Background
The report summarises the results of the 9th social peace survey in Libya, as part of an initiative to
empower municipal and community leaders to monitor and manage conflict tensions during the
political transition. This survey took place in December 2016– March 2017 in seven areas: Wadi Al
Bawanis, Aubari, Bani Waleed, Benghazi, Murzuq, Suq-al-Juma (Tripoli), and Zliten. Please note that
three communities were excluded from this survey round, or replaced with other communities. In
Misrata, collecting survey data was impossible due to ongoing fighting, and this community was
therefore replaced by Zliten, where a group of local actors has initiated a Social Peace Partnership
to monitor and manage sources of insecurity in their community. In Bayda, the Municipal Council
did not have the capacity to further engage in PCi’s programming, and was removed from the
survey. In addition, PCi suspended surveying in Sahel, where new Mayor – appointed by the military
governor – has changed the nature of the interaction with the authorities.
Methodology
The survey assesses six different indicators of social peace. In this context, social peace is defined by
strong horizontal relationships between different community groups, and strong vertical relationships
between community groups and state bodies. The indicators are:
-
the sense of safety within a community,
the sense of belonging felt by individuals,
the opportunities for participating in democratic processes,
the access to social, economic and cultural opportunities,
the overall quality of the built environment, and
the quality of local services.
The survey assesses each indictor on a scale from 1 (bad) to 5 (good) by asking respondents to rate
the present situation (e.g. ‘how safe do you feel on a scale of 1 to 5?’). In addition, each topic is
explored through secondary questions, allowing respondents to share an insight into their day-today experiences. For ‘sense of belonging’ for instance, people were asked about incidents of
negative or positive representation of different groups in (social) media. This is because a citizen’s
sense of belonging is very much linked to how he or she is described.
Summary table
Monitoring topics
Wadi AlBawanis
Aubari
Bani
Waleed
Benghazi
Murzuq
Nalout
Sabratha
Suq-alJuma
Tiji
Zliten
Average
How safe do you feel
in your community?
4
3
3
3
3
4
4
3
4
3
3
How much do you
feel you belong to this
community?
5
4
5
5
4
5
5
5
4
3
5
To what level are you
able and willing to
participate in
democratic
processes?
4
3
4
4
4
5
4
4
3
3
4
What level of access
do you have to social,
economic and
cultural opportunities?
2
2
2
2
2
3
3
2
2
2
2
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How would you rate
the quality of the built
environment?
2
1
1
3
2
2
3
3
3
2
2
What is the level and
quality of local
services and facilities?
3
2
3
2
2
2
3
3
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
4
3
3
3
3
Average rating
Overall summary
-
The ninth round of monitoring was carried out in seven communities, with the addition of
Zliten. In total, 92 individuals participated in the survey, compared to 97 in the previous
round.
-
In this round of surveys, the average score per community remained neutral (3). Most of the
communities rated the local ‘sense of belonging’ and citizens’ ability and willingness to
participate in decision-making processes with high scores (5 and 4). Most communities
gave low ratings (2) to ‘access to socioeconomic opportunities’ and quality of
infrastructure. These are consistent with the results from the previous round.
-
The great majority of the surveyed communities have a neutral overall rating. This is
consistent with the previous round.
-
All of the communities interviewed in this round report that the situation in their community is
safe (4) or at least neutral (3), which represents a downward trend compared to the
previous round. Social peace continues to be most reinforced by a strong sense of
belonging and social cohesion within communities.
-
The number of physical confrontations with heavy weapons is decreasing. Most
confrontations only involve the use of light weapons or no weapons at all. However,
consistent with the previous round, physical confrontations with the use of heavy weapons
were reported from Benghazi. Additionally, in this round, Zliten reported incidents with the
use of heavy weapons as well.
