Protesters Breach Libya’s Major Oil and Gas Facility, Triggering Blackout Warnings

Protesters breached the Mellitah Oil & Gas complex, located roughly 90 kilometers west of Tripoli, on Monday, shutting down gas supply lines that feed electricity-generating power plants across Libya. The General Electricity Company cautioned that the incursion poses a serious threat to the nation’s entire electrical infrastructure, potentially causing widespread outages in multiple regions.

The storming of the facility coincided with escalating demonstrations throughout western Libya, including in Zawiya, Tripoli, and Misrata, where residents have endured extended power blackouts for days. Protesters are demanding improved electricity services and calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah and his Government of Unity administration.

Libya’s current political division stems from the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi, plunging the nation into sustained turmoil. The country remains fractured between a western government led by Dbeibah in Tripoli and an eastern administration headed by Osama Hammad, where military commander Khalifa Hifter maintains considerable influence.

Both competing governments operate with backing from various militia factions and foreign powers, perpetuating the instability that has crippled basic services and infrastructure across the country.