Libya's Haftar blocks oil exports ahead of summit

Tribes close to military leader Khalifa Haftar called for a blockade of coastal oil export terminals in order to "dry up the sources of funding for terrorism via oil revenues".

TRIPOLI - Forces loyal to Libyan military leader Khalifa Haftar on Saturday blocked oil exports from the war-ravaged country's main ports, the National Oil Company (NOC) said, on the eve of international peace talks.

The NOC declared force majeure on oil exports from the eastern ports of Brega, Ras Lanuf, Hariga, Zueitina and Es Sider, saying the closures would result in the loss of 800,000 barrels-per-day (bpd) in oil output, from 1.3 million bpd to 500,000 bpd, the firm warned.

The NOC had warned Friday against threats to block oil exports, the war-torn country's main income source, two days before a Berlin conference aimed at relaunching a peace process.

Tribes close to eastern Libya-based Haftar called for a blockade of coastal oil export terminals to protest a Turkish intervention against Haftar in the country's grinding conflict.

Turkey has backed the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord as it faces an offensive by Haftar's forces to seize the capital from what he calls "terrorists" supporting the GNA.

After months of combat, which has killed more than 2,000 people, a ceasefire came into effect Sunday backed by power brokers Ankara and Moscow, which is accused of supporting Haftar.

After Turkey deployed troops to support the United Nations-backed GNA, tribes close to Haftar threatened to close down the "oil crescent" - a string of export hubs along Libya's northeastern coast under Haftar's control since 2016. His troops have also mobilised to block any counter-attack on the oil crescent, the conduit for the majority of Libya's crude exports.

"The closure of the fields and the terminals is purely a popular decision. It is the people who decided this," spokesman for pro-Haftar forces Ahmad al-Mismari told al-Hadath television late Friday.

The head of the eastern Zouaya tribe said that blocking exports would "dry up the sources of funding for terrorism via oil revenues".

NOC chairman Moustafa Sanalla said the oil and gas sector is "vital" for the Libyan economy, as it is the "single source of income for the Libyan people".

"The oil and the oil facilities belong to the Libyan people. They are not cards to be played to solve political matters," he added. "Shutting down oil exports and production will have far-reaching and predictable consequences."

The oil-rich North African state has been in turmoil since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising that overthrew and killed dictator Moamer Kadhafi. More recently, Sarraj's troops in Tripoli have been under attack since April from Haftar's forces, with clashes killing more than 280 civilians and 2,000 fighters and displacing tens of thousands.

'Aspirin effect'

Libya's oil sector, which brings in almost all of the state's revenues, has frequently been the target of attacks by various groups. Sanalla said the consequences of exports and production being shut down for an extended period could be devastating.

"We face collapse of the exchange rate, a huge and unsustainable increase in the national deficit, the departure of foreign contractors, and the loss of future production, which may take years to restore," he said. "This is like setting fire to your own house."

The UN envoy to Libya said on Saturday he hoped but "could not predict" whether the eastern oil ports that were closed on Friday would be reopened in a few days.

"If the thing is not solved between today and tomorrow I expect the issue to be raised, yes," Ghassan Salame told Reuters, referring to the meeting in Berlin.

The moves to block eastern oil exports come amid mounting tensions between the GNA and Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) which is affiliated with a rival government based in the eastern city of Tobruk.

One key dispute has centered on agreements made between Turkey and the GNA on military cooperation and the delineation of maritime boundaries in the eastern Mediterranean. Haftar, which accuses the GNA of being beholden to extremist militias, says those agreements are illegal and casts Turkey's troop mobilisation as an "invasion" of Libya.

The war over Tripoli is backed by foreign powers with the LNA supported by the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and most recently Russian mercenaries. Turkey meanwhile has sent troops and fighters from Syria's civil war to help shore up the GNA.

"I can confirm the arrival of fighters from Syria," Salame said, putting estimates at 1,000 to 2,000. He urged international players to stop meddling in the Libyan conflict.

"All foreign interference can provide some aspirin effect in the short term, but Libya needs all foreign interference to stop. That's one of the objectives of this [Berlin] conference," Salame said in an interview with AFP news agency

Leaders of Russia, Turkey and France are due to join the talks in Berlin held under the auspices of the UN, which wants to extract a pledge from foreign powers wielding influence in the region to stop meddling in the conflict - be it by supplying weapons, troops or financing.

Both leaders of the warring factions - Haftar and Prime Minister of the GNA Fayez al-Sarraj - are also expected at the first gathering of such scale on the conflict since 2018.

'Historic proportions'

Although Sarraj's government is recognised by the UN, some powerful players have broken away to stand behind Haftar - turning a domestic conflict into what is essentially a proxy war with international powers jostling to secure their own interests, from global influence to oil access and migration.

Alarm grew internationally when Ankara ordered in troops in early January to help shore up Sarraj, while Moscow is suspected of providing weapons, financing and mercenaries to Haftar - something Russia has denied.

"We must end this vicious cycle of Libyans calling for the help of foreign powers. Their intervention deepens the divisions among the Libyans," said Salame, noting that the place of international players should be to "help Libyans develop themselves".

The UN envoy said Sunday's meeting will also seek to "consolidate" a shaky ceasefire.

"Today we only have a truce. We want to transform it into a real ceasefire with monitoring, separation (of rival camps), repositioning of heavy weapons" outside urban zones, he said.

The UN had sought on multiple attempts to bid for peace, but talks have repeatedly collapsed.

On the eve of the Berlin talks, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Europe to stand united behind Sarraj's government, as Tripoli's fall could leave "fertile ground" for jihadist groups like IS or Al-Qaeda "to get back on their feet".

Haftar says Ankara, which openly supports the Muslim Brotherhood movement that has been outlawed by Gulf Arab states and Egypt, is the party supporting terrorism in Libya. The GNA is affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood and counts several Islamist militias among forces fighting on its behalf, including some that have been accused of violence against civilians.

Erdogan also played up Europe's fears of a repeat of the 2015 refugee crisis in a commentary for Politico news website, saying that further unrest could prompt a new wave of migrants to head for the continent. Erdogan has been accused by his opponents of blackmailing the European Union, using the prospect of an influx of refugees to European countries as a threat for political gain.

Turkey, which currently hosts some three million Syrian refugees, signed a deal with the EU in 2016 for $6.6 billion in Syrian refugee aid money and other incentives, as Brussels sought to persuade the government in Ankara to stop migrants attempting to enter the EU through Greece.

Accusing France in particular of siding with Haftar, Erdogan said leaving Libya to the general would be a "mistake of historic proportions".

France has denied it was backing Haftar. But a diplomatic source noted that the fact that the general already controls 80 percent of Libya needed to be taken into account. The EU is watching with growing alarm at the escalating strife on its doorstep as it counts on Libya as a gatekeeper deterring migrants from crossing the Mediterranean to southern EU states such as Italy.