While Libya and its institutions remain divided and the power of the great families is confined to local roots, the Bouzriba family has managed to exert influence both in its own locality and in the eastern region of Cyrenaica. The Bouzribas hail from Zawiya, a coastal town about 40 kilometres west of Tripoli. They belong to one of the city's most important tribes, the Awlad Abu Hmeira, who are active in the political landscape in Benghazi, which is controlled by the head of the self-styled Libyan
