Forces loyal to Libyan National Army Commander Khalifa Haftar said they would only allow the reopening of oil fields and terminals once a mechanism has been set up to fairly distribute revenue across the country, which is split between rival, warring factions.
Powerful tribes in eastern Libya loyal to Haftar closed export terminals and choked off major pipelines at the start of the year in a bid to pressure their rivals in the UN-supported government in the capital, Tripoli.
In a statement late on Saturday, Ahmed al-Mosmari, a spokesman for Haftar’s forces, called for oil revenues to flow into a bank account in a foreign country with a “clear mechanism” to distribute funds fairly among Libya’s regions.
Photo: AFP
He also demanded international guarantees that oil revenues would not to be used to fund “terrorists and mercenaries.”
He was apparently referring to the mercenaries, mostly Syrians, that Turkey brought in recent months to fight on the side of the Tripoli government, which is backed by an array of local militias as well as Qatar and Italy.
Haftar’s forces are also backed by a patchwork of armed groups as well as foreign patrons, including the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Russia and France.
Al-Mosmari also called for an audit to the Central Bank of Libya to review the spending in the past years.
Last month, the tribes offered to end the closure as part of a political settlement.
They mandated Haftar’s forces to negotiate the opening of the oil facilities.
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