Emergency declared in Libya amid clashes near oil refinery

An emergency has been declared at Libya's Zawiya oil refinery, west of the capital Tripoli, after clashes erupted near the facility, two engineers told Reuters on Friday.

Zawiya, 40 km (25 miles) west of Tripoli, is home to Libya's biggest functioning refinery, with a capacity of 120,000 barrels per day. The refinery is connected to the country's 300,000 bpd Sharara oilfield.

The refinery operator, Azzawiya Oil Refining Company, said in a statement it was forced to shut the plant completely and evacuate all tankers from the port after heavy shelling linked to the clashes struck multiple locations inside the facility.

There was no immediate indication of who was involved in the violence or its cause, although the city's security directorate said it was a "security operation against outlaws".

Libya has been plagued by unrest since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

Zawiya has seen repeated armed clashes that have at times forced the closure of the coastal road to the Tunisian border.

Reports of unrest in the city circulated online, including unverified footage of gunfire echoing across Zawiya.

-Ayman Warfalli and Ahmed Elumami. Writing by Ahmed Elimam. Editing by Alexandra Hudson and Mark Potter/Reuters