Chad and Niger for joint construction of security equipment.
The Libyan Ministry of Defence has also issued a new plea for Libyan tribal communities to cooperate with the campaign for retrieving displaced Armed Forces weapons. The goal, according to Panapress, is to ensure security across the entire national territory.
Libya is in the process of adapting to a new political reality since mid-2011, when the dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who led the country since 1969, was overthrown and killed. Following Gaddafi’s ousting, the country was ruled by a transitional government; last year, a new parliament was formed and a prime-minister was elected. Changes in the country were triggered by popular protests, akin to what took place in several countries in the region, in a phenomenon known as the Arab Spring.
The Libyan economy is largely based on oil, which accounts for 95% of export revenues and for 80% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Libya has access to the Mediterranean Sea. The country has a 982-kilometre long border with Algeria; a 1,050 kilometre-long border with Chad; a 1,100 kilometre-long border with Egypt; a 354 kilometre-long border with Niger; a 383 kilometre-long border with Sudan; and a 459 kilometre-long border with Tunisia.
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
