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Libyan Prime Minister Aldabaiba demands serious charges against GECOL and Food and Drug Control Centre heads
via Libya Herald3 min read
During a Cabinet meeting in Zliten, Libyan Prime Minister Abdel Hamid Aldabaiba expressed anger over recurring power outages and issues with the Food and Drug Control Centre. He called for serious charges against the heads of the General Electricity Company of Libya GECOL and the Food and Drug Control Centre, stating that the electricity sector's management is incompetent and disastrous. Aldabaiba highlighted the return of significant power cuts and load shedding since June, culminating in a total blackout from Misrata to the Egyptian border due to a loss of 1,350 MW. He noted that areas experienced 5 to 7 hours of power cuts, and the Man-Made River reported a total power outage in the Eastern Region. The Prime Minister emphasized that the state spends astronomical sums on electricity production, yet the country is back to square one. He also criticized the Food and Drug Control Centre for allowing "toxins and filth" into the country and called for its management to be replaced. Aldabaiba announced he would take "real measures" and form an investigative committee to understand the electricity situation. This comes despite GECOL's recent promise on July 15 to bring new generation units online, adding over 600 megawatts to the national grid. The Tripoli government has prioritized domestic users over industrial consumers, impacting sectors like cement production and leading to increased prices.
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by Libya Herald.
Libya is in discussions with a major US inspection company to install modern inspection equipment at all its ports, airports, and border crossings. This initiative was announced by Major General Emad Al-Trabelsi, the Tripoli-based Minister of Interior, during the Fourth Ordinary Cabinet Meeting of 2026. The move comes amid public concern following the pre-trial detention of personnel accused of allowing the import of unhealthy pesticides. During the same meeting, Libyan Prime Minister Abdel Hamid Aldabaiba expressed anger over the Food and Drug Control Centre's failures, calling for the replacement of its management. The Minister of Interior emphasized the government's comprehensive project to upgrade inspection and oversight systems at border crossings, highlighting the need to engage specialized international food inspection companies due to the inadequacy of local capabilities to monitor large volumes of imported food. He also stressed the necessity for decisive decisions and robust enforcement measures to address food safety, fuel smuggling, and illegal migration.
The Public Prosecutor in Libya has ordered the pretrial detention of the Chairman of the National Centre for Plant Protection and Agricultural Quarantine, the Centre’s Director General, and the Head of the Agricultural Extension Office in Tripoli. Their detention, announced on July 17, is linked to charges of negligence in evaluating and monitoring agricultural pesticides, which allegedly led to banned pesticides circulating in the country. The Attorney General’s Office initiated public proceedings against them for failing to perform their official duties, specifically regarding the assessment of imported agricultural pesticides, inspection of storage facilities, and monitoring of traders. This negligence reportedly allowed prohibited pesticides to enter the market, following public outcry over the import of unhealthy agricultural pesticides for use by farmers.
Must ReadThe Man-Made River Authority MMR reported the gradual restoration of power to the Eastern Region section, specifically the Sarir and Tazerbo wellfields, following a total power outage early Saturday morning. The blackout, which extended from Misrata to the Egyptian border, affected electricity to the wellfields and the water pumping station in Benghazi. Power began returning to the Sarir wellfield at 8:00 am, with technical teams deployed to restart operations. By 11:41 am, the Tazerbo wellfield also had its power restored, and 40 out of 50 wells were brought online, with work continuing on the remaining wells. Due to these emergency conditions, the MMR had to reduce water supplies to certain cities and agricultural projects to prevent the main pipeline from draining and to build up reserves. The MMR confirmed that standard water supplies will gradually resume once all wells are operational and reservoir levels normalize, reiterating that the well stoppage was due to the regional power outage, a situation beyond its control.