-
Male Arabs have the strongest ‘sense of belonging’ within their community. Other groups
generally feel marginalized: women (Zliten), ethnic minorities (Tebou in Murzuq, Tuareg in
Aubari) and youth (across communities). A noteworthy exception to this rule is the ethnic
Amazigh community of Nalout, which is close-knit, relatively monoethnic and familyoriented. Despite being an ethnic minority, this community reports a strong sense of
belonging.
-
Individuals continue to report loyalty to their communities, as well as a strong sense of
belonging within their communities, tribes, and families. This is in spite of the prevalence of
hate speech in various media sources. Facebook is the respondents’ major medium of news
consumption, followed by local and national television stations. Through all these channels,
hate speech and rumours are being disseminated, aimed at pitting different individuals and
communities against one another.
-
Citizens continue to report a strong willingness and ability to participate in democratic
processes, citing civic duty to contribute to the democratization of their country and to
restore peace throughout communities. However, corruption and nepotism continue to
plague the public sector and hurt people’s trust in it.
-
Unemployment remains a key problem as citizens seek access to social, cultural, and
economic opportunities. Employment in the public sector is limited given the prevalence of
corruption and nepotism and given limited budgets. Private sector employment is also
limited. Additionally, the continued security concerns in the country have limited all types of
opportunities for community members. Many young people are particularly affected, as
their education was disrupted by the conflict, and many lack the professional skills that
could give them access to opportunities to start their career.
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-
Across all communities, roads, schools, health centres, and sewage networks are of the
highest concern to citizens. There is a considerable lack of funding to rebuild damaged or
deteriorating infrastructure. This poor infrastructure contributes to poor development
prospects for Libya, as individuals are unable to reach major roads, children and
adolescents are unable to have a proper education, and health and sewage infrastructure
are poor.
-
Local services and facilities that foster social interaction and cohesion, such as sports clubs
and community centres and communication infrastructure are either non-existent (Aubari)
or in very poor condition. Respondents continue to emphasise the importance of local
facilities, but a lack of funding and political will continue to hamper development. Some of
the communications infrastructure has been improved, but only marginally.
Recommendations
1)
Many respondents cited strong feelings of national pride and the importance of carrying
out their civic duty in terms of participating in democratic processes. Local and municipal
government entities should further channel these sentiments toward civic participation on a
local level to better deal with ongoing confrontations across communities.
2)
Given that national and local television are still major mediums of news consumption,
authorities should limit the use of hate speech and other messages inciting conflict. The
promotion of social inclusion efforts through different media channels can strengthen social
cohesion throughout Libya.
3)
The government needs to undertake a more concerted effort to create an enabling
environment for private-sector led economic growth. Three recommendations in this regard
are:
4)
a.
Enact and enforce strong anti-corruption and anti-nepotism legislation in order to
broaden employment opportunities
b.
Invest in supporting young people who can be a force for change and progress in
the country, but if marginalized can also be a force for further conflict and
disruption; and
c.
Increase job training centres to equip people with the skills they would need for
entrepreneurship or working in the private sector.
Lastly, limited local government budgets continue to be a major concern. Funds are
insufficient for basic infrastructure building and maintenance, including roads, schools,
health centres, sewage networks, and communications networks. Basic infrastructure and
community spaces are important for economic activity and social interactions. Better
allocation systems within governing bodies can help alleviate the burden placed on local
councils and community members, some of whom have taken it upon themselves to build
and maintain community facilities.
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HOWSAFEDOYOUFEEL?
“I feel safe because of the activities of the police and army and because they cooperate with
young people.”–Male, Arab, Bani Waleed
“Tribal leaders are the ones who solve the problems in this area.”–Male, Arab, Aubari
“There is a collective responsibility by all people to maintain safety. There are efforts by citizens to
enforce security.”–Male, Arab, Zliten What do people feel?
