Haftar’s Army retakes key Libyan oil ports

CAIRO/ DUBAI — Forces controlled by Libya’s easternbased military commander Khalifa Haftar said they had retaken two of the country’s major oil ports which had been seized by a rival group about two weeks ago, triggering clashes that curbed oil production in the holder of Africa’s largest crude reserves.

The ports of Es Sider and Ras Lanuf, a petrochemicals factory and the nearby Harouge storage tanks had all been recaptured on Tuesday in a land, air and sea offensive, said Miftah Al Magaraif, head of a Petroleum Facilities Guard faction loyal to Haftar. His Libyan National Army announced its full control of the ports on its official Facebook page. The facilities were seized from Haftar earlier this month by a rival group, which later said it handed them to the United Nations- backed government in Tripoli.

Mr. Haftar’s recapture of the two terminals will help boost the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries’ oil exports to 550,000-600,000 barrels a day within days, Riccardo Fabiani, a London-based senior analyst at consultants Eurasia Group, said in an e-mailed report. It will also allow the increase in output from oil fields which normally feed the terminals, he said.

More than a year after a UN-mediated peace deal meant to end years of conflict and economic ruin that have followed the ousting of former leader Muammar Qaddafi, Libya remains deeply divided, primarily between administrations in the west and east. The latest fighting is a setback for political efforts to restore stability and plot an economic recovery. Control of oil assets would provide leverage in future talks on ending Libya’s crisis and have been a key focus of competing factions.

There was no immediate comment from the UNbacked administration.

Before Mr. Haftar’s forces announced the success of its offensive, Jadalla Alaokali, a board member at National Oil Corp., said by phone that no damage to oil infrastructure had been reported so far.

Though he’s opposed by militias across central and western Libya, where 70% of the population lives, Mr. Haftar has powerful friends in the standoff with Serraj — Russia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates are major backers. He also has widespread support in Libya’s east. The quick capture of the oil ports on March 3 by the Benghazi Defense Brigades was seen by many analysts as a blow to Mr. Haftar’s image. His popularity had soared last September when he seized the facilities and allowed oil to flow. —