(Repeats story sent March 27 with no changes)
* People in capital on edge as rebels advance from west
* Fuel, bread, cooking oil, in short supply, prices rise
* Migrant worker exodus causes labour shortage
By Maria Golovnina
TRIPOLI, March 27 (Reuters) - Outside the impenetrable walls of Muammar Gaddafi's compound in Tripoli, fuel shortages and endless queues are compounding an atmosphere of gloom in a city already worn out by weeks of conflict.
Rebel forces are advancing fast towards Gaddafi's biggest stronghold, and ordinary people in the capital -- regardless of their political views -- are fearful of what is to come.
Tripoli lives to the sound of explosions and anti-aircraft gunfire as Western air strikes continue, and the new reality has emboldened some to express their frustrations more openly.
"The situation is getting worse and worse. I am a simple person. I don't know why," said Radwan, a man in his 40s, as he lined up to buy fuel at a petrol station in central Tripoli.
"Everything is hard. There is a problem with food, even with bread. You can't buy bread easily. I buy flour and I make my own bread. I am worried. There is a serious problem."
At one Tripoli filling station, hundreds of honking cars formed a queue of more than one kilometre long on Sunday. Exhausted motorists waited for hours to fill up their tanks.
A makeshift sign at another gas station said: "There is no petrol today. God knows when."
Most people waited patiently, the engines of their cars switched off. Some sat in the shade of large trees, smoking. One car ran out of petrol in the middle of a coastal motorway, and a group of passersby helped the driver push it along.
The picture was similar in other parts of Tripoli and nearby towns. Supply networks for basic goods have been disrupted by weeks of fighting. A refugee exodus out of Libya also means that bakeries do not have the manpower to make enough bread.
Libya is an OPEC oil exporter and has its own refineries, but the sector has been severely disrupted by the conflict. A lot of its oil refining infrastructure has been damaged, and production of oil and oil products has dropped sharply.
State TV has been assuring people that fuel reserves are sufficient, but an energy official admitted to Reuters last week Libya needed to import more supplies to deal with the shortages.
Seeking to topple Gaddafi and buoyed by Western air strikes, rebel forces have been pushing fast towards western Libya in past days, retaking land abandoned by the retreating army.
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
