Overview

The big regional story this week was the announcement from Chadian forces that on 2nd March they had conducted an operation in Northern Mali to destroy a terrorist camp and in the process had killed the mastermind of the Algerian Al Amenas refinery attack, Mokhtar Belmokhtar, along with several others. This is a significant blow to the extremist Al-Qaeda affiliated movement in the Islamic Maghreb if confirmed as correct.

In Libya itself there have been a number of flare-ups of inter-tribal and militias in-fighting over the week. The most concerning led to Eni suspending gas exports to Italy from its Mellitah complex for two days. Exports have since been resumed on 4th March.

Religiously motivated tensions and violence continues in Benghazi with the attack on a Coptic Christian church on 28th February and the arrest and subsequent deporting of some 50-100 Egyptian Coptics. The four individuals – an Egyptian, a South African, a Korean and a Swede travelling on a U.S. passport – previously arrested and charged with proselytising continue to be held. This is all part of a seemingly orchestrated campaign to drive out the remaining small pockets of Christians who have always lived in Benghazi.

Finally, this week also saw a visit of Scottish Police detectives and prosecutors to investigate the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie. Mohmet al-Megrahi, the only individual convicted of the bombing died of cancer in May last year.

Tripolitania and Tripoli

The trouble at the Eni and the Libya National Oil Corporation operated Mellitah complex started on 2nd March with an exchange of fire between former fighters from Zuwara and Zintan over who should be guarding the critical gas complex. The Army has moved to secure the complex and exports have now resumed. This incident is the latest in a number of disruptions to Libya’s vital energy industry.

The Mashashia and Qantrar tribes clashed again in Mizdah. Mizdah is some 150km south of Tripoli. Clashes began on Friday following the death of a man. The clashes involving heavy weapons have killed and wounded a number of people. The Army has sent units to try and mediate between the two tribes. Mizdah has been a hotbed of inter- tribal fighting even before the fall of Gadaffi.

Following on from previous reporting regarding wounded Thuwars forcing their way into the General National Congress (GNC), a group of families of Martyrs have forced their way into the Prime Minister’s building on 3rd March. They like the wounded Thuwars are pressing their demands for compensation. The tensions with Thuwars who have occupied the main Congress Hall of the GNC continue with reports of an attempt to eject them on 3rd March resulting in unconfirmed reports of the death of one of the Thuwars and two soldiers being wounded in the exchanges.

Separately security forces also on 3rd March foiled an attempt to liberate a prisoner from a hospital in Tripoli. This is only eight days after gunmen stormed another hospital in the northern city and set free a man under arrest for allegedly being involved in the shooting at Youth and Sports Minister convoy. This incident underlines the continuing lawlessness even in Tripoli. Gulf of Sidra,

Cyrenaica and Benghazi

The warnings of an imminent threat against westerners in Benghazi remain in place with embassies continuing to warn their citizens to stay away from the city. This warning is likely to remain in place until the authorities can re-establish control over the city and disarm the various armed groups and militias operating there. Salafist extremists linked to the attack on the US Consulate and to the Al Amenas refinery attack remain the greatest threat to western interests and citizens. There were also tribal clashes in the Al-Kufra Province in the far SE of Libya on the border with Egypt involving the Zwai and Tibu tribes.