-
Most communities feel slightly less safe than during the previous survey round, with the overall
safety rating dropping from 4 (safe) to 3 (neutral). Respondents from Aubari, Bani Waleed and
Benghazi reported feeling less safe in this round of reporting, their scores decreasing from a 4
to a 3. In these areas, people report robberies and organized crime, with most criminal
activity taking place at night. In addition, Bani Waleed faces external security threats, as
people are concerned that incidents from neighbouring Sirte might spill over to their
community. Meanwhile in Murzuq and Sabratha the rating increased (from 2 to 3, and from 3
to 4, resp.), signifying residents feeling safer in their community. Despite this general downturn,
none of the communities reported feeling unsafe, which is an improvement compared to the
last round.
-
Fewer people report physical confrontations. This survey round, 39 respondents reported
physical confrontations of some form - without weapons, with light weapons, or with heavy
weapons. They represent 42% of the individuals who were interviewed. This is less in
comparison to the previous round where the ratio stood at 57% and furthermore shows a
continued downward trend, since the ratio from the seventh round (September 2015) was
about 82%.
-
There were 18 reports of physical confrontations without weapons (compared to 32 in the
previous round), 22 reports of confrontations with light weapons (compared to 20), and 6
reports of confrontations with heavy weapons (compared to 5). Although the total number of
incidents has dropped, there are still many confrontations with the use of light weapons.
Unarmed confrontations mostly involved verbal conflict between young people.
-
Zliten’s residents witnessed most incidents (11 reports), outnumbering Benghazi, which was
previously the community with the most reports. However, Benghazi still witnessed 2
confrontations with the use of heavy weapons, similar to Zliten. Following Zliten are Aubari and
Bani Waleed (7 reported incidents each), Sabratha (4 incidents) and Nalout (3 incidents).
Wadi Al-Bawanis, Murzuq and Tiji reported the fewest incidents (2 reports each).
What helps and what harms?
-
Individuals continue to report mixed feelings in regards to safety depending on their location.
There are mixed comments in regards to the presence of security forces. Whereas in most
communities security forces are seen as effective protectors of peace, in Zliten they hardly
contribute to safety, with members of the security forces allegedly participating in criminal
activities themselves. Some individuals report a prevalence of robbery, kidnapping for
ransom, and armed conflict and a lack of security forces to resolve any issues, while other
community members report a presence of security forces that are helping to keep the peace
on the streets. Lastly, in many different communities, individuals point to the strength of social
cohesion, which contributes to their feelings of
safety.
-
Tribal Leaders are the most cited peace brokers,
cited 24 times as involved in resolving
confrontations (representing 52% of total attempts
at resolution), followed by local authorities, such as
local councils or police, (17 times, 37%), and others
(5 times, 11%). Although some communities
reported an increase in the activation of security
forces in resolving disputes, tribal leaders still hold
an important position in community life.
Graph1:Attemptstoresolveconfrontationspercommunity
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DOYOUFEELYOUBELONGTOTHISCOMMUNITY?
“My belonging to my community is my belonging to my beloved country.” – Female, Arab,
Benghazi
“Women in our society are not accepted, as a result of our traditions. It is difficult at first, then they
start to accept you slowly, slowly.” – Female, Arab, Zliten
“Social media is delivering messages that harm society and people's safety, by adding 'poison to
honey'.” – Female, Arab, Zliten
What do people feel?
-
Like in the previous round, most respondents report a very strong sense of belonging. On
average, individuals reported to feel very strongly that they belong in their community, rating
their sense of belonging with a 5.
-
The newly surveyed town of Zliten reported the lowest ratings in this category – a score of 3,
representing neutral feelings. Additionally, Murzuq’s residents’ sense of belonging decreased
from a 5 to 4. The towns that reported the highest rates in terms of their sense of belonging
(i.e. scores of 5) are Wadi Al Bawanis, Bani Waleed, Benghazi, Nalout, Sabratha and Suq-alJuma.
-
Arabs and Amazigh overwhelmingly reported having a very strong or strong sense of
belonging within their community (rating 4.4 and 4.7, respectively), while Tuareg individuals
reported a weak sense of belonging (2). Tebou individuals were divided over this question,
but on average reported a 3.6. These findings are consistent with previous results.
