Libya’s major oil terminals its main refinery have once again become the targets of armed militias that threaten to cut off Libya’s only source of revenue.
Libya is regionally split between two main centers of power, one in Benghazi and the other in Tripoli. But each of the main centers continues to battle a myriad of rival armed groups that neither of the country’s two governments can control.
The Islamist Benghazi Defense Brigades were driven out of the eastern oil exporting area last September by the so-called Libyan National Army, a militia led by Khalifa Haftar, based in Benghazi. Haftar purportedly seeks an important role in national government and has allies in Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Russia.
In a loose agreement that allowed oil revenues to flow to the Libyan treasury, and could prove Haftar’s worth to the UN-backed government in Tripoli, Libya has boosted its oil production to some 700,000 barrels per day, which was more than twice its output last year.
But now Haftar’s militia has been forced out by a mixture of Islamist militias, eastern tribes opposed to Haftar, and members of the Petroleum Facilities Guard which controlled the ports before Haftar’s takeover.
The Islamist Benghazi militia attacked al-Sidra, Libya’s biggest oil port, and Ras Lanuf, its biggest refinery, overnight Friday. Haftar’s Army spokesman said the army had pulled back to avoid damage to oil facilities and to protect civilians.
Witnesses said the attackers were armed with modern tanks and radar to neutralize Haftar’s air force. But his spokesman insisted that the battle is ongoing and that Haftar’s forces are still in control.
The BBC said that the stakes are high in this particular battle because it affects everyone – oil is Libya’s lifeline. The skirmish around the oil facilities raises prospects of a wider war that the country cannot afford politically or financially.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/03/libyan-group-captures-cities-oil-ports-170304111432940.html
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-39167711
http://www.france24.com/en/20170304-libya-forces-khalifa-haftar-lose-control-key-oil-export-terminal
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-libya-security-oil-idUSKBN16B09U