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Frustrated With the Pace of Change, Rioters Storm Parliament Building in Libya

Dozens of armed rioters stormed into the Libyan Parliament in Tripoli on Sunday, setting fire to the grounds, looting furniture and wounding a prominent lawmaker in a spasm of anger at the clotted and chaotic transition after the ouster of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi . Less than two weeks after a vote to elect an assembly charged with writing a new constitution, the bedlam at Parliament dampened hopes of renewed momentum for the transition, or even of a break from the violence. Security guards outside the building encouraged the rioters, witnesses said, and looters running amok suspended the symbolic white chair of the parliamentary leader from a lamppost. Later, they set the chair on fire. In Benghazi, Libya, at least three people were killed by gunshots, according to news reports, adding to an accelerating pattern of assassinations of former Qaddafi security officers and foreigners. Together, the events appeared […]

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Nigeria: Fuel Scarcity May Worsen As Most Petrol Stations Run Out of Stock

The current fuel scarcity in the country may worsen this week as more filling stations ran out of supply at the weekend. THISDAY gathered from the managers of some petrol stations in Lagos that the few filling stations that had fuel, exhausted their stock at the weekend and would likely not have the product this week. However, the marketers disagreed with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) that they were hoarding the product and attributed the scarcity to the delay in the release of the first quarter import allocation. According to them, the tight supply would linger until the marketers begin to bring in the product, adding that the situation was worse in Lagos, because of its large population as the commercial nerve centre. Sources hinted that the situation was getting out of hand in some parts of the North, South-east and South-west, as the Department of Petroleum Resources […]

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Libyan colonel shot dead in Benghazi

A Libyan security official says gunmen have shot dead an officer in the air defense branch in the eastern city of Benghazi. The official says Colonel Wanis Massoud al-Barghathi was gunned down Friday night. He didn’t provide further details, and spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media. A wave of assassinations and bombings has targeted police and army officers in Benghazi, a stronghold of militias with roots in the rebel brigades that fought against slain dictator Moammar Gadhafi. Some of the groups are Islamic hard-liners with al-Qaida links. © 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use .

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New trouble sends Libya’s oil production nosediving again

Libya’s oil production has tumbled to about 230,000 barrels per day after armed groups shut down the el-Sharara oil field in the Murzuq desert in the southwest, adding to a crippling seven-month oil crisis centered in the rebellious east. The shutdown of el-Sharara, one of Libya’s biggest fields with a normal output of 340,000 bpd, was a serious setback to efforts by the problem-plagued transitional government to push national production back to the 1.4 million bpd it achieved last summer. But about 2 1/2 years after Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi was driven from power in a NATO-backed uprising, the North African producer remains mired in lawlessness and anarchy, with the government powerless to restore stability or control dozens of heavily armed militias and tribal groups. The current production level marked a significant decline from the 370,000 bpd the National Oil Corp. announced last […]

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New trouble sends Libya's oil production nosediving again

Libya’s oil production has tumbled to about 230,000 barrels per day after armed groups shut down the el-Sharara oil field in the Murzuq desert in the southwest, adding to a crippling seven-month oil crisis centered in the rebellious east. The shutdown of el-Sharara, one of Libya’s biggest fields with a normal output of 340,000 bpd, was a serious setback to efforts by the problem-plagued transitional government to push national production back to the 1.4 million bpd it achieved last summer. But about 2 1/2 years after Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi was driven from power in a NATO-backed uprising, the North African producer remains mired in lawlessness and anarchy, with the government powerless to restore stability or control dozens of heavily armed militias and tribal groups. The current production level marked a significant decline from the 370,000 bpd the National Oil Corp. announced last […]

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Egypt plans dam-busting diplomatic offensive against Ethiopia

CAIRO, Feb. 27 (UPI) — Egypt may be in the throes of political turmoil, but the government has begun a diplomatic offensive aimed at stopping Ethiopia from building a huge hydroelectric dam on the Nile River that Cairo says will be a disaster for the Arab world’s most populous nation. The military-backed administration began its effort to internationalize the thorny issue in hopes of gathering support for its case against Ethiopia, where the Blue Nile rises in the northwestern highlands, after bilateral negotiations deadlocked in January. "The campaign initiated by Egypt … aims to persuade the international community to reject the dam’s construction because it may lead to further conflict and instability in the region of the Nile Basin," an Egyptian diplomatic source in Cairo told the Middle East’s al-Monitor website Feb.19. "More negotiations with Ethiopia only waste time and directly threaten Egypt’s water security," said the source, who […]

