A wave of demonstrations spread across Tripoli on Sunday night and Monday, with protesters blocking major roads, shutting down state institutions and demanding the removal of Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah's Government of National Unity (GNU), as daily power cuts of up to 14 hours during a severe heatwave pushed public anger to its breaking point.
The protests, which began in response to the electricity crisis, quickly expanded into a broader challenge to Libya's political establishment.
Demonstrators called for the removal of governments in both eastern and western Libya, chanting "The people want justice that punishes those who squander the people's money," "The people's money is a trust in your hands," and "Electricity — where have the billions gone?"
Temperatures in some parts of Libya have reached between 45 and 50 degrees Celsius during the current heatwave, driving electricity demand beyond the capacity of a grid already hampered by years of underinvestment, theft from the network and disputed management of the country's oil revenues.
The Souq al-Jumaa Movement, which has been organising against the GNU since mid-2025, said the civil disobedience campaign would begin with the closure of state institutions and public companies without blocking roads or targeting citizens.
