CAIRO (AP) — Anti-government protesters stormed a critical energy facility in western Libya on Monday, raising fears that the country could face a complete collapse of its electrical grid, officials warned Tuesday.
Libya’s General Electricity Company issued a statement Tuesday saying a group of individuals entered the Mellitah Oil & Gas complex, located roughly 90 kilometers — about 55 miles — west of Tripoli, and shut off the gas lines that fuel the nation’s power plants. Officials cautioned that the shutdown could result in widespread blackouts and potentially bring down the entire electricity network.
The unrest is part of a wave of demonstrations that has swept across western Libya in recent days. Residents in Zawiya, Tripoli, and Misrata have taken to the streets to protest hours-long power outages, calling on the Government of Unity led by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah to resign and demanding improved electricity services.
Libya has been mired in instability since a NATO-backed revolt in 2011 ousted and killed longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi. In the years that followed, the country fractured into rival factions, with competing administrations backed by armed militias and foreign powers.
Today, Prime Minister Dbeibah leads the internationally recognized government based in the capital, Tripoli, in the west. Meanwhile, Osama Hammad heads a separate administration in the eastern part of the country, a region where military commander Khalifa Hifter holds considerable influence.