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Nigeria: Shell Shuts Nembe Creek Trunkline Due to Oil Leak

Shell has shut a key oil pipeline in southern Nigeria to stop a leak caused by oil theft and sabotage, a spokesman said yesterday, without disclosing the volume of output loss. "We closed the Nembe Creek Trunkline on Sunday for the removal of crude theft points," spokesman Precious Okolobo told AFP. Shell has deployed engineers to repair the pipeline in the Niger Delta region, which feeds the Bonny exports terminal and would reopen "as soon as repair works are completed," he added. Oil majors do not usually give information on production losses. Local media in Nigeria estimated that about 95,000 barrels of crude per day might have been shut in as a result of the closure. Nigeria is Africa’s largest producer, accounting for more than two million barrels per day. Crude oil theft or "bunkering" is a major problem in Nigeria, with estimates that the country loses some $6 […]

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Civilians Flee as Violence Worsens in South Sudan

PMartha Akuoch survived two offensives in the South Sudanese civil war, but the third pitched battle in the city of Malakal was more than she could take. She packed up and crossed the border into Sudan with her six children. “The rebels would come into homes, kill men, boys, take mobile phones, money, and now they are even killing women,” said Ms. Akuoch, 43, a secondary-school teacher who left her husband behind in South Sudan. “Even inside the church,” she added. So, like most of her neighbors, she decided it was time to leave Malakal, the capital of the oil-rich Upper Nile State. About 14,000 people have crowded into this remote Sudanese outpost, just a small […]

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Egypt government resigns, paves way for Sisi to seek presidency

Egypt’s government has resigned, the prime minister said on Monday, a step likely to pave the way for army chief Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to declare his candidacy for president of a strategic U.S. ally gripped by political strife. "(The government) made every effort to get Egypt out of the narrow tunnel in terms of security, economic pressures and political confusion," Prime Minister Hazem el-Beblawi said in a live nationwide speech. Beblawi, who was tasked by interim President Adly Mansour with running the government’s affairs until the election, did not give a clear reason for the decision. For Sisi to run for president, he would first need to quit as defense minister. "This (government resignation) was done as a step that was needed ahead of Sisi’s announcement that he will run for president," an Egyptian official told Reuters. He said the cabinet resigned en masse […]

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Nigerian president promises new probe into alleged $20 bil in missing oil revenue

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has pledged that his government will launch a full-scale investigation into the alleged $20 billion in oil export revenue that is missing. Speaking Monday night on a media chat that was broadcast live on state media, Jonathan debunked claims by opposition parties that the suspension of central bank governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi earlier this month was linked to the latter’s revelation that Nigeria National Petroleum Corp. had failed to remit the $20 billion in oil revenue into the Federation Account. "That [$20 billion] is a lot of money, and I can’t preside over this nation and watch even one kobo go missing from the government treasury," Jonathan said. "I don’t even know the figure to believe as the missing money, whether it is $49.8 billion, $10 or $20 billion. But whatever, even if it is one dollar, we will find […]

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Libya oil output dives after key field shut

ibya’s oil production has fallen to 230,000 barrels a day from 570,000 bpd due to the closure of the el-Sharara field following protests, state-owned National Oil Corp (NOC) said. "The country’s oil production has fallen to 230,000 bpd after the closure on Thursday evening of the oilfield at el-Sharara," which has an output of 330,000 bpd, NOC spokesman Mohamed al-Harairi said on Sunday. Harairi added that the field had to shut down because "protest movements near the… wells no longer ensure the optimal security conditions," without giving further details. It was repeatedly shut down by protesters as a way to pressure the weak central government into political and financial demands. Relaunch of production at el-Sharara in early January had pushed Libya’s output up to 570,000 bpd, when protesters in the area lifted their blockade of the site. It was considered as a […]

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South Sudan: Oil Workers Evacuated From Upper Nile Amid Fear of Rebel Attacks

South Sudan said on Friday that it is evacuating foreign oil workers from the oil fields in Upper Nile state, allegedly to avoid being caught in the crossfire, should the rebel launch attacks in the area. "The government has since Monday, been receiving numerous requests from the foreign oil workers, through their governments and the representatives of the companies they work for, to consider evacuating them from the area urgently, because of the developing security situation", Francis Ayul, Upper Nile State minister of mining and petroleum told Sudan Tribune on Friday. "Based on genuineness of the request, and considering the current security situation in the state, the state government in consultation with the central government responded to the requests and approved the immediate evacuation of all foreign workers involving in the engineering work." Minister Ayul said the evacuated foreign workers would be kept in the country’s capital, […]

