Clashes erupted in Libya’s oil crescent on Sunday as fighters loyal to a powerful eastern military commander fought a rival militia aligned with the U.N.-backed unity government for control of the nation’s lucrative petroleum facilities. By Sunday evening, a spokesman for Gen. Khalifa Hifter said his forces had seized control of Ras Lanuf and Sidra, among Libya’s largest oil ports, and were fighting for control for Zuwaytinah. The state-run National Oil Corp. told Reuters that Ras Lanuf and Sidra were under the full control of Hifter’s fighters while Zuwaytinah was contested. Sunday’s assaults triggered fears about a wider battle over Libya’s oil resources — the nation has the world’s ninth-largest oil reserves — undermining its ability to restart production and bring in revenue vital to reconciling rival militias and reconstruction. Oil has been an attractive prize since Libyan dictator Moammar Gaddafi was deposed and killed in the Arab Spring uprisings five years ago.

Source: Washington Post September 11, 2016 19:05 UTC