Libya Updates 6/12/17

Oil prices increase as conflicts in Libya, Iraq intensify
3/5/17

Seeking Alpha – A new set of geopolitical conflicts buoyed oil prices higher today after yesterday’s sell-off pushed WTI below its 50-day moving average.
Conflicts in Iraq and Libya were the main reason for the rise in oil (NYSEARCA:USO) prices today, while consensus continue to overwhelmingly focus their attention on US shale production and rig counts.

Oil markets are prone to geopolitical risk factors that are hard to forecast. Namely, Iraq is having issues again with Kurdish factions.

Since the OPEC production cut deal started, secondary sources peg Iraq as the least compliant member out of OPEC. Our estimate and secondary sources put Iraq’s production cut at only 80k to 100k b/d, which is far less than what it promised to cut.

[link to www.libyanexpress.com]

Forces of east Libya's Haftar concede oil port loss
3/4/17

The forces of eastern Libya's renegade general Khalifa Haftar conceded the loss on Saturday of a key oil export terminal they seized last year as fighting for the country's resource wealth intensifies.

The capture of Ras Lanuf and the other three eastern oil ports in September enabled Haftar to keep up his challenge to the authority of the UN-backed government in Tripoli and demand a major role in a replacement administration.

[link to www.alaraby.co.uk (secure)]

Dignity Operation spokesperson: Presidency Council met with Al-Qaeda leaders to plan attack on oil ports
3/5/17

Spokesperson of Dignity Operation Ahmed Al-Mismari claimed on Saturday that some members of the internationally recognized UN-proposed Presidency Council and High Council of State held secret meetings with leaders of Al-Qaeda and Muslim Brotherhood to mastermind the attack on the oil crescent region by Benghazi Defense Brigades.

[link to www.libyaobserver.ly (secure)]

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That's a heavy claim right there.....

Russia senses an opportunity in Libya
3/6/17

Libya’s civil war has reached its climax in the battle for the oil terminals, and it is a battle Khalifa Haftar, commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA), is winning. This reality has profound implications for the future of the country, partly because of a dramatic new development — the entry of Russia into the diplomatic mix.

The battle began last week when militias based in central Libya drove 100 miles across the desert to attack Libya’s hub oil ports, Sidra and nearby Ras Lanuf. Those terminals link to the massive Oil Crescent, home to the bulk of Libya’s oil. Quite simply, who controls this Crescent controls Libya.

[link to gulfnews.com]

Haftar's position shaky after losing oil crescent in east Libya, Radio France Internationale says
3/10/17

“War drums are heard in Libya once again after a period of efforts aiming at peaceful solution to the crisis,” the French radio added, indicating that this is colser to reality in Libya now since the last efforts to hold a meeting between the Head of the UN-proposed government’s Presidential Council, Fayez Al-Sirraj, and the commander of the eastern Dignity Operation forces, Khalifa Haftar in Egypt had been turned down.

“France and the western Powers thought that Haftar’s grip is strongly weighing in into the Libyan crisis, however; we were surprised to see his forces fail to hold their position and lose them to the BDB forces.” The radio reported.

[link to www.libyaobserver.ly (secure)]

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Saraya Defend Benghazi (BDB)

The Saraya Defend Benghazi is an Islamist Militia group formed in June 2016 to oppose Libyan National Army and Haftar forces in Benghazi. The group has a similar ideology with that of al Qaeda, with the majority of its fighters also aligned to the Shura Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries. The founding statement of the group, however, states that it is not aligned to any specific group in Libya.

[link to www.trackingterrorism.org (secure)]

Haftar and Co. hitting right back...

Libya’s eastern forces on the march to retake oil ports
3/10/17

Eastern Libyan forces have launched a counter attack to try to regain key oil ports captured last week by Benghazi militias, with reports of fighting in the desert as armoured brigades move forward.

Jets from the Libya National Army (LNA) struck the ports of Ras Lanuf and Sidra on Friday afternoon, according to eyewitnesses in Ras Lanuf town. The offensive by the LNA, commanded by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, was launched on Thursday night after a meeting of tribal elders in the eastern town of Benghazi endorsed it and pledged troops from the eastern region’s militias.