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Nigeria: “You Can’t Suspend the Truth” – Worries for Nigeria Over Sanusi’s Ouster

President Jonathan’s suspension of the CBN governor raises concerns not just over the economy and elite vested interests, but also the rule of law. In what has been seen by most as a baldly political move, President Goodluck Jonathan shocked both markets and observers yesterday as he suspended Nigeria’s widely-celebrated Central Bank Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi. In a press release Jonathan’s spokesman claimed that "Lamido Sanusi’s tenure has been characterised by various acts of financial recklessness," but offered no details or specifics, and many commentators believe the real reason for Sanusi’s removal was his outspokenness on institutional corruption. "Sanusi’s persistent criticism of Nigeria’s opaque oil revenue management and allegations of unremitted NNPC [Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation – the state-owned oil company] oil proceeds made him a public enemy of the political elite," says Samir Gadio, Emerging Market Strategist at Standard Bank. "His suspension is a disruptive move which indicates […]

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Nigeria: "You Can't Suspend the Truth" – Worries for Nigeria Over Sanusi's Ouster

President Jonathan’s suspension of the CBN governor raises concerns not just over the economy and elite vested interests, but also the rule of law. In what has been seen by most as a baldly political move, President Goodluck Jonathan shocked both markets and observers yesterday as he suspended Nigeria’s widely-celebrated Central Bank Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi. In a press release Jonathan’s spokesman claimed that "Lamido Sanusi’s tenure has been characterised by various acts of financial recklessness," but offered no details or specifics, and many commentators believe the real reason for Sanusi’s removal was his outspokenness on institutional corruption. "Sanusi’s persistent criticism of Nigeria’s opaque oil revenue management and allegations of unremitted NNPC [Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation – the state-owned oil company] oil proceeds made him a public enemy of the political elite," says Samir Gadio, Emerging Market Strategist at Standard Bank. "His suspension is a disruptive move which indicates […]

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Libya votes on constitutional assembly

Libyans trickled to the polls on Thursday to elect an assembly to draft a constitution , the paltry turnout reflecting deep political disillusion with the chaos pervading Libya since Muammar Gaddafi’s 42-year rule ended in 2011. Of the one million people who had registered to vote, less than 498,000 cast ballots, the election commission said, a number far lower than the three million who did so before the 2012 parliamentary election. Libyans voted on who should make up the panel to write a new charter that will cover key issues such as Libya’s system of government, the status of ethnic minorities and the role of Islamic law. But live footage from Libyan television cameras in major polling stations across the North African country showed mostly empty rooms. After four hours of polling, election organizers said that turnout for the vote had reached just 18 percent. United Nations’ envoy Tarek Mitri urged Libyans […]

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Nigeria’s Boko Haram Threatens Oil Refineries, Muslim Clerics

The fishing town of Bama has been attacked four times in the past two years. Scores of people have been killed and hundreds of houses have been burned to the ground. As reports filtered in Wednesday that gunmen in Bama were once again shooting people and setting homes on fire, Boko Haram released a video statement saying it plans to widen its reach, to attack oil refineries in the south and continue its assault on Muslim clerics that don’t agree with its harsh interpretation of Islamic law. Analysts say Boko Haram’s continued threats and attacks are a sign that the Nigerian government has failed to stop the more than four-year-old insurgency, despite nine months of emergency rule in three northeastern states. Femi Odekunle, a professor of criminology at the University of Abuja, says, "The government must double its efforts with more men and more resources to contain […]

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Nigeria's Boko Haram Threatens Oil Refineries, Muslim Clerics

The fishing town of Bama has been attacked four times in the past two years. Scores of people have been killed and hundreds of houses have been burned to the ground. As reports filtered in Wednesday that gunmen in Bama were once again shooting people and setting homes on fire, Boko Haram released a video statement saying it plans to widen its reach, to attack oil refineries in the south and continue its assault on Muslim clerics that don’t agree with its harsh interpretation of Islamic law. Analysts say Boko Haram’s continued threats and attacks are a sign that the Nigerian government has failed to stop the more than four-year-old insurgency, despite nine months of emergency rule in three northeastern states. Femi Odekunle, a professor of criminology at the University of Abuja, says, "The government must double its efforts with more men and more resources to contain […]

