PROTESTS continued in Libya over the weekend as the country was plunged into further turmoil with an economic crisis worsening due to an ongoing political deadlock. 

Thousands took to the streets in Benghazi and the capital Tripoli, chanting: “We want the lights to work,” as many Libyans face electricity and energy shortages.

Some held the green flag associated with former Libyan leader Muammar Gadaffi who was assassinated in 2011 following a Nato-backed bombing campaign. 

The protests came days after the storming of parliament building in the eastern city of Tobruk, with part of it set ablaze. 

Libyans are calling for fresh elections and an end to power cuts.

Polls had been due to be held last December but were postponed at the last minute. 

Talks hosted by the United Nations last week failed to break the impasse.  

UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres called “all actors to refrain from any actions that could undermine stability” and urged them “to come together to overcome the continued political deadlock.”

General Khalifa Hiftar, whose forces led an uprising against the UN-recognised government in Tripoli which ended in a 2020 truce, said he supported the demands of the protesters but called on them to “preserve public property.”