"The mood was angry, it was urgent, they signalled support [for the offensive]," said one attendee at the meeting.

[link to www.thenational.ae]

US accuses Moscow of aiding warlord in battle for Libya oil ports
3/11/17

The fighting between Haftar’s forces and militias from western Libya is focused on Sidra, Libya’s biggest oil port, and nearby Ras Lanuf, its key refinery. Together they form the gateway to the vast Oil Crescent, a series of oilfields stretching hundreds of miles through the Sahara containing Africa’s largest reserves. Haftar’s forces have launched airstrikes against militias around the oil ports themselves, with social media showing pictures of corpses and burning vehicles. No casualty figures have yet been released.

Capturing the glittering prize of the Oil Crescent has become the focus of a bitter civil war now in its third year and US officials fear that Russia has now entered the conflict, with Haftar the likely beneficiary.

[link to www.theguardian.com (secure)]
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The Western nations destroyed Libya, for many reasons. One was to of course rape them of their resources. So naturally, these little spats occur between the greedy fucks clamoring for the goodies.
The UN backed government of Serraj, the US' bitch, is opposing Haftar, who is allegedly backed by Russia, Egypt, the UAE, and others.
There are no 'good guys' when it comes to this regime change clusterfuck.
Just a bunch of vultures.

JoAnne and James Moriarity put out a great video on Libya since they were there during the time of Ghaddafi's overthrow. It has video and pictures of civilians killed during NATO bombings and even video of captured Libyan soldiers being forced to eat their dead comrades - raw. Most disgusting thing I have EVER SEEN. Not for the faint of heart.

Anyway, they tried to tell people in government and only Dennis Kucinich would listen. Our government harassed the Moriaritys and told them to shut up. They didnt and they lost everything but they're committed to telling the truth of what happened and their story is 100% believable and documented.

A once peaceful, prosperous and happy country taken down by the Islamic dogs run by NATO. Very, very sad story.

A true claim nonetheless. US and NATO backed Muslim Brotherhood forces mopped up any opposition left after the NATO bombers took their toll.

Libya's Khalifa Haftar 'retakes oil ports from Islamist militia'
3/14/17

Forces loyal to Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar say they have retaken key oil-rich areas in the country's east.
Ground, sea and air forces were engaged in the fight for sites at Ras Lanuf, Sidra and Ben Jawad from a rival Islamist militia, a spokesman said.
Meanwhile, Russia has denied reports that it has deployed special forces to the region in support of Gen Haftar.

[link to www.bbc.com]

Flash, I think this is the video.....

Libya government forces overrun Tripoli militia HQ
3/15/17

Tripoli (AFP) - Forces loyal to Libya's UN-backed unity government seized the headquarters of a rival militia on Wednesday in a third day of intense fighting for control of Tripoli.

The capital has seen exchanges of rocket and artillery fire between unity government forces and a militia loyal to former prime minister Khalifa Ghweil.
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Heavy fighting has also rocked the east of Libya where forces loyal to military strongman Khalifa Haftar announced their recapture of two key oil ports on Tuesday.

Haftar's forces mounted a day-long assault by land, sea and air to retake the ports of Ras Lanuf and Al-Sidra which had been seized by a rival, Islamist-led force earlier this month.

Haftar and his ally, Libya's elected parliament in the eastern city of Tobruk, are hostile to the GNA, the result of a 2015 UN-backed deal.

[link to au.news.yahoo.com (secure)]

One of Libya’s Rival Governments Asks Russia for Military Assistance
3/15/17

An interview in Russian state media Tuesday indicates that one of Libya’s rival governments is looking increasingly to Moscow as a patron, a move that’s concerning U.S. military commanders in the region.

Aguila Saleh, speaker of the House of Representatives (HoR), told RIA Novosti, a Kremlin-controlled news agency, that he’s asked Russia to help train Libyan National Army fighters led by General Khalifa Haftar and has invited Russian lawmakers to visit eastern Libya.

“Most of our officers were trained in Russia and many speak Russian, and they know how to use Russian equipment,” Saleh is reported as saying. He promised Libya will pay $4 billion in Gadhafi-era military debt owed to Russia and added the Kremlin has promised to help “in the fight against terrorism.

