The West Coast Military Zone, part of the western based Libyan Army (as opposed to the eastern based and Khalifa Hafter controlled Libyan Army) announced today that it has taken over the guarding of the Zawia Oil Refinery Company (Zawiya Refinery), and that it is now strengthening its presence by placing military positions in the area.
A coup by the Tripoli government?
The achievement, if it holds, is a great coup for the Tripoli government and could have profound consequences on Libya. Zawia Refinery used to be ‘‘guarded’’ by local militias outside the control of the Tripoli based Libyan government – less than an hour away in the east, along the main coastal road. The refinery was the main source of smuggled fuel estimated in the billions of dinars annually.
Smuggled fuel costing Libya dearly on multiple levels
The smuggled fuel was costing the Libyan government billions of dollars in imported replacement fuel. It was also losing the government and the Libyan people billions in lost potential spending and investments in various sectors. It was also preventing government from implementing the needed subsidy reforms – including reforming fuel subsidies.
The money made out of these illicit activities also has further consequences including drugs, human, and arms trade and on politics – that have security, stability and social consequences on the country and its people.
The takeover of the security of Zawia refinery has come as part of the security operation conducted by the West Coast Military Zone.
It will be recalled that the West Coast Military Zone, under the command of Lieutenant General Salah Al-Namroush, announced last Friday (3 January) the launch of a military operation to “impose security, establish stability and target suspicious hideouts” in the city of Zawia and West Coast areas.
The West Coast Military Zone had said the operation comes under the direct directives of Prime Minister Abdel Hamid Aldabaiba in his dual role as the Minister of Defence, and in response to the appeal of the people of the city of Zawia. Operations were launched on Saturday during which the forces entered Zawia and started targeting criminal dents.
In its roundup of its operations yesterday, the West Coast Military Zone announced that it had conducted several raids targeting sites that illegally smuggle and sell fuel and dens used by gangs as strongholds on the outskirts of the city of Zawia. It had also demolished a large number of sites that were used as safe havens for criminal gangs.
It had also reported that its forces had carried out precise air strikes, successfully targeting specific sites. The strikes achieved their desired objectives, with operations continuing to monitor and target the remaining targets, it added.
It also said its forces had deployed fixed positions on the main and secondary roads inside the city of Zawia, and it was organising mobile patrols around the clock to ensure security control.
Its forces continue to monitor and follow up on the targets observed in the city of Zawia and the cities located within the scope of the Western Coast Military Zone, it added.
