Bread rationing and rose gardens in Libya's Benghazi

Bread is in such short supply due to electricity blackouts in Libya’s troubled eastern city of Benghazi that some bakery owners are beginning to ration it out among customers.

Libyan daily al-Wasat reports on Friday that, as midday temperatures hit 35° C, Benghazi bakers battle constant electricity cuts to provide residents with a staple of their diet.

A bakery owner in Benghazi told al-Wasat that, because of constant electricity cuts, bread can only be baked twice per day, as opposed to every hour as was the custom before the recent security deterioration in Libya, where rogue general Khalifa Haftar continues his campaign against alleged militants throughout Libya.

Rockets hit a power station near Benghazi airport on 15 June, plunging much of eastern Libya into darkness as attacks by Haftar's air forces killed at least 12 people dead in the city.

According to the baker, people are now buying "huge quantities" of bread, "in an attempt to hoard it.”

“We try to divide up the bread and ensure that people don’t take more than their fair share.”

Suleiman, a resident waiting in the queue at a bakery, told al-Wasat that Benghazi had not seen such troubles “since the 1980s.”

Another angry citizen demanded a solution to the problem before the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan, which will see many of Libya’s Muslims fast during daylight hours from 28 or 29 June.  

Despite the ongoing struggle of everyday life in Benghazi, the Libyan government announced on Tuesday its decision to move the Council of Representatives to the city after elections due to be held on 25 June.

The council of ministers assigned a budget of approximately $20.7m to fund the first year of the new Council of Representatives, which will hold its meetings in the luxury Tibesti Hotel overlooking a lake in central Benghazi.

Some Benghazi residents have taken to Twitter to celebrate the city, where gardeners have started a campaign to beautify the town amid soaring temperatures.

 Translation: Benghazi of hope…

 Translation: Benghazi today 15/6: Life will continue thanks to these people – they are growing hope and goodness

However, violence continues to mar attempts to move forward in the stricken city.

Libya Gate, a Libyan breaking news site, reports the death of a 16-year old boy, Nasir Kardash, in Benghazi on Friday morning.

According to reports, he was killed as militants opened fire on his father’s car.

Libya’s state news agency has almost daily reports of abductions and killings in Benghazi, with Thursday seeing the alleged abduction of state prosecutor Tamer Farqum.

Security services also discovered the bodies of four individuals of unknown identity east of Benghazi on Thursday, while three other citizens went missing.