Wednesday 21/January/2026 – 02:32 AM
Yesterday morning, Tuesday, a severe sandstorm struck large areas in eastern and southern Libya, causing almost complete lack of horizontal visibility and disrupting traffic on a number of main and secondary roads.
Sand storm in Libya
The Libyan government appointed by the House of Representatives announced the suspension of all public institutions and bodies due to the high wind speed and the dust and sand that accompanies it, and the holiday was extended in all institutions until tomorrow, Thursday.
In the same context, the Prime Minister, Dr. Osama Hammad, held a meeting yesterday evening, Wednesday, with the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Libyan Arab Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Saddam Haftar, and the Chairman of the Emergency and Rapid Response Committee, Major General Faraj Aqaim, in the presence of the Head of the Internal Security Service, Lieutenant General Osama Al-Darsi, the Minister of State for Communications Affairs Khaled Al-Saadawi, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health, Abdul Salam Aqila, and the head of the Libyan Relief and Humanitarian Aid Authority, Salem Bouzraida, to follow up on developments in the weather situation and its effects.
During the meeting, the committee reviewed the field and technical reports, which included a comprehensive assessment of the current and expected weather conditions, and the resulting effects and damages, in addition to presenting the level of preparedness and preparedness of the competent authorities, and their plans drawn up to deal with the current conditions and ensure the continuity of providing basic services, in addition to reviewing the report of the Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy regarding the damage to the electrical network, the measures taken and plans to address outages and ensure the stability of the electrical supply.
Based on the committee’s reports, the Prime Minister issued a decision to extend the holiday to include Wednesday and Thursday, corresponding to January 21 and 22, 2026 AD, in order to ensure the safety of citizens and avoid risks resulting from weather fluctuations.