[link to www.voanews.com]
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Kremlin Rejects Reports of Russian Military Deployment Near Libyan Border
3/14/17

Kremlin officials and Russian lawmakers are denying published reports that Moscow has deployed a team of special forces and drones to a military base in Egypt near the Libyan border.

The denials came Tuesday, following multiple reports that Russian military activity had been spotted near the Mediterranean coastal town of Sidi Baranni, 100 kilometers from the Egyptian-Libyan frontier.

Those reports, quoting anonymous U.S. officials, say increased Russian involvement may be part of a push by Moscow to support renegade Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar.

[link to www.voanews.com]

I bought 3 of their dvds. They have an incredible story to tell. At least check out their free vids on Youtube.

Can Russia resolve the conflict in Libya?
3/16/17

As the Libyan National Army loyal to General Haftar regained control of the two oil ports of Ras Lanuf and Es Sider early this week, news reports suggesting Russia has deployed private military contractors in security operations near Benghazi, an area under Haftar's control, have been denied by Russian official sources.

Russia's support for Haftar, who has refused to acknowledge the UN-backed Tripoli Government led by Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj, has frustrated Western attempts to implement a political solution that would include all Libyan factions, including Islamists, in a power-sharing deal.

Relying on sponsors such as Russia, Egypt, the UAE and France, Haftar has succeeded in creating a stalemate that has gradually eroded Sarraj's chances of governing the country under the label of the Libyan Political Agreement (LPA) signed in 2015.

"Russia's relationship with Haftar is the result of a very simple equation. Russia backs Egypt, Haftar's main supporter," said Pavel Felgenhauer, a Moscow-based military analyst. "General Haftar has declared war on terrorism and this coincides with Russia's main objective in the region: wiping out the terrorist threat posed by the Islamic State," Felgenhauer told Al Jazeera.

[link to www.aljazeera.com]

Khalifa Haftar supporters spoil anti-militias protest in Tripoli, gunmen intervene
3/17/17

Gunmen stormed Tripoli’s Martyrs’ Square on Friday and dispersed by force a protest that was supposed to call for an end to militias in the capital and demand activation of police and army institutions.
The protesters marched peacefully demanding all illegitimate armed brigades to leave Tripoli following three days of fighting and tension in some neighborhoods.
Later, supporters of Khalifa Haftar sneaked into the protest and changed its course. They started glorifying him and his self-styled army and chanting racist slogans against the city Misrata. Shortly, the gunmen stormed the square and started firing automatic weapons into the air to disperse the protest.

[link to www.libyaobserver.ly (secure)]

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That scene has played out in many an 'independence' or 'freedom' square......

East Libyan forces claim victory in southwest Benghazi
3/18/17

Khalifa Haftar's east Libyan forces have claimed capture of the final holdout of hardline armed forces in the southwest of Benghazi, ending weeks of resistance by fighters camped in a group of tower blocks.

Milad al-Zwai, spokesman for the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA), said on Saturday the siege at the "12 blocks" ended when rival fighters tried to escape at dawn.

He said 23 of them had been killed and six arrested while five LNA troops were killed and six wounded.

[link to www.aljazeera.com]

Libya, the time to avoid escalation is now
3/17/17

Western Libya is too divided now to even think of negotiations for a comprehensive deal with Haftar: in Tripoli militias nominally loyal to Serraj have defeated those loyal to the rival National Salvation Government of Khalifa Ghwell but could soon clash with armed groups from the city of Misrata, who also nominally back Serraj.

At this point none of the belligerent parties can militarily defeat the others, but each side thinks it can win and is unwilling to back down. It would not be unlikely to see a faction deciding to block all exports rather than compromising with its opponents. In this situation a political deal on the future institutional asset of the country that brings together all these actors may prove elusive for weeks if not months, while in the meantime fighting on the ground escalates and Libya slides into division and fiscal collapse. This does not mean a political process is not needed, but rather that other matters take precedence.

[link to www.ecfr.eu]
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The amusing part is, it's a CFR-related article calling for peace. After the fact, of course, and way too late, but still....

