Protests Shut Down Tripoli Roads and Buildings Over Power Cuts
In Libya’s capital, Tripoli, protesters have shut down roads and public buildings across the city as a civil disobedience campaign over prolonged power cuts and high electricity rates spread to more districts, according to Al Jazeera.
Crowds blocked the coastal road in Janzour, west of Tripoli, late on Sunday, and gathered outside the West Tripoli power station, closing the local municipal council building in protest at the prolonged outages. Videos posted online, verified by Al Jazeera, show protesters burning tyres and closing down major roads elsewhere in the capital. The footage also shows protesters unloading a truck loaded with dirt in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the district of Sater Turba in Tripoli to close it.
The mostly young protesters also shut the offices of state telecoms operator Libyana in the district of Souq Al-Jumaa, according to the DPA news agency, carrying banners criticising Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah.
The campaign was launched by the Souq Al-Jumaa Movement, which has opposed the Government of National Unity since May 2025. It said its aim was to “completely paralyse the government” rather than disrupt ordinary life. It called for accountability over alleged corruption and for the dissolution of Libya’s existing political institutions, including the government, the House of Representatives, the State Council and the Presidential Council.
The unrest also spread to the district of Tajoura, where the Tajoura Families and Youth Movement said it would begin a full-scale civil disobedience campaign. Protests have also been reported in Janzour, where demonstrators gathered outside the West Tripoli power station.
The protests come amid a blistering heatwave with temperatures exceeding 48 degrees Celsius (118 degrees Fahrenheit). Chronic power cuts have ignited a new wave of protests and civil disobedience across the capital and surrounding areas, according to Al Jazeera.
Frustrated by outages lasting around 10 hours a day, predominantly young protesters have shut down major roads, burned tyres, and blockaded public buildings. Demonstrators also emptied a truckload of earth outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tripoli, blocking access to the building, as they demanded accountability for alleged corruption and the immediate dissolution of Libya’s fractured political institutions.
The crisis took another sharp turn when another group of protesters stormed the Mellitah oil and gas complex on Tuesday, forcing the National Oil Corporation (NOC) to halt operations at the El Feel oilfield and partially suspend the Wafa field. This disruption severely constrained the gas supplies needed for power generation, knocking out multiple electricity generation units. Although the Government of National Unity later secured the complex and resumed gas pumping, the fragility of Libya’s energy sector remains glaring, according to Al Jazeera.
In the midst of the domestic turmoil, the country’s electricity provider, the General Electricity Company, reinstated load-shedding measures after two years of relative network stability, exacerbating the situation for residents.
Residents have expressed their frustration with the ongoing crisis. Roa Nasef, an energy systems engineer, told Al Jazeera that Libyans are “fed up with repeated promises” and the constant reliance on temporary workarounds. Areej Badr, a resident of Benghazi, described the situation as “tragic,” noting that owning a generator is now the only way to have a reliable source of power.
As the country grapples with domestic turmoil and decaying infrastructure, international actors continue to press for political cohesion. Massad Boulos, a senior adviser to the US President, discussed Libyan unification with Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, according to Al Jazeera. The details of their discussion were not disclosed.