-
Hate speech remains problematic, with about 50% of interviewees reporting hearing or
reading hate speech, predominately from social media and television.
-
Individuals are using Facebook at increasing rates as a means of digesting news, with roughly
50% of individuals citing Facebook as one of their news sources. Following this, a little over 20%
of interviewees cited using local television and national television as a news source.
Generally, hate speech is observed across all types of media and is causing increasing
degrees of divisiveness in the country.
What helps and what harms?
-
Community members continue to cite a strong sense of belonging, especially among the
males and Arabs, who represent the traditionally dominant gender and prevalent ethnic
group. Often the reasons cited for strong ratings are feelings of mutual respect and tribal
status, as well as patriotic feelings for their communities and country. Many females, youth,
and other ethnic minorities (i.e. non-Arabs) still feel marginalized. A noteworthy exception to
this rule is the ethnic Amazigh community of Nalout, which is close-knit, largely monoethnic,
and family-oriented.
-
Respondents continue to cite biased
reporting by local and national
television including vocabulary that
creates divisions between people. Hate
speech is mostly propagated by two
groups of television channels. The first
group supports General Hiftar and the
Dignity Operation in the East, and calls
its
opponents
“terrorists”,
“armed
militias” and “supporters of the Muslim
Brotherhood”.
The
second
group
supports Libya's Mufti and the armed
groups that control the West. This group
refers to its opponents as “Qadaffi
supporters”, “tyrant worshippers” or
even as “Qadaffi’s henchmen”.
Graph2:Prevalenceofhatespeechpresentinmedia
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-
With increasing feelings of mistrust in traditional media sources, individuals are turning to
social media, which inherently has its own biases since it compounds individuals’ personal
opinions about various topics, including ethnic divisions and politics. Additionally, many
respondents regard Facebook as a means of triggering violence or hatred and as a way for
spreading rumours that misguide the public and cause further divisions between various age
groups and ethnic groups.
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AREYOUINVOLVEDINDEMOCRATICPROCESSES?
“Every person has his own ideas and style to resolve a specific problem, therefore the more
people the more successful the solution is.” – Male, Arab, Bani Waleed
“I have no desire to participate because of the poor general condition of the state and public
services.” – Male, Arab, Aubari
“I want to participate because participation is important for building peace.” – Female, Arab,
Benghazi
What do people feel?
-
Consistent with the previous round, the overall rating of willingness and ability to participate in
local democratic processes remained at 4. The lowest ratings came from Aubari, Tiji and
Zliten, all reporting a score of 3 (the former two still reported a 4 during the previous round).
Meanwhile, respondents from Bani Waleed, Benghazi reported increasing willingness to
participate in democratic processes (ratings increased from a 3 to 4), similarly to Nalout
(increased from 4 to 5).
-
Similar to feelings of belonging, individuals belonging to the Tuareg and Tebou ethnic groups
feel the most excluded from local democratic processes with ratings of 2.5 and 3.2,
respectively. Again, Arabs and Amazigh have the highest ratings, at 3.7 and 4.4 respectively.
-
Respondents mostly participated in:
•
•
•
•
•
Collaborative planning between local authorities and community leaders (25%)
Support from local authorities for civil initiatives (22%)
Public meetings to decide on issues of local importance (20%)
Public consultations on issues of local importance (17%)
Information campaigns (16%)
What helps and what harms?
-
On the one hand, those that cite an unwillingness or neutrality in terms of participating in
democratic processes state that they mistrust elected officials and the democratic process on
the whole due to corruption and a poor state of public services and bodies. On the other
hand, those that cite a willingness to particpate express the importance of civic duty and
participation in reconciliation efforts. Both in this round of survey results as well as in previous
rounds, the theme of patriotism in terms of contributing to the rebuilding and peace efforts in
the country is strong. Moreover, indviduals express a willingness to collabrate for peace.
