Heavy clashes erupt at Libya oil crescent as control slips out of Haftar’s hand to Jodran’s

Ibrahim Jodran (A screen grab from video statement he made following the attack)

Clashes erupted this dawn at the Libyan oil crescent between a coalition of forces led by former leader of the Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG) Ibrahim Jodran and the forces of the self-styled army of Khalifa Haftar, who are positioned in the region.

Libya’s Es Sider oil port was shut on Thursday due to the clashes nearby and at least one storage tank in the neighbouring Ras Lanuf terminal was set alight, an engineer in the area said. Loadings were suspended at Ras Lanuf, according to a local shipping agent.

Jodran, who appeared today out of the blue, says his coalition forces aim to lift the suffering of the Libyans from “terrorist entity as that of Haftar’s self-styled army.”

According to sources from the scene of fighting, airstrikes are being used by Haftar’s forces to thwart the full control of the PFG on the oil crescent region.

Haftar took control of Es Sider and Ras Lanuf along with other oil ports in Libya’s oil crescent in 2016, allowing them to reopen after a long blockade.

Storage tanks at both terminals were badly damaged in previous fighting and have yet to be repaired, though there has been regular loadings from Es Sider.

The views expressed in Op-Ed pieces are those of the author and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of Libyan Express.
How to submit an Op-Ed: Libyan Express accepts opinion articles on a wide range of topics. Submissions may be sent to oped@libyanexpress.com. Please include ‘Op-Ed’ in the subject line.
You might also like

Submit a Correction

For: Heavy clashes erupt at Libya oil crescent as control slips out of Haftar’s hand to Jodran’s

Your suggestion have been successfully submitted

There was an error while trying to send your request. Please try again.

Libyan Express will use the information you provide on this form to be in touch with you and to provide updates and marketing.