Power outage leaves parts of Libya in darkness

A widespread power outage struck western, central and southern parts of Libya on Sunday

Cities stretching from Sirte in central Libya to the Ras Jedir border crossing with Tunisia, including the capital Tripoli, were plunged into darkness.

Power cuts were also reported across cities in southern Libya.

There has been no statement from Libya's Government of National Unity or the General Electricity Company of Libya on the outage.

An explosion occurred at a power station in the city of Zawiya late Saturday, triggering a widespread blackout in western Libya. Electricity was gradually restored overnight.

Libya has been experiencing daily power cuts lasting between four and 10 hours for nearly two months due to several factors.

Last week, armed groups also carried out a drone attack on a power station in Zawiya, putting the facility out of service.

Oil facilities in Zawiya, where clashes between local armed militias have intensified recently, have also been targeted by kamikaze drones.

Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) said on Aug. 12 that a state of emergency had been declared in the area due to repeated attacks on oil facilities in Zawiya. It warned that if the attacks continued, it could be forced to declare force majeure at the Zawiya oil refinery and halt operations there.

Following one of the attacks, the NOC-affiliated Brega Oil Marketing Company called on armed groups in the area to immediately stop the fighting and urged all sides to stay away from oil facilities.

Zawiya has recently witnessed clashes between armed groups. Because some of the fighting has taken place near oil fields and refineries, a force majeure has at times been declared at some facilities, resulting in the suspension of production.