Libya is engulfed in a new wave of civil unrest as chronic electricity blackouts lasting up to 10 hours a day during a blistering heatwave have triggered protests, road blockades, and the storming of a major oil and gas complex.
Temperatures exceeding 48 degrees Celsius (118 degrees Fahrenheit) have made daily life unbearable for millions of Libyans who face repeated power cuts that disrupt water supplies, spoil food, and leave the sick and elderly without relief. Private generators have become a necessity for those who can afford them, while poorer households are left to endure the heat in darkness.
The protests, spearheaded by the Souq Al-Jumaa Movement and joined by activists in Tajoura and Janzour, have shut down major roads in the capital Tripoli. Demonstrators burned tires and blockaded public buildings, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, demanding accountability for alleged corruption and the dissolution of Libya’s fractured political institutions.
The crisis escalated sharply when protesters stormed the Mellitah oil and gas complex on Tuesday, forcing the National Oil Corporation to halt operations at the El Feel oilfield and partially suspend the Wafa field. The disruption severely constrained the gas supplies needed for power generation, knocking out multiple electricity units across the grid.
Although the Government of National Unity later secured the complex and resumed gas pumping, the fragility of Libya’s energy sector has been laid bare. The episode underscores how political dysfunction and infrastructure decay have left the country vulnerable to cascading failures.
A former official at the General Electricity Company of Libya, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Al Jazeera that one of the main causes of the crisis was a failure to complete major strategic projects launched before 2011, including the Gulf steam power station near Sirte and the West Tripoli steam power station. Both were designed as four-unit plants with a planned total capacity of 1,400 megawatts each. The West Tripoli project remains unfinished, while only half of Sirte’s capacity has been connected to the grid.
Libya has been fragmented since 2014, when a war pitted forces based largely in the west against those in the east. That division has persisted despite a 2020 ceasefire, with the internationally recognized Government of National Unity operating out of Tripoli and a rival administration loyal to renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar in the east.
Energy systems engineer Roa Nasef, who recently returned to Libya after seven years abroad, told Al Jazeera that Libyans are fed up with repeated promises and reliance on temporary workarounds. Stabilizing the grid requires modernizing transmission networks and adopting a long-term vision that incorporates renewable energy, she said, rather than just announcing projects that never materialize.
The United States has pressed for political cohesion. Massad Boulos, the US adviser for African affairs, recently held discussions with Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, emphasizing the urgent need for Libyan unification and security cooperation to achieve long-term stability and prevent further state fragmentation.
For ordinary Libyans, the crisis has become unbearable. Areej Badr, a resident of Benghazi in the country’s east, told Al Jazeera that owning a generator is now the only way to maintain power reliably throughout the day. Power cuts disrupt water supplies and spoil food, exponentially worsening the suffering of the sick and elderly, she said.
Author: Pulse Of Nations Wire Desk
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