Brega

Brega
مرسى البريقة
Town
Brega
Location in Libya
Coordinates: 30°26′6″N 19°40′1″E / 30.43500°N 19.66694°E / 30.43500; 19.66694
Country Libya
RegionCyrenaica
DistrictAl Wahat
Elevation
75 ft (23 m)
Population
 (2006)
  Total
7,000
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)

Brega /ˈbrɡə/, also known as Mersa Brega or Marsa al-Brega (Arabic: مرسى البريقة Marsā al Burayqah, i.e. "Brega Seaport"), is a complex of several smaller towns, industry installations and education establishments situated in Libya on the Gulf of Sidra, the most southerly point of the Mediterranean Sea. It is located in the former Ajdabiya District, which in 2007 was merged into the Al Wahat District. The town is the center of Libya's second-largest hydro-carbon complex.

During the First Libyan Civil War, the town quickly fell to the Libyan opposition. Government forces attempted to capture the town on 2 March but were repelled; their attack on 13 March was successful, though rebels later recaptured it on 26 March. In April the rebels were again driven out of Brega, and a several-month long stalemate ensued. On 11 August 2011, the rebels claimed they had retaken the eastern part of Brega.