-
Collaborative planning between local authorities and community leaders is still the most used
instrument for engaging citizens in decisionmaking. Additionally, support from local authorities
for civil initiatives, public meetings, public consultations and information campaigns are almost
equally important. Through these
different efforts, citizens are kept
abreast of local initiatives and
opportunities
of
engagement.
Meetings provide a venue for
citizens to air any grievances while
collaboration builds mutual trust
among community members.
-
Many respondents state that they
have participated in processes that
allow for collaboration between
various entites at the community
level, which can further engage
citizens in local decision-making
and foster a sense of ownership in
the community’s development.
Graph3:Citizenparticipationindecision-makingeffortspercommunity
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AREYOUABLETOACCESSOPPORTUNITIES?
“The general situation of the country is not helpful. It is necessary to work on ensuring safety and to
reactivate public departments, companies, and factories.” – Male, Arab, Wadi Al Bawanis
“The economy is collapsing.” – Female, Arab, Suq-al-Juma
“Favouritism decides who gets job opportunities and professional training. Jobs are not available
for everyone.” – Male, Arab, Benghazi
What do people feel?
-
Like in the previous round, almost all communities assess their access to social, economic, and
cultural opportunities as low, rating it with a 2, except Nalout and Sabratha, where the
situation has improved from poor to neutral (3). In Sabratha, one respondent remarks that job
opportunities have become more readily available now many foreign workers have left.
Notably, Wadi Al-Bawanis’ average rating in this category decreased from 3 to 2,
representing a slight deterioration in opportunities.
-
Once again, employment-related issues are the first and foremost concern for most people
interviewed, particularly the youth, who are mostly educated but are unable to find suitable
work and assist with family incomes.
-
Unlike previous rounds, bread is no longer the most significant commodity shortage, but rather
fuel in local gas stations (accounting for 47% of all reports on commodity shortages). General
foodstuffs account for 25% of all responses, followed by bread (12%) and fuel outside of the
gas station (12%). Murzuq faced the greatest fuel shortage.
What helps and what harms?
-
More clearly than before, respondents emphasise the relation between the poor security
environment and the lack of employment opportunities. Many say the conflict has created
significant insecurity and has further limited the effectiveness and funding of the public sector,
resulting in an environment that is not conducive to the creation of employment
opportunities.
-
The private sector remains weak. Young people are most affected by unemployment, failing
to find opportunities to start their career. Although many find it difficult to obtain employment
due to a lack of vocational and professional training, many well-educated young people
also fail to find employment.
-
The importance of the public sector as an employer remains very strong. Many individuals
cited inability to find work in the public sector themselves or for their children. This is consistent
with the history of Libya’s public sector, which many spectators including the World Bank
have assessed as inflated. Many
respondents also lament rampant
nepotism and favouritism as
obstacles to employment.
-
About 10% of individuals either
observed or participated in
protests in their communities,
which represents a decrease
compared to previous rounds. The
reasons given for protests are
rising prices, expression of political
views, demand for release of
captured
prisoners,
food
shortages, and poor sewagerelated issues.
Graph4:Commodityshortagespercommunity,numberoftimesreported
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HOWWOULDYOURATETHEBUILTENVIRONMENT?
“Local infrastructure is non-existent given the instable administrative and security situation of the
country, in addition to lack of budget.”–Male, Arab, Wadi Al-Bawanis
“All streets now are flooded by the septic tanks.”–Male, Arab, Aubari
“The poor infrastructure is partly caused by the absence of the local council, which is not present
on the ground.”–Male, Arab, Suq-al-Juma
What do people feel?
-
Citizens continue to be widely dissatisfied with the built environment (overall rating of 2,
“poor”). Ratings in Benghazi, Suq-al-Juma and Tiji increased from 2 to 3, meaning sentiments
are now neutral in terms of infrastructure in their communities. Meanwhile ratings in Aubari
and Bani Waleed decreased from a 2 to 1, signifying an increasingly negative assessment of
the built environment in those communities.
