For nearly 10 years, since the assassination of the deposed leader of Libya Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libyans have regularly suffered power cuts, which can sometimes last for several hours a day.

In an interview with AFP reports this weekend, Ali Wami, a mechanic said: “I am tired of power cuts, I do not receive any help from the government. We’re all tired of power cuts. Mothers, fathers, families, everyone is tired. We live in a big prison.”

“This crisis has been going on for ten years and we are in the eleventh year, it greatly impacts our lives,” added pharmacist Soufiane Zerkani.

Since March 2020 and the appointment of a transitional government, Libyans have been waiting for change. But in this country rich in hydrocarbons, the infrastructures are flat, the economic situation is catastrophic, the electricity supply continues to be rationed.

“This crisis has been going on for ten years in Libya, nothing has changed,” said student Nader al-Nass. “The promises made by successive governments have not been kept. The situation is terrible. Power cuts last for long hours, especially in summer.”

Two new power plants are expected to come into operation in early 2022, to help the Libyan General Electricity Company (Gecol) meet the needs of its inhabitants. Until then, the energy crisis favors the business of generators, the minimum price of which is 400 euros.

As a reminder, the former president of this Northern African country, Muammar Gaddafi, was captured and summarily executed on 20 October 2011 during the Battle of Sirte. Gaddafi was found hiding in a culvert west of Sirte and captured by National Transitional Council (NTC) forces.