THIS week’s attack on the main voter registration center in the Libyan capital Tripoli was certainly the work of the local Daesh (the self-proclaimed IS). Two suicide bombers first blew themselves up, then the building was stormed by gunmen. The battle ended with the center partially gutted by fire. The number of attackers is still unknown and it is unclear how many were killed or captured.

Such vagueness is par for the course in today’s sclerotic and chaotic Libya. The country’s electoral commission immediately issued an assurance that the voter registrations so far collected had not been destroyed because, they said, the records had been backed up. It would be good to believe this, but the country is awash with lies and disinformation. It is also crowded with conspiracy theories. Although Daesh claimed responsibility, there remain suspicions that one of the many other armed and warring groups in Libya wanted to thwart presidential and parliamentary elections, still being planned for sometime this year. A return to any semblance of stability and legitimacy would compromise their ability to make money from kidnapping, intimidation, drug-dealing, migrant trafficking and the smuggling of heavily-subsidized fuel and food to neighboring countries.

The determination to push ahead with any sort of election in the current parlous security situation is little short of heroic. It demonstrates that there remains a core of Libyans, who despite the shambles their country has become since the 2014 Muslim Brotherhood coup in Tripoli, are still plugging away trying to lay the foundations for a return to some sort of normality and stability. Such officials, backed by a range of civil society organizations, deserve the greatest admiration. Even in relatively peaceful days before the MB takeover, the process of issuing new identity cards to all six million citizens was fraught with danger. Gangs kidnapped and threatened officials involved, seeking to force the issue of false cards. A similar criminal campaign was mounted when the country began to issue new passports. While these blatant attacks on the bureaucracy may cast doubts on the complete accuracy of all the registrations, the fact remains that despite extraordinary pressures, the exercises have gone ahead. In years to come, it must be hoped that the bravery and dedication of these officials will be recognized.

Meanwhile the terror attack in Tripoli comes after a period of relative quiet, disturbed only by some recent turf fighting between two of the capital’s four main armed militias, which between them give a fragile semblance of authority to the UN-backed government of Faiez Serraj. After they were driven out of their main coastal base at Sirte 18 months ago, Daesh terrorists regrouped in the desert near Jufra. Apart from ambushing fuel convoys and checkpoints, they have clearly been regrouping.

The Electoral Commission assault has similarities with attacks on the Corinthia hotel in Tripoli and the main courthouse in Misrata. Though the majority of Daesh killers are foreigners, they have significant backing from important elements within the local MB. Though Daesh killers may not be able to fade into the background like classic terrorists, there are Libyans willing to support them logistically and with intelligence. Thus, tragically, this battered country, which ought to be so prosperous, now faces a growing terror threat on top of the greed and selfishness of its criminal warlords.