Fighting in Libya: Haftar is using Oil as a pressure medium

In the battle for Tripoli, the Libyan National army is not progressing for weeks. Now their leader, Haftar is trying to deprive the government of the economic basis: the revenue from the sale of oil.

By Michael Lohse, ARD-Studio, Cairo

"For you, Tripoli, here we come!" - The self-appointed field Marshal Khalifa Haftar had launched its military adventure would be different, as he of his so-called Libyan national army (LNA) a month ago, the March on Tripoli ordered.

Still puts the Offensive in the South of the capital. And, although Haftar had in the past few weeks, more and more troops and artillery to the Front. But the militias, which have allied with the internationally recognised government against him, so far, the position.

militias fighting alongside the army against the troops Haftars.

in this way, Haftar moved the conflict is increasingly based on economic area and plays his biggest trump card: Oil. Since 2016, and his troops have brought almost all the major oil Fields of Libya under their control. So far, all of the exports through the state-owned Oil company NOC, which will transfer their profits to the Libyan Central Bank. But now Haftar increases the pressure on the company, based in Tripoli.

The Prime Minister of Haftars against the government in Tobruk, Abdullah al-Thani, a defendant recently, 70 percent of which came from the Eastern fields controlled by the LNA, however, "to date, we have received not a Cent of the revenue". This is a complete and to the Libyan Central Bank "and give the money to the militias and armed groups".