Demonstrators storm the headquarters of the Libyan parliament in Tobruk

Yesterday, demonstrators stormed the parliament’s headquarters in Tobruk, eastern Libya, to protest deteriorating living conditions and the political crisis, a day after a new round of talks between the two conflicting camps ended without an agreement. Several TV channels reported that the demonstrators entered the building and damaged it. The images show thick plumes of black smoke billowing from the building’s perimeter after angry demonstrators burned tires at a time when the country has been plagued by power outages for days, exacerbated by the closure of many oil facilities amid political disagreements between the two rival camps. “We want electricity,” the demonstrators chanted. “While we reaffirm the right of citizens to peacefully demonstrate and express their demands peacefully, we strongly condemn acts of sabotage and arson of state headquarters,” the House of Representatives said in a statement Friday night.