A businessman selling mobile phone Libya was shocked to receive a shipment of Nokia flip-phones and sliding phones in 2026 almost 16 after placing their order in 2010, the country’s media reported.
Libya has been torn apart by Civil War for over 15 years, with even the most basic services disrupted to the point that they become useless.
Case in point, the story of a mobile phone dealer based in Tripoli, who received a shipment of Nokia push-button phones that he had ordered back in 2010, before the war began.
In a clip that has been doing the rounds on social media, the unnamed dealer was seen unpacking the archaic mobile phones from a red plastic bag and asking rhetorically if the gadgets are phones or historical artifacts.
His order included high-end models of the late 2000s, like Communicator-type devices and stylish sliding handhelds, all of which are obsolete by today’s standards.
The man’s order was stalled due to the 2011 war, which paralysed Libya’s logistics and customs services. Like many other packages, the phones just gathered dust in some warehouse until someone recently discovered them and decided to send them to their proper recipient.
Ironically, both the vendor and the recipient of the phones are located in Tripoli, just a few kilometres apart, yet the order required 16 years to be completed.
The story went viral on social media, with most users declaring themselves shocked by how conflict can severely disrupt everyday life and business operations.
Since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime, Libya has remained divided between the UN-recognised Government of National Accord in Tripoli, led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, and the eastern administration of General Khalifa Haftar, who is supported by Russia.
