Having acquired the Tartus and Latakia bases in Syria, Russia is now further reinforcing its posture in the Mediterranean by settling into the strategic town of Sirte on the coast of Libya, according to the first three articles. As the fourth article points out, the area stretching from Sirte to the city of al-Jufra farther inland (referred to as the “Sirte-Jufra line”) is considered critical to swaying the conflict, due to the access it provides to Libya’s oil pipelines and hydrocarbon reserves.
Discussed in the first article from Anadolu Ajansi, Turkey’s state-run news agency, a Russian cargo plane brought Syrian fighters to Sirte in early October, in what is only the latest round of Russia deploying Syrian fighters to the area. As the second article from The Libyan Observer reports, in June “11 Russian cargo planes landed at the Qardabiya Base, south of Sirte, carrying mercenaries from Syria, weapons and ammunition on board.” The passage also reports that at that time, Russia deployed six anti-aircraft Pantsir air defense systems in Sirte. The third article from Perspektif Online, a popular Turkish news source, reports that Russia has deployed Mig-29 hunters and Su-24 attack planes to the Jufra base, claiming that this “points to a potential for conflict not seen in Libya in the post-2011 period.”
What makes Sirte so critical? As the final article from Al Monitor, news website with reporters from various Middle Eastern countries, notes, Sirte sits right in the middle of Libya’s coastline and is the “western gateway of the country’s oil crescent region.” It is also the route to control if Russia wants to dominate the ports of Sidra, Ras Lanuf, Marsa al-Brega and Zuwetina, “where 11 oil pipelines and three gas conduits reach the Mediterranean coast” (see map). The article notes that capturing Sirte enables the seizure of a 217 mile coastal stretch, all the way to Benghazi. This stretch is full of pipelines, refineries, terminals and storage facilities. This “oil crescent” region is also home to 60% of Libya’s hydrocarbon reserves, which is significant, given that 96% of the country’s public revenue came from hydrocarbons before the war. The author writes, “controlling the ‘oil crescent’ in a way that ensures the flow of oil could have a multiplier effect in swaying the conflict and Sirte is seen as the key to seizing the region.”
The third article provides a background of the developments that have led to the current situation in the Sirte-Jufra line. In June 2015, ISIS had taken control of Sirte, after which the Turkey-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) took control of the town in December 2016. In January 2020, forces of the Libya National Army (LNA) too control of the city. Ever since then, the city has been considered a “red line” in the conflict, due to its strategic position. GNA forces were eyeing this strategic area after their victories in the capital of Tripoli. However, in August, Egypt declared that it would use military force to prevent the GNA’s forces from advancing beyond the Sirte-Jufra line. To this end, the Egyptian parliament approved a motion allowing sending troops to Libya. As the passage explains, Egypt, the UAE, Russia and France have been supporting the Libyan National Army (LNA) forces under Halifa Hafter, who have been trying to seize the capital of Tripoli for over a year. Following their failures in the Tripoli front, they withdrew to the Sirte-Jufra line, and for the past two months, this area has witnessed significant military transfers by Russia, who appears to be settling here. (Also see: “Russia’s Increasing Military Presence in Libya,” OE Watch, December 2019 and “Libya Conflict: Oil as the Latest Weapon,” OE Watch, March 2020).
Sitting right in the middle of Libya’s coastline, Sirte is the western gateway of the country’s “oil crescent” region and the
route that one has to control to dominate the ports of Sidra, Ras Lanuf, Marsa al-Brega and Zuwetina, where 11 oil pipelines and
three gas conduits reach the Mediterranean coast.
Source: “Libya: Russian plane brings Syrian fighters to Sirte,” Anadolu Ajansi, 3 October 2020. https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/libya-russianplane-brings-syrian-fighters-to-sirte/1994770
A Russian cargo plane carrying Syrian fighters landed in Libya’s Sirte province, controlled by warlord Khalifa Haftar, the Libyan army said on Saturday [October 3rd]. The aircraft arrived at 11.00 a.m. local time (0900GMT) at the Ghardabiya Airbase, according to officials from the Sirte and Jufra operation department of the Libyan army.
Source: “Drah confirms arrival of six Russian air defense systems in Sirte,” The Libya Observer, 27 June 2020. https://www.libyaobserver.ly/inbrief/drah-confirms-arrival-six-russian-air-defense-systems-sirte
The Spokesman for the Sirte-Jufra Military Operations Room, Brigadier-General Abdel-Hadi Drah, confirmed the arrival of six anti-aircraft Pantsir air defense systems to the city of Sirte, arriving from Russia.
Drah added in a press statement that more than 11 Russian cargo planes landed at the Qardabiya Base, south of Sirte days ago, carrying mercenaries from Syria, weapons and ammunition on board.
Source: “Libya’da Sirada Ne Var? (What’s Next in Libya?),” Perspektif Online, 7 August 2020. https://www.perspektif.online/libyada-siradane-var/
…The fact that Russia has deployed Mig-29 hunters and Su-24 attack planes to the Jufra base, points to a potential for conflict not seen in Libya in the post-2011 period.
Following Egypt’s declaration that it would use military force to prevent the Turkey-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) forces from advancing beyond the Sirte-Jufra line, and the Egyptian Parliament’s approval to allow sending troops to Libya, the regional and international competition in Libya became apparent once more.
Egypt, the UAE, Russia and France have been supporting the Libyan National Army forces under Halife Hafter, who have been trying to seize the capital of Tripoli for over a year. Following their failures in the Tripoli front, they withdrew to the Sirte-Jufra line, and for the past two months, this area has witnessed significant military transfers.
Source: Fehim Tastekin, “Why is Sirte everyone’s ‘red line’ in Libya?” Al Monitor, 20 June 2020. https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2020/06/turkey-libya-russia-egypt-why-sirte-everyones-red-line.html#ixzz6QyHyW93G
Sitting right in the middle of Libya’s coastline, Sirte is the western gateway of the country’s “oil crescent” region and the route that one has to control to dominate the ports of Sidra, Ras Lanuf, Marsa al-Brega and Zuwetina, where 11 oil pipelines and three gas conduits reach the Mediterranean coast. By capturing Sirte, one could easily seize a 350-kilometer (217-mile) coastal stretch all the way to Benghazi, abounding in pipelines, refineries, terminals and storage facilities. Hifter’s seizure of the “oil crescent” — home to 60% of Libya’s hydrocarbon riches — had given him the leverage to undermine the Tripoli and Misrata forces.
In prewar Libya, 96% of public revenues came from hydrocarbons. The country’s reserves amount to 48.3 billion barrels of oil and 1.5 trillion cubic meters of gas. Its oil output, however, has plunged to 90,000 barrels per day from the 1.6 million barrels of yesteryear.
In sum, controlling the “oil crescent” in a way that ensures the flow of oil could have a multiplier effect in swaying the conflict and Sirte is seen as the key to seizing the region.
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