The city of Zliten has been grappling with a power outage lasting over 72 hours, prompting residents to threaten escalatory actions. Ismail Al-Jousmi, the Director of the Media Office of Zliten Municipality, attributed the responsibility for the outages in eastern Zliten to the General Electricity Company of Libya (GECOL) and, by extension, the government led by Prime Minister Abdel Hamid Dbeibeh. Al-Jousmi explained in a press statement that the company had been informed of the issue long ago and a designated location for installing transformers had been allocated, but the transformers have yet to arrive.
Al-Jousmi further detailed that the eastern areas of Zliten, previously supplied by Misrata, are now powered by the local Zliten station. This transition has imposed a significant burden, leading to blackouts in regions including Souk Al-Thulatha, Dowan, and Naima.
“The power outages in these areas have extended to 72 hours,” Al-Jousmi stated, noting that this severe disruption has led residents to stage protests outside the GECOL distribution office, demanding a resolution in the coming days.
Today, a comprehensive meeting was held with the acting Mayor of Zliten and a specialized team from GECOL to discuss the causes of the power cuts and to agree on appropriate solutions to address the crisis.
Al-Jousmi warned that the situation could worsen if solutions are not implemented promptly, cautioning that the public’s frustration might escalate to the point of blocking the coastal road, reflecting their growing anger over the prolonged and repeated power outages.