Libyan army controls ISIS areas in Sabratha

Clashes renewed on Monday in the western city of Sabratha in Libya, killing a security officer and injuring several others, according to a security source. "The anti-IS operation chamber responded to the Libya Red Crescent's request for cease-fire for three hours, starting from 10 pm, in order to evacuate families trapped in areas of clashes," the source told Xinhua.

"The evacuation stopped after two hours due to renewed clashes between members of the anti-IS operation chamber and members of the military council of the city, which killed a security officer of the chamber and injured several others," the source added. Sabratha's Red Crescent Society on Sunday announced plans on social media to evacuate families trapped the areas of clashes.

The city of Sabratha, located some 70 km west of the capital Tripoli, has been witnessing violent clashes between rival security groups since Sunday dawn. Security and medical sources said that five people were killed and eight others were injured on Sunday. The main road linking Sabratha and Tripoli has been blocked, which forced people to take alternate routes. No official government statement has yet been issued regarding the clashes.

The clashes broke out after a member of the city's military council was killed by the rival anti-IS operation chamber. Sabratha's anti-IS operation chamber was formed in 2016, and is allied with the Tripoli-based UN-backed government of national accord. The military council opposes the chamber and accuses its members of being loyal to the rival eastern-based General Haftar's army.

Libya remains politically divided despite signing a UN-sponsored peace deal and appointment of a unity government. Since the 2011 uprising that toppled former leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime, the north African country is plagued with escalating violence and unrest.

For the third day in a row, the Ras Jedir border crossing between Libya and Tunis has remained closed to traffic. According to the border post’s Facebook page, the only exceptions are ambulances and travellers returning home.

The crossing was shut by the Libyan side after protestors in the nearby Tunisian town of Ben Guerdane stopped Libyan-registered vehicles moving in either direction – into Tunisia or back to Libya. They did so, allegedly, because of the Libyan customs officials clamping down in goods being smuggled into Tunisia.

Much of the economy of Ben Guerdane is currenly dependent on the highly profitable smuggling business. In a statement on their Facebook page, staff from the Libyan side of the border said they were tired of the constant abuse they received from those using the crossing. The closure is said to have left hundreds of mainly Libyan travellers stranded in the area.

On the political side, Austria might not top the list of countries with an interest in Libya but today its president had talks with Presidency Council head Faiez Serraj on the edge of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.

Alexander van der Bellen was following up on a Tripoli visit this May  by his country’s foreign minister Sebastian Kurz. It would seem certain that both Austrian politicians talked about their country’s oil company OMV. In February, OMV chairman CEO Rainer Seele was also in Tripoli where he told National Oil Corporation (NOC) chairman Mustafa Sanalla that OMV wanted to expand its Libyan operations.

This year OMV bought out Occidental Petroleum’s seven-percent stake in the Nafoura oil field near Jalu in eastern Libya. Occidental and OMV developed the field in partnership with the NOC’s Arabian Gulf Oil Company as the majority stakeholder. The Nafoura, with estimated reserves of 7.5 million barrels, restarted production after the reopening of Zueitina oil export terminal in September. Before the terminal’s November 2015 closure the field had been producing 20,000 bpd.

Austria’s other significant Libyan investment was by Asamer Cement which in 2008 bought a controlling stake in  the Libyan Cement Company for LD200 million. However in 2012, when Asamer faced financial difficulties it sold out  to the Benghazi-based Libya Holdings Group. An Austrian report of the meeting said that Serraj and van der Bellen also discussed illegal migration and terrorism and the development of economic and social ties.