A new research paper from the Berlin-based Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP) says that a handful of local militias have gradually brought much of Tripoli under their control growing into criminal networks straddling business, politics, and the administration.
Author Wolfram Lacher (pictured) adds that the pillaging of state funds now benefits a narrower group than at any time since the 2011 revolution, while actors excluded from this arrangement are building alliances to alter the balance of power in Tripoli by force.
Among the illegal activities of these groups are "protection" rackets and fraud involving letters of credit (LCs).
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(Source: SWP)
