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🛒 تسوق الآنHow Dbeibeh's Focus on Destabilizing Southern Libya Sparked a Government Crisis
How Dbeibeh's Focus on Destabilizing Southern Libya Sparked a Government Crisis
Electricity Blackouts Trigger Mass Protests Across Western Libya as Capital Loses Power for 14+ Hours
Widespread electricity blackouts plunging Libyan homes into darkness for over 14 hours across Tripoli and western cities have triggered the most serious challenge to Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh's government, with protesters declaring the administration "fallen" in multiple municipalities.
The crisis peaking July 26-27, 2026 was not sudden. The General Electricity Company (GECOL) had sent an urgent warning to Dbeibeh on June 4, 2026 — over a month before the blackouts — alerting that power plants had reached critical levels due to severe shortages of natural gas and fuel.
Warnings Ignored, Crisis Deepened
According to GECOL director Abdullah Hamouda's official correspondence, fuel and gas shortages had already cost the grid over 1,000 megawatts of capacity. The breakdown included 250 MW from the Khoms emergency plant, 150 MW from the Khoms gas station, 120 MW from the Zahra station, and reduced output from the Western Mountain plant due to declining gas from the Wafa field.
The letter warned that continued fuel delays would lead to increased load-shedding and potential "partial or total blackouts" during summer peak, with GECOL absolving itself of responsibility for the resulting damage.
From Darkness to the Streets
On July 27, protests erupted across Souq al-Juma'a, Tajoura, Ain Zara, Janzour, Zawiya, and western coastal cities before reaching Misrata — Dbeibeh's hometown and key political base. Demonstrators burned tires, set up roadblocks, and held the government fully responsible for the electricity crisis, water shortages, healthcare deterioration, inflation, and liquidity crisis.
The movement escalated beyond street demonstrations. In Souq al-Juma'a, protesters erected earthen barricades before the Foreign Ministry, national television, the Audit Bureau, and the Telecommunications Holding Company. Offices of Libyana and Al-Madar telecom companies and Central Bank branches were shut down, marking the start of civil disobedience targeting state institutions.
Misrata Turns Against Dbeibeh
The most telling development came from Misrata itself. Protesters entered the municipal council, informed the mayor that Dbeibeh's government was "fallen" in their city, and authorized him to manage local affairs independently. They began an open sit-in with tents pitched before the municipal headquarters.
This was a watershed moment. Misrata — Dbeibeh's political stronghold — withdrawing recognition signaled the crisis had transcended service complaints into a fundamental loss of popular legitimacy.
Gas Exports Under Fire
Protests took an even sharper turn when demonstrators moved toward the Mellitah Oil and Gas Complex on the western coast, announcing its closure. This facility processes gas from the Wafa and Bahr Essalam fields and supplies part of Libya's gas exports to Italy via the Greenstream pipeline.
GECOL had previously requested a temporary halt to gas exports to Italy to redirect supplies to domestic plants, but received no government response. The Mellitah protest transformed the question from "why is electricity out?" to "why is Libyan gas exported while Libyans sit in darkness?"
A Crisis Predicted in 2024
Former National Oil Corporation chairman Farhat bin Qadara had warned in an April 2024 letter — republished by Al-Marsad — that Libya would face an electricity crisis in 2026 when gas supplies become insufficient. Rather than addressing warnings, Dbeibeh launched public attacks on GECOL's management, calling them "failed and corrupt."
Overlapping Crises, One Government
The electricity collapse detonated a buildup of grievances: water shortages, healthcare collapse, inflation, stalled elections, and a cancerous fertilizer scandal. With Dbeibeh's government engaged in maneuvers destabilizing southern Libya, critics argue the administration lost focus on basic governance.
As one Misrata protester put it: "Why is Dbeibeh complaining to us as if he's an ordinary citizen? Responsibility stops at the head of government."
Demands have moved beyond restoring electricity to Dbeibeh's resignation, prosecution of officials for wasting public funds, and forming a new authority capable of leading the country to elections.
— Libya Press / News Desk
