Libyan family live in van amid electricity crisis - in pictures

Mahmud Aguil, 48, has a comfortable house in Libya's capital Tripoli, but chronic power cuts in the war-battered country and the roasting summer heat now force him and his family to sleep in his air-conditioned van. All photos: AFP
Mahmud Aguil, 48, has a comfortable house in Libya's capital Tripoli, but chronic power cuts in the war-battered country and the roasting summer heat now force him and his family to sleep in his air-conditioned van. All photos: AFP
'This is my bedroom,' Mr Aguil says of the cramped vehicle. Its back seats have been removed to make space for him and his two young children. 'In the morning I wake up with a terrible backache. That's our life these days.'
'This is my bedroom,' Mr Aguil says of the cramped vehicle. Its back seats have been removed to make space for him and his two young children. 'In the morning I wake up with a terrible backache. That's our life these days.'
Libyans are enduring electricity cuts of up to 18 hours a day, despite their country sitting on top of Africa's largest proven oil reserves.
Libyans are enduring electricity cuts of up to 18 hours a day, despite their country sitting on top of Africa's largest proven oil reserves.
The Tripoli-based authorities have sought to quell public anger over the power outages, admitting they had underestimated the problem. Interim Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah said three power stations were to open this month, two in the west and one in the east.
The Tripoli-based authorities have sought to quell public anger over the power outages, admitting they had underestimated the problem. Interim Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah said three power stations were to open this month, two in the west and one in the east.
'Even when we have electricity, it's very weak — just enough to keep the lights on,' says Mr Aguil, who works for a group clearing unexploded ordnance.
'Even when we have electricity, it's very weak — just enough to keep the lights on,' says Mr Aguil, who works for a group clearing unexploded ordnance.
The electricity crisis is only the latest trial for Libyans after a decade of insecurity, fuel shortages, crumbling infrastructure and economic woes since a 2011 Nato-backed uprising toppled dictator Muammar Qaddafi .
The electricity crisis is only the latest trial for Libyans after a decade of insecurity, fuel shortages, crumbling infrastructure and economic woes since a 2011 Nato-backed uprising toppled dictator Muammar Qaddafi .