Libya: Why Oil Ports Matter in Peace Talks

The efforts of France and the United Nations to bring Libya's squabbling factions together remain stalled, and the divides that split the country appear to be deepening. The announcement June 25 by the Libyan National Army (LNA), which controls the eastern half of the country, that it would hand control of two key oil ports to the National Oil Corporation (NOC) based in Bayda marks a notable shift, especially given that company's authority to export oil is not recognized internationally. Until now, LNA Field Marshal Khalifa Hifter, in an effort to burnish his nationalist credentials, had allowed the Tripoli-based branch of the NOC to sell oil shipped through the eastern export terminals his forces control on international markets....