Troops Loyal to Army Chief Haftar Seize Key Oil Ports From GNA Forces in Libya

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ABDULLAH DOMA / AFP

Libyan troops loyal to Gen. Khalifa Haftar on Sunday seized key oil ports from the UN-backed government of national accord (GNA), a local media outlet reported.

The eastern Libyan army is an ally of the parliament that is in charge in the country’s east and has not received the support of the international community.

“Our armed forces entered Ajdabiya, As Sidr, its industrial and residential areas, the Ras Lanuf port is also under their control. Fighting continues for the port of Az-Zuwaytinah,” Haftar’s spokesman Ahmad Mesmari was quoted by LANA news agency as saying.

Libya has been in a state of turmoil since 2011, when long-standing leader Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown after several months of civil war. The country was later contested by two rival governments — the internationally-recognized Council of Deputies and the Tripoli-based General National Congress.

On March 31, the long-anticipated UN-backed Government of National Accord in Libya started to perform its duties, but the government has so far failed to unite the country and remains unrecognized by eastern Libya.

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