Libya political party maintains neutrality in oil fight

By Waleed Abdullah

TRIPOLI (AA) - Libya’s Muslim Brotherhood-linked Justice and Construction Party (JCP) on Tuesday said it did not support either of the two antagonists -- military commanders Khalifa Haftar and Ibrahim Jadhran -- who are currently fighting over the country’s strategic “oil crescent”.

In a statement published on the party’s official Facebook page, JCP leader Mohamed Sawan called on Libya’s Tripoli-based unity government to contain the conflict over the oil-rich region, even if this meant requesting foreign intervention.

“We must put the nation’s interests first,” Sawan said. “Our stance does not require clarification; we will not be put in a situation in which we must choose between them [i.e., Haftar or Jadhran].”

“The only solution to this difficult impasse is a viable political agreement,” he added.

Sawan also voiced concern over reports that both sides were relying on foreign mercenaries from neighboring Chad and Sudan, going on to warn that the conflict “could go from being a regional one to an international one”.

Last Thursday, forces led by Jadhran -- who served as a rebel commander during Libya’s 2011 NATO-backed uprising -- reportedly captured the oil-rich towns of Sidra and Ras Lanuf.

At the same time, forces led by Haftar -- who was appointed military commander in 2015 by Libya’s Tobruk-based parliament -- were deployed to the cities of Al-Brega and Ajdabiya.

Libya’s oil crescent region stretches from Ras Lanuf in the country’s east to the north-central city of Sirte and down to the southern Jufra district.

The region accounts for an estimated 80 percent of Libya’s total oil production and has remained a point of contention among rival political factions.