Libya Ports Prepare to Ship Oil as Workers Return After Clashes
3/20/17

Libya’s major oil ports of Es Sider and Ras Lanuf are resuming operations and preparing to export crude after a two-week halt in shipments due to military clashes in the holder of Africa’s largest crude reserves.

Staff are returning to work at Es Sider, the country’s biggest oil port, and Ras Lanuf, its third-largest, and exports are set to restart in a week to ten days, Jadalla Alaokali, a National Oil Corp. board member, said by phone. Libya is producing 621,000 barrels a day after Waha Oil Co., which feeds Es Sider, began pumping again at its Waha field on Saturday, he said.

“Both ports are ready to restart exports,” Alaokali said.

[link to www.bloomberg.com (secure)]

Libyan troops 'exhume and crucify enemy dead' in Benghazi
3/20/17

East Libya forces affiliated with the army of General Khalifa Haftar exhumed the bodies of rival fighters and burned and crucified their bodies, according to Arabic media and videos posted on social media.

According to the reports, Haftar’s forces targeted the graves of military leaders of the rival Benghazi Shura Council (BSC).

The reports on Sunday came a day after the east Libyan forces announced that they had captured the final holdout of their rivals in the southwest of Benghazi, ending weeks of resistance by fighters camped in a cluster of residential buildings.

[link to www.middleeasteye.net]

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Jeez, General....reign your barbarians in. That's a bit much......

In Cairo Arab League head endorses Serraj, warns of possible catastrophe in Libya; in Tobruk his envoy reassures HoR

In a TV interview, Aboul-Gheit also insisted that the Presidency Council together with its leader Faiez Serraj and its government of national accord were the legitimate authorities in Libya because they were internationally recognised. For that reason, he said, Serraj would represent Libya at the Arab Summit in Amman this week.

The situation in Libya, he added, would be a major subject for discussion at the summit.

Meanwhile in Tobruk, Aboul-Gheit’s special envoy to Libya, Salaheddine Jamali, reassured members of the House of Representatives that it was legitimate and that the political structure set up by the Libyan Political Agreement was transitional.

[link to www.libyaherald.com (secure)]

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But neither faction is endorsed by the people of Libya, nor has been presented to them for a decision. Neither should have any credibility in the eyes of the int'l community, until a fair election is held. Refusal to promote national elections only shows the true colors of those who 'recognize' puppet governments......

Russian links with Libya general 'undeniable,' US general claims
3/24/17

Russia has deployed troops to Egypt amid a strengthening of ties between Moscow and General Khalifa Haftar, the warlord who controls much of the eastern part of Libya, a US general said on Friday.

Marine Gen. Thomas Waldhauser, the commander of U.S. Africa Command, said the link between Russia and General Haftar, the head of a group called the Libyan National Army, is "undeniable."

"They are on the ground. They are trying to influence the action. We watch what they do with great concern," he told reporters in the Pentagon on Friday.

[link to www.telegraph.co.uk]
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How about those links between the anti-government 'insurgents' and the Obama Admin? Clinton and Turi? Not to mention Mr. Cameron and others who had a hand in the ruin of Libya. Now, after the fact, they point fingers at Russia. Who's propping up the so-called UN 'unity' government, and vying for Libya's resources as well? The same assholes complaining about Russia.
Shades of Cold War finger pointing.....

Arab Summit calls for political solution to Libya’s crisis
3/27/17

The meeting called for a political solution for the Libyan conflict, rejecting any foreign intervention in Libya as it is a fully-sovereign country.

The meeting also stated that the countries are bothered by the current status quo in Libya.

[link to www.libyanexpress.com]
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Yeah, but most of them are probably lining their pockets with money from all of the foreigners currently intervening in the so-called sovereign country of Libya.....you know, the U.S., Britain, UAE, Russia, Egypt...those 'interveners'.

