FEW places exemplify the chaos that has enveloped Libya better than the oil ports of Sidra and Ras Lanuf, which have changed hands twice in March. First the Benghazi Defence Brigade (BDB), an Islamist militia, captured them from the forces of Khalifa Haftar, the head of the self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA). Then, as the BDB handed control of the ports to forces aligned with the Government of National Accord (GNA) in the capital, Tripoli, Mr Haftar, who is supported by a rival authority in the east, grabbed them back.
For nearly three years Libya has been mired in a civil war that at first pitted east against west. Now there are so many groups fighting that it is difficult to draw the battle lines. An attempt by the UN to stitch the country together, by creating the GNA in 2015, has all but failed for lack of support. Even Tripoli is beset with violence. Oil production, Libya’s economic lifeline, is threatened by the fighting, which may spur deeper involvement by Russia. It says it wants stability, but it supports Mr Haftar.
Though he has, at least for now, come out the winner, the battle for the ports exposed Mr...Continue reading
Source: Middle East and Africa http://ift.tt/2maNfXa
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