In the latest episode of Cultures Monde on France Culture, Professor Virginie Collombier joined Julie Gacon to discuss one of Libya’s most striking legacies: the Great Man-Made River project.

Launched under Muammar Gaddafi, this vast engineering initiative was designed to bring water from desert aquifers to Libya’s coastal cities. It stood as both a technical challenge and a political statement: a symbol of national ambition and self-sufficiency from the West promoted by the regime.

In the interview, Professor Collombier revisits the origins of the project, linking it to Gaddafi’s rise to power and his efforts to legitimise the regime through major infrastructure works. She analyses the project from multiple perspectives, exploring the key role of foreign companies and how climate change is now affecting both the project and local communities in Libya.

She also examines its evolution after 2011, clarifying the ongoing security and governance challenges, particularly the strategic role of water and its use as an instrument of political pressure by armed actors as well as the project’s geopolitical significance for Libya and its neighbors.

As this monumental project continues to shape Libya’s political and social landscape, this episode offers a valuable lens through which to understand contemporary Libya and its complexities.

The interview is available in French.