Opinion

Rebuilding The Arch: Breaking Libya For The Best
3/28/17

A common theme among many postcolonial countries in the Middle East is the difficulty of placing various religious and ethnic groups under the same state’s flag. Libya is different, as its people are overwhelmingly Sunni Arab. Nevertheless, tribal politics have instilled serious divisions in the country. The friction coalesces around two of the three primary regions of Libya, Cyrenaica in the east and Tripolitania in the west (the third historic province of Libya, Fezzan, is to the south of Tripolitania and tends to align its views with its northern neighbor). While the Qaddafi years represented a period of oppressive centralized control for all factions of Libya, the events since the revolution have caused these long-repressed tensions to bubble to the surface.
In the face of this growing sectionalism, Libyans should urgently adopt a constitution that provides a basic formula for co-existence. The pre-Qaddafi 1963 constitution offers just such formula. Splitting Libya along the traditional Tripolitania/Cyrenaica border would be a viable last resort if the constitutional solution remains elusive.

[link to www.libyaobserver.ly (secure)]

Struggle for control of Libya's oil threatens to deepen conflicts
3/29/17

A power struggle for control of Libya’s oil is threatening to deepen splits in the country and undermine the fragile authority of the UN-backed Libyan Government of National Accord, the GNA.

The battle has forced the politically neutral chairman of the Libyan National Oil Corporation (NOC) to warn the GNA that it has overstepped its authority both by closing the oil ministry and by trying to take over some of the NOC’s role.

[link to www.theguardian.com (secure)]
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Really. Say it ain't so.

Pilot killed in Libya fighter jet crash
3/29/17

A source at a Tobruk military base, who declined to be named, said the jet had carried out bombing raids on jihadist positions in Derna, 100km west of Tobruk, before crashing.

The pilot, a member of forces loyal to Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar, was killed but the source was unable to say if the incident caused any other casualties.

A spokesperson for Haftar's forces said on Facebook that the crash was down to a "technical failure".

[link to www.news24.com]
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The pilot technically failed to avoid a Stinger, probably. But that's just a guess.

Italy Brokers Deal Between Dozens of Rival Libyan Tribes To Stem Migrant Crisis
4/2/17

Italy’s interior ministry said the 60 tribal leaders — notably the Tuareg of the southwest, the Toubou of the southeast, and the Arab tribe of Awlad Suleiman — had reached the 12-point deal after 72 hours of secret talks in Rome.

A representative from Libya’s UN-backed Government of National Accord, which is based in Tripoli and controls western Libya, was also present.

“A Libyan border patrol unit will be operational to monitor Libya’s southern border of 5,000 kilometres (3,100 miles),” Italian Interior Minister Marco Minniti told Italy’s La Stampa newspaper, one of several Italian media outlets reporting on the deal Sunday.

[link to www.breitbart.com]
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Two years too late. The damage is done.

Hafter in talks with French ambassador on Libyan crisis
4/2/17

It is the first time that the two have met, indeed it is thought to be the first time that any French ambassador has met Hafter.

France has taken the view for the past six months that while it fully supports the Libyan Political Agreement and the Presidency Council, Hafter has a role to play and should be brought into the government’s framework.

[link to www.libyaherald.com (secure)]

Libya war: Haftar forces accused of war crimes over alleged civilian killings
4/1/17

Concerns about the alleged incidents have been raised by Human Rights Watch, which said that LNA forces may have committed war crimes and called on Haftar to launch a "full and transparent investigation into recent alleged crimes by forces under his command, including attacks on civilians, alleged summary executions, and the mutilation and desecration of corpses".

Speaking on 21 March, Wanis Boukhamada, an LNA special forces spokesperson, denounced the alleged abuses and called for those responsible to be prosecuted and punished.

But in a separate statement posted on Facebook on the same day, an LNA spokesperson said the bodies alleged to have been abused had been buried in a residential area and needed to be exhumed, and said that the bodies of some of its fighters had also been subjected to mistreatment in the past.

MEE reached out to the LNA for further comment but did not get a response.

Martin Kobler, the UN special envoy to Libya, said he welcomed the LNA's investigation and added that human rights violations were being committed across Libya.

In a statement, Kobler said that those responsible could be held criminally liable at the International Criminal Court.

[link to www.middleeasteye.net]
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George Soros to Give $100 million to Human Rights Watch
9/7/10
[link to www.hrw.org (secure)]