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Nigeria: NNPC Account Has Not Been Audited for Eight Years – Sanusi

The suspended CBN governor, Malam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, had said that it was ironical for the federal government to accuse him of ‘financial recklessness’ while the account of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has not been audited since 2005, spanning eight years. Sanusi spoke yesterday on Channel Television which was monitored by our reporter while reacting to his suspension by President Goodluck Jonathan. The estranged CBN governor further said he would seek legal redress over his suspension as a way of making future CBN governors independent and free from fear of being suspended in the face of discharging their duties. Speaking further, Malam Sanusi said the president does not have the constitutional backing to remove CBN governors without the approval of the senate. He said: "You cannot go round that section (of the constitution) and say, I am not removing you but I am suspending […]

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Governor of Nigeria’s Central Bank Is Fired After Warning of Missing Oil Revenue

Lamido Sanusi was dismissed on Thursday after charging the national oil company with failing to turn over billions of dollars. Stefan Wermuth/Reuters DAKAR, Senegal — President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria removed the governor of the country’s central bank from his post on Thursday, after the bank governor repeatedly charged that billions of dollars in oil revenue owed to the treasury was missing. The dismissal of the bank governor, Lamido Sanusi, was seen as further evidence of the Nigerian government’s weakening resolve in tackling widespread corruption, a problem that has plagued the country since independence, analysts said. Mr. Sanusi’s removal was greeted with dismay in financial markets. The country’s stock market fell sharply, bond trading was halted and the value of the Nigerian currency, the naira, plunged to a record low against the dollar before the bank intervened to prop it up. Outside investors had generally seen Mr. Sanusi as […]

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Energy Firms in Talks to Sell Israeli Gas to Egypt

Israel’s recently discovered offshore natural gas is generating momentum for politically important supply deals that could alleviate energy shortages in Jordan and Egypt. The drilling consortium led by Israel’s Delek Group Ltd. and Texas-based Noble Energy said Wednesday it signed a deal to supply gas to chemical companies in Jordan, marking Israel’s first energy export deal and bolstering ties between the neighboring countries. The same offshore drilling group is holding initial talks on a much larger supply deal with Egypt, people familiar with the matter said. Drillers announced two Mediterranean finds in recent years with some 650 billion cubic meters of gas. Flush with energy reserves that could last for decades, Israel has been considering exports to several countries in the eastern Mediterranean including Cyprus and Turkey. Despite the modest size of the deal with Jordan, it has important geopolitical implications. It was the focus of talks between King […]

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Disillusionment in Libya Over Vote on Charter Assembly

For the second time since the overthrow of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi two and a half years ago, Libyans are being asked to go to the polls to elect lawmakers responsible for preparing a new constitution. On Thursday, increasingly frustrated voters will directly elect a 60-member assembly to draft the charter after Parliament failed to appoint the body as originally planned. “People are saying: ‘What happened?’ ” said Claudia Gazzini, a senior analyst for the International Crisis Group who is based in Libya. Disillusioned with the lack of progress, Libyans are disinclined to come out and vote, she said. “They are saying: ‘I’m not going to dip my hand in the ink this time.’ ” Precious little has been achieved in Libya since the war that killed Colonel Qaddafi and ended his 42 years of autocratic rule. The country held its first free elections amid much euphoria […]

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Islamic extremist leader threatens Nigerian oil

The leader of Nigeria’s Islamic uprising is threatening to attack oil interests more than a thousand miles (kilometers) from the northeastern base where his fighters are accused of killing more than 250 civilians this month. In a new video message, Abubakar Shekau also warns leading Nigerian Muslim politicians and religious and traditional leaders that his fighters will target them for pursuing democracy and Western-style education. He says his struggle to transform Africa’s biggest oil producer into an Islamic state is only just beginning. He says he will destroy oil refineries "in coming days." The warnings come the week Nigeria’s military has defended itself against charges by regional leaders that Shekau’s fighters are better armed and motivated. The video was obtained Thursday by the AP through channels used for previous communications. © 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, […]

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Nigeria: State oil company to be probed over '$20B subsidy racket'

