Security Events
Above: Interactive map of security incidents in Bengahzi, 12-18 September. To explore, zoom and pan to specific locations. Click on each incident for details and sources.
It was another violent week in Benghazi with two assassinations and two attempted assassinations. On 16 September, a member of the Ministry of Defense was killed and another injured when unknown gunmen opened fire on their vehicle in the al-Qawarisha section of Benghazi (LANA). That same day, there were two attempted assassinations. A Benghazi lawyer was targeted with a magnetic IED on his vehicle which detonated when he was not in the vehicle, and the second bombing occurred near the Jara Roundabout in the al-Salmani al-Sharqi district. No one was hurt in either attack (LH). On 17 September an officer from the Benghazi CID was killed when an IED blew apart his vehicle in the al-Salmani al-Sharqi district.
Above: Interactive map of security incidents in Libya, 12-18 September. To explore, zoom and pan to specific locations. Click on each incident for details and sources.
In other security news across Libya, a battle broke out on 14 September in Sebha between a local Libya Shield unit and members of the Baha-Uddin battalion over control of Sebha's historic fort and airport, leaving 2 dead and 2 wounded (LH). On 15 September, a Tunisian Army unit reported an engagement in the border district of Ben Gardane with an armed group in 3 4x4 vehicles. No one was injured in the engagement and the armed group fled across the Libyan border (Libya.tv). Local security forces discovered an arms cache in a remote area about 100 kms east of Benghazi (Qurayna) and a clash in Ghadames between members of the Zintan and Jaramana tribes left 3 dead (germa-news).
al-Fil and al-Sharara Fields Back on Line
The oil ministry announced 16 September that production resumed at the shuttered al-Fil and al-Sharara fields in western Libya after a deal was reached with Zintan militias, amongst others, who were blockading the pipelines from the fields (LH). The allowed production to rise immediately to 234,000 bpd, and NOC officials speculated that production figures could reach 700,000 bpd by the end of the week (LH). This good news came in time for the Libya Oil and Gas Conference held in Tripoli this week. Foreign investors were bullish about Libya's prospects to reach 2 million bpd in production, but steep increases like this will require heavy investment in facilities and in unconventional oil and gas fields (LH). In the east, oil export facilities at as-Sidr, Ras Lanuf and Tobruk remained closed and federalist activists in Benghazi denied that any accommodation had been reached with Tripoli to end the impasse (LH). While NOC officials said that IOCs remained committed with Libya through the current crisis (Bloomberg), there are indications that continuing strikes and insecurity are leading some to rethink investments in Libya. ExxonMobil announced on Tuesday that it would reduce its personnel and operations in Libya, and several other companies have delayed or pulled out of projects over the last year due to insecurity (Reuters).In other oil and gas news, while Libya still has significant foreign currency reserves that can sustain the country financially, there are increasing indications that the continuing oil crisis is causing fiscal problems for Tripoli. Libya has lost over USD 7.5 billion in export revenues from the crisis, and continues to lose USD 130 million a day. If the strikes continue, officials say the government may have to look at dipping into foreign reserves to maintain spending (Reuters). U.N. Special Envoy to Libya Tarek Mitri warned that unless the crisis is resolved, Libya risked slipping back into chaos (UPI). NOC chairman Nurri Berruien announced that no new exploration-production sharing agreements until next year some time, preferably under a constitutional government (LH).
