Protests erupt in Libya’s Tripoli as anger grows over power cuts

What the report says

Al Jazeera reports that protests over extended electricity outages and high power costs have expanded across Libya’s capital, Tripoli, with demonstrators blocking roads and closing public offices as part of a civil disobedience campaign. The broadcaster said the unrest intensified late Sunday in Janzour, west of the capital, where crowds obstructed the coastal road, gathered near the West Tripoli power station and shut the local municipal council building.

According to Al Jazeera, verified online videos showed protesters burning tyres, blocking major roads and using a truckload of dirt to seal off access to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tripoli’s Sater Turba district. The DPA news agency, cited in the report, said mostly young protesters also closed offices of the state telecoms company Libyana in Souq Al-Jumaa while carrying banners criticizing Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dabaiba.

The campaign was initiated by the Souq Al-Jumaa Movement, which has opposed the Government of National Unity since May 2025. Al Jazeera reported that the group says it aims to paralyze government activity, not everyday life, and is calling for accountability over alleged corruption as well as the dissolution of Libya’s current political bodies. The protest movement also reached Tajoura, where a local families and youth group announced a boycott of state institutions from Monday, citing worsening electricity, water, health, education, fuel, cash and medicine problems.

Al Jazeera said there was no immediate response from the unity government. The report said blackouts in Tripoli and other areas have lasted up to 10 hours a day, forcing the state electricity company to resume load-shedding after a period of relative stability. The unrest comes amid Libya’s broader political stalemate and economic pressures, while a White House Africa adviser separately said he discussed unification and security cooperation with Dabaiba.