Jalel Al-Harchaoui, an expert in Libyan affairs at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), told our source on Sunday that every three to six months, Libyan officials reiterate the importance of lifting fuel subsidies. For example, in March 2021, Prime Minister Dbeibeh announced the formation of a new committee tasked with implementing this removal, but since then, nothing of note has occurred — despite more than four years having passed.
Moreover, there are currently reports circulating about the issuance of a card that would determine the amount of fuel each Libyan household is entitled to purchase at the subsidized rate — which indicates a continuation of the subsidy rather than its removal.
Al-Harchaoui affirmed that, naturally, it would be in the interest of Libyans to carry out a deep reform of the fuel subsidy program, and that lifting the subsidy would be a correct step — although it would not solve the crisis on its own.
However, he added that what he has seen so far amounts to nothing more than talk, with no real steps toward change.
