Turkey sets out to conquer Libya's oil

Libya is a country characterized by tribalism and its oil fields. Control over resources has turned the conflict that plagues the region into an open war over who gets control of the much prized black gold. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan admitted on Monday during a television interview that he is trying to take control of the oil city of Sirte. "The military operations in this Libyan city are important and sensitive because of the presence of oil and gas wells".

Ankara has played a fundamental role in the conflict that the North African nation is suffering as a result of the agreement signed last November between Turkey and the National Accord Government (NAG), based in Tripoli and led by Fayez Sarraj. Within the framework of this security and economic cooperation agreement, the country presided over by Erdogan has intensified its presence in Libya, sending hundreds of mercenaries and dozens of shipments of military material and in order to increase its presence in the Eastern Mediterranean and have direct access to the country's oil fields. This agreement has further poisoned the waters of the Mediterranean, after some countries in the region such as Greece, Cyprus and Egypt have denounced Turkey's "illegal activities" in this area.

Libya is the victim of a war of legitimisation that confronts the Libyan National Army (LNA), led by General Khalifa Haftar, who since April 2019 has been trying to extend his power in the regions that are still in the hands of the National Accord Government (NAG). Haftar is supported by Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Sudan, Russia and France; while the Tripoli government, backed by the Muslim Brotherhood and internationally recognized by the United Nations or Italy, receives military aid from Turkey and Qatar. The Turkish leader has announced that the NAG is trying to control the Libyan cities of Sirte and Jufra, two days after militias backed by mercenaries recruited by his country reconquered the strategic location of Al Wishka and reached the centre of the coastal city of Sirte, in central Libya.

In response to the progress made by the LNA over the past year, the Tripoli Government led by Fayez Sarraj launched Operation Storm of Peace, in order to counter the attacks that were destroying the country's capital. Erdogan believes that the successes on the part of the Sarraj Government have set off alarm bells in Russia, which last week initiated a strategy of rapprochement with the LNA, in anticipation of this front winning the battle over Tripoli, as it did. 

As far as the Eastern Mediterranean is concerned, Erdogan has highlighted the agreement he has with the GNA, a resolution whereby Ankara has boats to explore in the troubled waters of the Mediterranean. For his part, LNA spokesman Ahmed al-Mismari confirmed on Monday that Turkish-backed militias committed war crimes against civilians, alleging that Ankara is using its NATO membership to violate the sovereignty of the North African nation, according to statements collected by the Al Arabiya newspaper. 

The United Nations Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said on Sunday that "the tragedy that has plagued the North African state for more than a year has shown beyond doubt that any war between the Libyans is a lost war. The UN warned that "there will be no winner, only great losses for the nation and its people". 

In an official statement, UNSMIL recalled that "a political solution to the prolonged crisis in Libya is still within reach. "For the talks to resume in earnest, the guns must be silenced.  In view of this, UNMSIL welcomes the calls by international and regional actors in recent days for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Libya"; they have noted. 

In addition, the UN mission in Libya has called on the authorities of the NAG to carry out an investigation following the latest events in the country. "We have also received numerous reports of looting and destruction of public and private property in Tarhuna and Alasabaa which, in some cases, appear to be acts of retribution and revenge that risk further fraying the social fabric of Libya," they lamented. These lootings are attributed, in part, to the militias sent by Turkey to support the NAG. Ankara has deployed more than 11,600 Syrian mercenaries in the North African nation to swell the ranks of the NAG, according to the Syrian Human Rights Observatory. The number of casualties among the groups supported by Turkey now stands at 351, including 20 children under 18.

In this context, the foreign ministers of Russia and Turkey, Sergey Lavrov, and Turkey, Mevlüt Çavusoglu, agreed on Monday in a telephone conversation to contribute to the peace process between the conflicting parties in Libya. At the same time, UNSMIL welcomed the opening of the Sharara and El Feel oil fields this weekend. "The oil blockade has unnecessarily cost the Libyan people more than $5 billion due to lost sales, as well as millions of dollars in indirect losses caused by the closure of national refineries and damage to the oil infrastructure that remains inactive," they said. 

"Oil and other natural resources should not be instrumentalized in any way, shape or form as part of the conflict," they have urged before asking the warring parties to avoid damaging the oil infrastructure so that National Petroleum Corporation (NOC) personnel can do their job.