Since Sirte was seized by Haftar’s forces last January, the Interim Government affiliated to the Libyan Arab Armed Forces (LAAF) appointed new local authorities to run the city instead of the elected local council. The municipality’s new Steering Committee, as it is dubbed, now faces a major test, as it has to confront the new coronavirus pandemic in addition to the continuing war in the west of the city. Due to Sirte’s strategic location and its importance as a connecting hub between several Libyan cities and communities, the way local authorities will respond to the crisis might have a determining impact on the evolution of the crisis in the rest of the country.
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