Libya's Dbeibah pushes to lift petrol subsidies despite protests

Libya's Tripoli-based government plans to remove petrol subsidies, Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah has said. He indicated that state petrol subsidies currently stand at 50 per cent, and are taking a toll on the nation's finances and exhausting its resources. However, cutting subsidies will heavily affect Libyans' petrol purchasing power, as the average public sector salary is $240, according to salary tracker Bdex. In response to the widespread anger regarding his decision, Mr Dbeibah repeated that the intention of his decision was to ensure subsidies benefit citizens, instead of smuggling networks. Mr Dbeibah also said smuggling to neighbouring countries had led to fuel shortages in Libya's border regions.