Tripoli Protests Escalate as Prolonged Power Outages Fuel Public Anger

Demonstrators block roads and government offices across the capital as a civil disobedience campaign against electricity shortages spreads to additional districts.

Protesters in Libya’s capital, Tripoli, have shut down major roads and public buildings as a civil disobedience movement sparked by extended power cuts and high electricity tariffs expands across the city.

On Sunday evening, crowds blocked the coastal highway in Janzour, west of Tripoli, burning tires and closing key thoroughfares elsewhere in the capital, according to verified video footage shared online.

Demonstrators, predominantly young, also forced the closure of state telecommunications operator Libyana’s offices in the Souq Al-Jumaa district, the DPA news agency reported, while brandishing banners criticizing Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dabaiba.

Footage verified by Al Jazeera showed protesters dumping a truckload of dirt at the entrance of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Sater Turba district, effectively sealing off the building.

The campaign was initiated by the Souq Al-Jumaa Movement, which has opposed the Government of National Unity since May 2025. The group stated its objective is to “completely paralyze the government” rather than disrupt daily life for ordinary citizens.

Organizers are demanding accountability for alleged corruption and the dissolution of Libya’s current political institutions, including the government, the House of Representatives, the State Council, and the Presidential Council.

The unrest spread to Tajoura on Sunday, where residents gathered outside the West Tripoli power station and shut down the local municipal council building in protest against the persistent outages.

The Tajoura Families and Youth Movement announced in a statement that it would begin a full boycott of state institutions starting Monday, rejecting both the unity government and the House of Representatives.

The group cited the collapse of public services—including electricity, water, education, and healthcare—alongside ongoing fuel and liquidity crises and medicine shortages, while “officials remain preoccupied with political conflicts.”

The Government of National Unity has not issued an immediate response.

Blackouts in Tripoli and surrounding areas now last up to 10 hours or more per day, exacerbated by a summer heatwave and elevated electricity rates.

The state-run General Electricity Company has reinstated load-shedding measures after two years of relative grid stability.

The power crisis has deepened existing public frustration over inflation, currency instability, fuel and cash shortages, and Libya’s prolonged political deadlock.

Separately, Massad Boulos, the White House adviser for African affairs, said he held a “productive call” with Dabaiba on Sunday to discuss steps toward Libyan unification, including security cooperation between the country’s eastern and western factions.

“We also reviewed opportunities to further coordination and interoperability between Libyan forces and Africom,” Boulos posted on X, adding that Washington remains committed to supporting Libya’s unification “in order to achieve durable peace, stability and prosperity.”

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