- Title: LIBYA: Libyan militia leader Ibrahim Al-Jathran in battle for oil share
- Date: 28th October 2013
- Summary: BREGA LIBYA, (RECENT) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF SIRTE OIL COMPANY'S SITE LIBYAN MILITIA LEADER IBRAHIM AL-JATHRAN SITTING AT DESK AL-JATHRAN'S HANDS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) LIBYAN MILITIA LEADER, IBRAHIM AL-JATHRAN, SAYING: "Why we stopped the oil? Because first of all it's exporting without units of measurement, second, the oil money goes out and comes back to suppress and terrify the Libyan citizen -- the militias who are committing the assassinations in Benghazi and Darna and others, who is supporting them? The Muslim Brotherhood group, and the Brotherhood's support comes from oil -- we are cutting the sources which they are using to strengthen the militia which will turn Libya's condition into one like Somalia's and Iraq's, etc.." MAINTENANCE WORKERS AT THE SITE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) LIBYAN MILITIA LEADER, IBRAHIM AL-JATHRAN, SAYING: "Because we are the first affected by the situation in Libya and from the centralisation that existed in Tripoli, and not just because it's in Tripoli; but because of the Muslim Brotherhood's control of Tripoli using the militias they have -- at the moment the decision comes from Tripoli -- we have demanded an independent Barqa, administratively and financially. And the same demand has come from Fazzan. We have also demanded the activation of article 51 of the constitution which allows Barqa and Fazzan to take what is rightfully theirs from oil exports - this is an international law, recognised internationally." OIL REFINERY (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) LIBYAN MILITIA LEADER, IBRAHIM AL-JATHRAN, SAYING: "During this week there will be an announcement of the formation of government and an announcement of tackling the crisis, then after a week or ten days the direct export will start which normally takes two weeks to 20 days, and during this time measurement units will be provided." VARIOUS NIGHT SHOTS OF OIL REFINERY
- Embargoed: 12th November 2013 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Libya
- Country: Libya
- Topics: Politics,Energy
- Reuters ID: LVAA7XLU1W9IK2J2CX3U8W5OG7JL
- Story Text: For Libyan militia leader Ibrahim al-Jathran, shutting down half the country's oil production with an armed militia is not a crime, it is the start of a just battle for a fair share of the country's petroleum wealth.
From his base near the Mediterranean oil terminal of Brega, the 33-year-old war hero from the uprising against Muammar Gaddafi has taken control of the main oil ports to demand more autonomy and oil for his eastern region from faraway Tripoli.
He commands several thousand fighters from his white single-storey building, the former headquarters of Libya's petroleum protection force, which he seized with his men when he defected from the unit in July.
His air-conditioned office is crammed with aides and his men patrol the large compound.
"Why we stopped the oil? Because first of all it's exporting without units of measurement, second, the oil money goes out and comes back to suppress and terrify the Libyan citizen -- the militias who are committing the assassinations in Benghazi and Darna and others, who is supporting them? The Muslim Brotherhood group, and the Brotherhood's support comes from oil -- we are cutting the sources which they are using to strengthen the militia which will turn Libya's condition into one like Somalia's and Iraq's, etc.." he explained.
The rise of Jathran as a self-styled regional leader reflects the anarchy of postwar Libya, where Prime Minister Ali Zeidan is struggling to control a country bristling with armed tribes, militias and radical Islamists.
But the standoff over the oil ports shows the limited power the central government has to curb former fighters who chased out Gaddafi and now believe they deserve to be the beneficiaries of the uprising two years ago.
"We are the first affected by the situation in Libya and from the centralisation that existed in Tripoli, and not just because it's in Tripoli; but because of the Muslim Brotherhood's control of Tripoli using the militias they have -- at the moment the decision comes from Tripoli -- we have demanded an independent Barqa, administratively and financially. And the same demand has come from Fazzan. We have also demanded the activation of article 51 of the constitution which allows Barqa and Fazzan to take what is rightfully theirs from oil exports - this is an international law, recognised internationally" Jathran explained.
After blocking oil sales worth at least $5 billion, Jathran is threatening to escalate his confrontation with the government by trying to sell crude directly to the market, bypassing what he calls the corrupt oil ministry.
Like many in the underdeveloped east, he wants to split the country into three self-governing parts along tribal lines going back to the time before independence in 1951. Libya was then divided into the eastern Cyrenaica region, a western part with Tripoli as its capital, and Fezzan in the south.
"During this week there will be an announcement of the formation of government and an announcement of tackling the crisis, then after a week or ten days the direct export will start which normally takes two weeks to 20 days, and during this time measurement units will be provided" he said.
To make this plan work, Jathran needs oil. Some 60 percent of Libya's crude reserves are in the east but Jathran says the revenues go only to Tripoli.
Most experts believe it will be difficult for Jathran and his rebels to find buyers for oil that belongs to the government, which says it will bomb any tankers trying to dock at the seized ports.
The standoff is not only disrupting world oil supplies. It risks further destabilising the vast desert nation, which Western powers fear is already becoming a haven for Islamist militants roaming across the region's porous borders.
The challenges facing Libya were apparent earlier this month when gunmen from another militia briefly abducted Zeidan from his hotel room in Tripoli, only to release the prime minister unharmed hours later. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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