Nigeria is to carry out a forensic audit of the state oil company over an alleged $20 billion subsidy racket that officials say may help explain what happened to $50 billion in oil revenues that the governor of the central bank says is missing. The audit, ordered last week by a Senate committee investigating allegations of corruption in the oil industry of Africa’s second largest economy, could become political dynamite as Nigeria heads into a presidential election in 2015. Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation and one of its leading oil producers, is considered one of the most corrupt states on the continent, with much of the graft centered on the oil industry, whose revenues provide around 80 percent of the state budget and more than 90 percent of export earnings. The West African country’s "oil and gas industry has proved remarkably resistant to […]

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Nigeria: State oil company to be probed over ‘$20B subsidy racket’

Nigeria is to carry out a forensic audit of the state oil company over an alleged $20 billion subsidy racket that officials say may help explain what happened to $50 billion in oil revenues that the governor of the central bank says is missing. The audit, ordered last week by a Senate committee investigating allegations of corruption in the oil industry of Africa’s second largest economy, could become political dynamite as Nigeria heads into a presidential election in 2015. Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation and one of its leading oil producers, is considered one of the most corrupt states on the continent, with much of the graft centered on the oil industry, whose revenues provide around 80 percent of the state budget and more than 90 percent of export earnings. The West African country’s "oil and gas industry has proved remarkably resistant to […]

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Libyan militias extend ultimatum to parliament

Two powerful militias that earlier demanded that Libya’s interim parliament step down or face arrest now say the country’s political factions have 72 hours to resolve their crisis, while the United Nations urged Wednesday that the deadlock be resolved by holding new elections. The demands issued Tuesday by the Al-Qaaqaa and al-Sawaaq militias, which some politicians likened to an attempted coup, brought the restive North African country’s long-running political showdown to a head. Parliament is split between Islamist and non-Islamist blocs. Its mandate was to have expired this month, but the Islamists led a motion to extend its mandate by another year. Under street protesters’ pressure, the parliament voted to hold early elections in the spring. But many are angry that parliament, widely viewed as a failed institution, should hold power until then. The two militias at first said that parliament had until 9 p.m. […]

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Militant Group Says It Attacked Tourist Bus in Sinai

An Egyptian militant group that has carried out months of deadly assaults on the police and the military has claimed responsibility for the bombing of a tourist bus that killed four people in the Sinai Peninsula on Sunday. The assertion by the group, Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, signaled an ominous turn in a battle militants have waged against the government since the military ouster of President Mohamed Morsi in July. The bombing, in the Sinai town of Taba, was the first attack against tourists in years. Three South Korean citizens and an Egyptian bus driver were killed. In a statement posted on jihadist websites late Monday, Ansar Beit al-Maqdis said that the bombing was part of an “economic war against this regime of traitors.” It said that one of the group’s “heroes” had carried out the attack, but did not say how. Egyptian officials have said a suicide […]

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Nigeria's Boko Haram crisis: Bama attack mars victory claims

North-eastern Nigeria is under emergency rule, but attacks have intensified There are reports of a "massive" attack in northern Nigerian border town of Bama, a day after a presidential spokesman said the army was "winning the war" against Islamist militants. Borno state senator Ahmed Zanna told the BBC the attack on Bama had lasted for five hours on Wednesday morning. On Tuesday, spokesman Doyin Okupe said the military was "on top of the situation". More than 245 people have been killed this year alone by suspected Islamists. Several thousand have lost their lives since Boko Haram began its uprising in 2009. ‘Better armed’ Mr Okupe’s statement contradicted the comments of the governor of Borno state, where Boko Haram was founded. Governor Kashim Shettima called for reinforcements and said the insurgents were "better armed and better […]

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Nigeria’s Boko Haram crisis: Bama attack mars victory claims

North-eastern Nigeria is under emergency rule, but attacks have intensified There are reports of a "massive" attack in northern Nigerian border town of Bama, a day after a presidential spokesman said the army was "winning the war" against Islamist militants. Borno state senator Ahmed Zanna told the BBC the attack on Bama had lasted for five hours on Wednesday morning. On Tuesday, spokesman Doyin Okupe said the military was "on top of the situation". More than 245 people have been killed this year alone by suspected Islamists. Several thousand have lost their lives since Boko Haram began its uprising in 2009. ‘Better armed’ Mr Okupe’s statement contradicted the comments of the governor of Borno state, where Boko Haram was founded. Governor Kashim Shettima called for reinforcements and said the insurgents were "better armed and better […]

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South Sudan Fighting Resumes Around Oil-Rich State’s Capital

