Libyans block roads as protests over power crisis hit capital

Tripoli has been hit by a wave of road closures and building shutdowns since Sunday night as part of a Libyan protest movement against chronic electricity shortages and soaring power costs.

West of the capital in Janzour, demonstrators blocked the coastal road and massed near the West Tripoli power station to protest against long daily blackouts affecting the area.

Reports circulating online described similar tactics elsewhere in the city, including burning tyres to close major routes.

Protesters also dumped a load of dirt outside the Foreign Ministry building in Sater Turba district, in an attempt to stop staff from entering.

In Souq Al Jumaa, demonstrators – mostly young people carrying signs critical of Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah – forced the closure of a Libyana telecom office.

Behind the action is the Souq Al Jumaa Movement, a group that has pushed back against the Government of National Unity since mid-2025.

In a statement, the group said its goal was to bring government operations to a standstill.

Its demands include an anti-corruption investigation and the dismantling of the country’s current political architecture – the government itself, parliament, the State Council and the Presidential Council.

While the protests are about increasing power cuts as surging temperatures drive up demand, at the heart of the issue is a struggle between the Prime Minister and Mohamed Al Mashey, chairman of the General Electricity Company of Libya, according to political sources.

“Yesterday’s protests were officially about the electricity crisis, but many of the protesters also had political motives against Dbeibah,” said a Tripoli-based source. “There is a deeper political conflict behind the demonstrations,” they told The National.

The source said Mr Dbeibah had a strained relationship with Tripoli militia chief Abdul Rauf Kara, who controls areas near the strategic Mitiga airport and has strong support in Souq Al Jumaa and Tajoura, another area on Tripoli’s eastern outskirts where protests were held.

“In Libya, no one can give you a prediction. Expect unpredictability and instability,” said another political source. “There is a conflict between the Prime Minister and the [head of the electricity company]. The electricity will be fine in a few weeks.”

Boycott call

In Tajoura, a small group of protesters posted a notice declaring the local municipal office shut.

A local coalition called the Tajoura Families and Youth Movement announced plans for a broader boycott of state institutions starting on Monday, rejecting the unity government and the eastern-aligned House of Representatives.

The group highlighted worsening access to electricity, water, education and healthcare, and shortages of fuel, cash and medicines. They said officials were too consumed by political infighting to respond. The Government of National Unity has not commented.

Residents are suffering up to 10 hours of blackouts daily in Tripoli and surrounding areas. This has pushed the state electricity company to bring back scheduled load-shedding – intentional power cuts – after about two years without it.

The blackouts are landing on top of existing economic strain: inflation, a shaky currency, fuel shortages and a political stalemate that has dragged on for years.

White House Africa adviser Massad Boulos said he spoke to Mr Dbeibah on Sunday about progress towards unifying Libya’s rival governing structures, including co-operation between military factions in the east and west.

“We also reviewed opportunities [for] further co-ordination and interoperability between Libyan forces and Africom,” Mr Boulos said in a statement. He added that the US was committed to supporting Libya’s unification “in order to achieve durable peace, stability and prosperity”.