Clashes in the coastal city of Zawiya, 47 kilometers west of Tripoli, trapped residents and ignited fires at Libya’s second-largest oil refinery. The fighting involved gunmen loyal to the Shurafaa ethnic group and forces aligned with warlord Mohamed Kushlaf, local media reported. Kushlaf was sanctioned by the U.N. Security Council in 2018 for alleged human trafficking activities.

The cause of the clashes remains unclear, but such violence is common in western Libya, where militias operate with impunity. Armed groups, many aligned with Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah’s government, continue to dominate the region, exacerbating instability in the oil-rich nation.

Fighting Disrupts City Life and Damages Oil Infrastructure

The clashes forced the closure of a major coastal road linking Zawiya to other western cities and led to school suspensions. “Many families are trapped in their homes, and bullets are hitting buildings indiscriminately,” resident Ahmed Abu Hussein told reporters. Fighting spread across densely populated areas, causing widespread panic.

The Libyan National Oil Corp. reported severe damage to storage tanks at the Zawiya refinery. Bullets hit oil tanks, sparking “dangerous” fires, which firefighters managed to control despite the ongoing violence. The company declared emergency and force majeure, citing extraordinary circumstances that disrupted operations.

Libya remains divided between Prime Minister Dbeibah’s western government and Prime Minister Ossama Hammad’s eastern administration, allied with military commander Khalifa Hifter. Clashes between militias frequently erupt, adding to the country’s instability since the 2011 uprising that toppled Moammar Gadhafi.