-
In terms of infrastructure rehabilitation, local authorities are undertaking most efforts to repair
roads and schools, representing 27% and 23% of responses. The high ranking of schools and
roads is consistent with the latest rounds of surveys. Following schools and roads are health
centres (20% of responses), “other” (13%), street lights (12%), and power lines (5%). Some
emerging trends indicate that roads are the poorest infrastructure in Bani Waleed; in Wadi Al
Bawanis the schools are the most pressing concern; meanwhile, all types of infrastructure
need immediate attention in Benghazi and Zliten.
-
Similarly to the previous category, security issues affect community life. Infrastructure
damaged by the prolonged conflict in Libya has yet to be renovated and restored.
Community members must live their lives with deteriorating and damaged public
infrastructure, which can inhibit their ability to work and live.
What helps and what harms?
-
The single most prominent concern aired by respondents was the need for maintenance of
public infrastructure. The infrastructure in place is generally old and either deteriorating from
usage and age or damaged from conflict. Some infrastructure need to be better maintained,
most notably the roads and the sewage system, but respondents claim that others should be
demolished and rebuilt, such as schools and health centres.
-
-
In terms of roads and the sewage system, both are vital for economic progress and
development. Without properly maintained roads, rural communities are unable to easily
connect to economic hubs in the country. Most individuals cited poor secondary roads that
connect to major roads (especially in Tripoli and Tiji), which can hinder economic activity.
Poorly maintained sewage systems
are affecting the water supply in
certain communities, and therefore
pose a threat to public health.
There is a general sense that the
government does not have
enough funds for infrastructure
maintenance and reconstruction.
In addition, respondents claim
that local councils insufficiently
engage
local
citizens
and
insufficiently
air
community
members and insuffi, impeding
change or progress in terms of the
built environment in communities.
9|Page
Graph5:Infrastructureimprovementspercommunity,numberof
timesreported
HOWARELOCALSERVICES?
“Sport clubs are the only place for young people to spend their leisure time and release their
energy. They have an important role in social communication between people from different
groups and from other towns.”–Male, Arab, Zliten
“The conditions of the country and the city in general hinder attempts to foster
development.”–Male, Arab, Benghazi
“I am rating my local community facilities as ‘poor’ because every club or association is
depending on external support.”–Male, Arab, Murzuq
What do people feel?
-
In half of the surveyed communities, respondents continue to be widely dissatisfied with the
community facilities in their area, giving an overall rating of 2 (meaning “poor”). In half of the
communities the rating stayed or increased to 3 (meaning “neutral”): Wadi Al-Bawanis, Bani
Waleed, Sabratha, Suq-al-Juma, and Zliten.
-
In terms of types of communications infrastructure that citizens have noticed any efforts by
the municipality to improve, only a total of 20 responses were reported, with the majority in
internet infrastructure, and some reports for telephone infrastructure. Wadi Al Bawanis
experienced the most improvements in their communications infrastructure, followed by
Sabratha and Bani Waleed.
What helps and what harms?
-
Similar to the comments regarding other public infrastructure, community facilities used for
leisure activities are in poor shape. Maintenance and funding is needed, as well as municipal
and local council attention. However, a lack of funding and human resources hinders these
facilities’ improvements. Correlated to this is the continued security concerns in the country.
-
Most often individuals simply cited a lack of community facilities for leisure activities- i.e. there
are no sports halls and community centres. Some communities’ residents have taken it upon
themselves to either improve the existing infrastructure or build it themselves. Citizens continue
to recognize the importance of these types of venues for the youth, for family-oriented leisure
activities, and for social cooperation and cohesion. Existing venues include coffee shops,
which allow for a mixing of community members and a space for public social interaction.
-
Improvements
made
to
communications infrastructure
include increasing Internet
speed and capacity, which
can assist in the development
of communities, as information
sharing flourishes. Some of the
comments made references
to private versus public service
providers, signifying a shared
space in the market and
increased competition among
actors, as well as increased
choices for consumers.
Graph6:Communicationsinfrastructureimprovementspercommunity
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