Protesters storm key Libya energy complex as blackout fears grow

CAIRO (AP) — A group of protesters stormed a key energy complex in western Libya amid anti- government demonstrations over ongoing power outages, with officials warning Tuesday that the incident could trigger a nationwide power blackout.

The General Electricity Company warned in a statement Tuesday that a group of people on Monday stormed Mellitah Oil & Gas complex located around 90 kilometers (55 miles) west of Tripoli and closed the gas lines use to operate power plants to generate electricity. That could cause a complete blackout in multiple areas and ultimately a collapse of the electricity network.

Demonstrators across western Libya, including in Zawiya, Tripoli and Misrata, have been protesting for several days over hourslong power outages affecting those cities, demanding better power services and for the Government of Unity led by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah to step down.

Libya  plunged into chaos  after a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator  Moammar Gadhafi  in 2011. In the chaos that followed, the country split, with rival administrations in the east and west backed by rogue militias and foreign governments.

Currently, Dbeibah heads the internationally recognized government in the capital, Tripoli, in the west under the Government of Unity; Osama Hammad heads the administration in the east, where the powerful military commander Khalifa Hifter  continues to hold sway.

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