Conflicting reports emerge on closure of state cement plants in Zliten and Khoms
Reports are circulating regarding the forced closure of the state Ahlia Cement company's plants in Zliten and Khoms. Some accounts indicate that Force 112, affiliated with the Joint Operations Force, and Force 77, closed the National Cement Company's headquarters and its plants, including Libda, Al-Marqab, and Arabiya Zliten, expelling employees. These reports suggest the action followed the cement company's chairman and CEO refusing to stop reserving and dispensing large quantities of cement, approximately 60 truckloads daily, for their private companies, raising suspicions of corruption in cement distribution. Conversely, another viewpoint claims an armed group from Misrata stormed the cement company's headquarters to seize cement order reservations and sell them to citizens at significantly inflated prices. The state cement manufacturing sector in Libya has a history of corruption, with locally produced cement often retailing at prices comparable to or higher than imported cement.
