By Ashraf Abdul-Wahab and Houda Mzioudet.
Tripoli, 14 March 2014:
There have been mixed messages coming out of Ajdabiya . . .[restrict]about support for the blockade of the eastern oil terminals by Ibrahim Jadhran. He lives in the town and support there has, until last week, appeared solid.
Local demonstrators this afternoon denounced the closure of terminals and this week’s illicit loading of oil onto a North Korean-flagged tanker at Sidra. Waving banners declaring Ajdabiya would not allow itself to controlled by a particular group intent on power, the protestors declared their support for Libyan unity. Their numbers included elders from various Cyrenaica tribes.
A similar view was expressed by the leader of Ajdabiya Local Council on Wednesday. Speaking on the programme ‘Religion and Life’ on the Libya Rasmiya TV channel, Salem Subhi said that loading the oil was theft and that everyone in the entire Gulf of Sidra area, including Jadhran’s own Magharba tribe, supported the Libyan state and wanted nothing to do with his Cyrenaica political office.
However, on Tuesday, various Ajdabiya elders, in a video posted on Facebook, stated their support for the “sovereignty” of Cyrenaica and its right to control what they said were its oilfields. One of the elders stressed the group’s support for the Cyrenaica political office in its decision to sell oil, saying that Cyrenaica was in dire financial need and had to find solutions to its insecurity.
The elder also referred to what he said were dangerous events in Cyrenaica, in particular an “attack” by Misratan troops on what he claimed to be a Cyrenaican defence force stationed in Sirte. (Jadhran’s Petroleum Facilities Guards had taken over Sirte airbase last week but were forced out on Tuesday by Libya Shield Central Brigade from Misrata.)
The spokesman for the elders issued a warning against anyone taking a stand against Cyrenaica, saying that the elders would not be responsible for the consequences of Cyrenaicans defending themselves.
Meanwhile, a statement today purporting to come from the Magharba tribe called for plans ordered by the Chief of Staff to advance on the oil terminals to be cancelled. According to the head of Sirte Local Council’s information office, Mohamed Al-Amil, the tribe had called on the Libyan Council of Elders to intervene to prevent forces coming from the west of the country to lift the siege of the oil terminals .
He added that the Magharba tribe were demanding the withdrawal of military forces coming from the west of Libya but that they were also committed to removing those from Cyrenaica to beyond Wadi Ahmar (the historic dividing point between Cyrenaica and Tripolitania).
According to Al-Amil, a delegation from the Libyan Council of Elders was in Tripoli this morning to meet with the President of the National Congress General, Nuri Abu Sahmain, and acting Prime Minister Abdullah Al-Thinni to press them into suspending the two-week deadline to hand over the oil terminals given to Jadhran on Wednesday.
If Abu Sahmain and Thinni agreed, Al-Amil said, the Magharba had promised they would ensure the oil terminals were reopened and national reconciliation was implemented. [/restrict]
