Libya: Service-delivery protests reported in Tripoli and Al Zawiya August 7

Event

Demonstrations were held in Tripoli and Al Zawiya on Friday, August 7, as protests against the poor management of the country's services continue. In Tripoli, demonstrators gathered in Algeria Square, and in Al Zawiya social media imagery shows burning tires blocking roads. No clashes were reported in either location, and the demonstrations seemed to pass off peacefully.

Demonstrations and associated localized disruptions are likely to continue in Tripoli and elsewhere in the near term.

Context

Damage from more than a year of fighting in Tripoli and other surrounding areas, lagging maintenance, and a lack of investment since the 2011 civil war have left Tripoli's electricity in a poor state of repair. Inadequate electricity generation capacity in recent years has seen regular load-shedding outages of up to ten hours in some areas, with blackouts increasing in the summer months as high temperatures put additional strain on infrastructure. The electricity supply issues have prompted several service-delivery protests in the city in recent weeks, with demonstrators calling for the dismissal of General Electricity Company of Libya (GECOL). Although these demonstrations have remained largely peaceful, they have typically caused disruptions in the vicinity of the Presidential Council offices.

Advice

Those in Libya are advised to monitor developments, anticipate localized disruption, and heed any directives issued by local authorities. All demonstrations and political gatherings in Libya should be avoided due to the risk of incidental violence and aggressive crowd-dispersal operations by security forces.