Libya's east ups the ante
Haftar's recapture of the oil crescent and the GNA's disintegration have prompted renewed efforts by Tobruk to sell its own oil
The guns had not yet fallen silent on an 11-day battle for Libya's key oil ports in mid-March when a new front opened in the country's civil war, with eastern Libya declaring separate control of its oil assets. The fighting began on 3 March when the Benghazi Defence Brigades (BDB), Islamist militias originally from that city, seized Es-Sider, Libya's largest export terminal, and Ras Lanuf, its third largest. The BDB is aligned with Libya Dawn, an Islamist and Misratan militia coalition, which is at war with a rival coalition, Operation Dignity. Dignity contains most of the rest of Libya's tribes along with the Libyan National Army (LNA), led by eastern general Khalifa Haftar, the country's m
Also in this section
4 December 2025
Time is running out for Lukoil and Rosneft to divest international assets that will be mostly rendered useless to them when the US sanctions deadline arrives in mid-December
3 December 2025
Aramco’s pursuit of $30b in US gas partnerships marks a strategic pivot. The US gains capital and certainty; Saudi Arabia gains access, flexibility and a new export future
2 December 2025
The interplay between OPEC+, China and the US will define oil markets throughout 2026
1 December 2025
The North African producer’s first bidding round in almost two decades is an important milestone but the recent extension suggests a degree of trepidation
