On January 21st, negotiations finally satisfied protesters who ended their sit down, thus allowing the NOC to lift its case of force majeure on al-Sharara. As we examine in this article, this disruption could have broadened and is likely to be repeated in the future due to chronic underdevelopment of the Fezzan and politicking by key actors.
Why these sit-ins lasted longer than expected
Despite indications that sit-ins in al-Sharara would have ended by January 11th, local protesters kept a determined stance with their spokesperson, Abubakr Abushreia stating that al-Sharara would remain closed as long as the “political, economic, social, and service rights” of southern Libyans would not be provided.
