Key facts
- Protests erupted in Tripoli, Libya, due to prolonged power outages during a severe heatwave.
- Demonstrators blocked roads, shut state institutions, and demanded the removal of governments in both eastern and western Libya.
- Temperatures reached up to 50 degrees Celsius, straining an already weak electricity grid.
- Protesters cited corruption and mismanagement of the country's oil revenues as reasons for the crisis.
- The protests have raised concerns about potential escalation and conflict between armed factions.
Libyans took to the streets in Tripoli to protest severe and prolonged power cuts amid a scorching heatwave, with temperatures reaching up to 50 degrees Celsius. The demonstrations, which began as a response to the electricity crisis, quickly broadened into widespread calls for the removal of the governments in both eastern and western Libya.
Protesters blocked major roads, shut down state institutions, and sealed off government buildings, chanting slogans against corruption and the mismanagement of the nation's oil wealth. The electricity grid, already strained by years of underinvestment and network theft, has been unable to cope with the demand during the extreme heat.
Organizing groups like the Souq al-Jumaa Movement and the Sons of Tajoura Movement have been at the forefront of the civil disobedience campaign. The electricity dispute is reportedly part of a larger power struggle between Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah and the chairman of the General Electricity Company of Libya, Mohamed al-Mashey.
Demonstrations spread across various neighborhoods in Tripoli, with protesters blocking key roundabouts and government facilities. Reports emerged of an armed group affiliated with the government opening fire on protesters in Janzour, though no official casualty figures were released. The acting Interior Minister ordered security agencies to increase their readiness in response to the unrest.
Libya has been divided between rival administrations since 2021, with the internationally recognized Government of National Unity led by Dbeibah based in Tripoli, and a rival government in Benghazi controlling the east and south. The country has not held national elections since 2014, and efforts to organize a vote have repeatedly failed. The nation's vast oil wealth has often been used as a tool by rival factions rather than for infrastructure repair.