Once one of Africa's richest countries, oil-dependent Libya spirals towards bankruptcy

``In an interview with this newspaper, Mashala Zwai, the oil minister for one of Libya's two rival governments, warned that the country was becoming "a second Somalia". "This is a critical time in a critical situation," said Mr Zwai, speaking from the Tripoli offices of the National Oil Corporation, which manages Libya's energy sector. "By next year the state will not be able to pay Libyans' salaries."''