Southern Libya was plunged into darkness this week after gunmen stormed a power station and forced workers to cut the electricity. The move also let to a cut in water supplies. A resident of Sabha told Asharq Al-Awsat Wednesday that southerners were suffering from water shortages and power cuts amid rising temperatures. The media office of the Man-made River Authority (MMRA) at the al-Hasawna water system of Sahil Jafara confirmed that gunmen had stormed the facility on Tuesday and forced workers to cut the main power supply to water wells. They demanded that power be restored to southern cities, saying the supply will remain cut until the crisis is resolved. The media office urged that the MMRA be kept out of all disputes in Libya. The project supplies water to all people, it stressed, demanding that the state assume its responsibility in protecting the Hasawna water wells. The MMRA at the Hasawna water system of Sahil Jafara was inaugurated by late leader Moammar al-Gaddafi. It was designed to supply 2.5 million cubic meters of water per day from the Hasawna wells to the Libyan coast, including Tripoli. The General Electric Company confirmed the storming of the MMRA, saying some staff were attacked in the process. Libyan political expert Mohammed Omar Mohammed Bayo wondered whether the power company has become a “war hostage.” He said that the source of the problem, which is the spread of militias, should be addressed instead of blaming the power company for electrical outages. The campaign against the power company is aimed at removing its administrators and replacing them with “Islamists and militia and gang representatives,” he charged. “If you want water and energy supplies to return, then all you have to do is head to the streets and stage peaceful protests until you regain your rights,” he said in a Facebook post.