Berbers block gas pipeline to Italy – the crisis in Libya grows acute

Two years after the fall of dictator Muammar al Gaddafi, the government crisis in Libya is growing acute, as reported by the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) in Göttingen on Tuesday. Following serious clashes between rivaling militia groups in the capital city on Friday night, the Berbers had blocked a gas pipeline to Italy on Monday. "If the gas and oil exports are interrupted for a longer period, this is a serious threat for the Libyan interim government," said the STP's Africa-consultant, Ulrich Delius. Libya's leadership is dependent on the cash-flow from the energy exports to avoid bankruptcy.

The Berbers are trying to increase the pressure on the government and the politicians since the Parliament (General National Congress) could not agree on more rights for the non-Arab minorities in public life last Sunday. The Berbers, Tuareg and Toubou had demanded their languages to be officially recognized – in addition to Arabic – and had demanded more minority representatives in the Constituent Assembly. The Berbers – who call themselves Masir – are the largest of the non-Arab ethnic groups. They make up about ten percent of the country's population.

At the end of October 2013, the oil-loading port of Mellitah was occupied by Masir activists. About twelve percent of Italy's oil imports are transported through the now blocked Greenstream-pipeline between Mellitah and Sicily. The natural gas is mainly from the Wafa oil-field located 500 km to the south-west of Tripoli.

In eastern Libya, which is striving for autonomy too, the pressure on the Libyan government is remarkable: Last weekend, the autonomists founded an independent oil company.

On Thursday, Italy's Foreign Minister Emma Bonino warned about an outbreak of anarchy in Libya and stated that the situation has deteriorated significantly and is getting out of hand. "It's amazing how little the EU's foreign Ministers have cared about the dramatic situation in Libya so far," said Delius. "The EU should be interested in keeping Libya from becoming ungovernable."