Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- The alleys and archways along Rashid Street in central Tripoli were plunged in darkness this weekend, as the Libyan capital struggled to cope with widespread shortages of electricity. After sunset, the only light in one corner cafe came from two candles. Their flickering glow barely lit the faces of men seated at a handful of tables, where they were breaking their Ramadan fast. Nearby, residents trudged down the center of empty streets enveloped in darkness. Some men played music from parked cars. Others sat silently in doorways, their presence only marked by the glow of a cigarette butt.

The rapid deterioration of power supplies in
Tripoli over the past two weeks has come as a shock to many Libyans.