South Sudanese rebels and government forces fought for control of the capital of oil-rich Upper Nile state, the only region in the world’s newest nation that’s still producing crude two months after violence erupted. Both sides claimed control of the town of Malakal after fighting started yesterday in violation of a cease-fire they signed on Jan. 23 in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa . Sounds of shelling could be heard from a United Nations compound in Malakal as early as 8 a.m. today, Grace Cahill, a spokeswoman for Oxfam, said by phone from Juba, the South Sudanese capital. Some of the internally displaced people seeking shelter inside the compound have left “because they felt they weren’t protected enough, while others came in to receive treatment last night,” Cahill said. Fighting that started Dec. 15 has left thousands of people dead and forced at least 860,000 more to flee their […]

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New Fighting Threatens South Sudan Oil

South Sudan rebels Tuesday attacked the capital of the state that is home to the country’s only functioning oil fields, further fraying a tattered cease-fire and threatening to choke off a trickle of crude exports from the beleaguered nation. The attack on Malakal, the capital of South Sudan’s Upper Nile State, ended a lull in fighting that had lasted nearly a month. It also came as rebels and government representatives failed to restart peace talks aimed at ending the nearly three-month-old conflict. The two sides remain far apart on important issues, such as the release of prisoners and Uganda’s military support for the South Sudanese government. Early Tuesday, heavily armed rebel fighters loyal to South Sudan’s former vice president, Riek Machar, attacked with machine guns and heavy artillery in a surprise assault, government military spokesman Col. Philip Aguer said. The ambush forced government troops to retreat northward, toward […]

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Slaying of South Korean tourists signals turn in Egypt’s Islamist insurgency

“This is more of a challenge to the government and the state’s authority than there ever was before,” said Kamal Habib, a founding member of Islamic ­Jihad, a group that was at the forefront of a similar revolt in Egypt in the 1990s but that later renounced violence. He noted that today’s insurgents are using heavier weapons, such as missiles and bombs. The bus blew up Sunday afternoon when it was parked just 200 yards from the Israeli border in the resort town of Taba, sending black plumes of smoke into the sky, according to images on Egyptian state television. There was no immediate assertion of responsibility for the attack, which killed two South Korean tourists and the Egyptian bus driver, according to the Health Ministry. It had earlier reported that three tourists were killed. At least 15 South Koreans were wounded. But Habib said the blast indicates that […]

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In Libya, a Coup. Or Perhaps Not.

Stealing a page from neighboring Egypt, a senior army officer in Libya on Friday announced a military takeover, the suspension of Parliament and a new “road map” for the future. Then, nothing happened. Prime Minister Ali Zeidan called the supposed coup “ridiculous.” A military spokesman called it “a lie.” None of the Libyan Army’s few tanks or soldiers made any visible moves. The empty Parliament was quiet. It was the latest evidence of the long shadow cast across the region by the military takeover in Cairo last summer that was announced by Abdul-Fattah el-Sisi, then an army general. The attempted imitation in Libya, though, demonstrated the limits of the Egyptian example. While Egypt’s military ushered out President Hosni Mubarak three years ago and dominated the political transition, the Libyan military never had much cohesion even under Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, and it had splintered long before his ouster. […]

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92 prisoners escape in western Libyan jailbreak

A Libyan local official says 92 prisoners have escaped from a prison in a western town due to weak security. Hassan bin Sophia, who is spokesman of the Zliten local council, said only four guards were watching 220 criminal and political detainees at the prison on Friday. He said the prisoners asked for a doctor, and when the prison gate was opened, they attacked the guards and fled. He said 19 prisoners were soon recaptured, two of them wounded when guards opened fire. Local officials are contacting the families of the escapees to convince them to surrender. Libya has experienced a security vacuum since the 2011 overthrow of Moammar Gadhafi. Earlier this month, 54 detainees escaped from a prison in the capital Tripoli. © 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our […]

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Egypt signs oil, gas deals with foreign companies

The Egyptian government said it signed oil and natural gas exploration deals with Middle East and European companies on behalf of a national holding company. Egyptian Oil Minister Sherif Ismail signed deals with Emirati energy company Dana Gas, Italy’s Edison and Irish exploration and production company Petroceltic, the Egyptian news website Ahram Online reported Thursday. The deals, signed on behalf of Egypt’s National Natural Gas Holding Co., are expected to bring in $265 million in new investments to the Egyptian energy sector. Exploration is expected in the Mediterranean Sea, the Nile Delta and the Gulf of Suez, the report said. No statement was made from Dana, Edison or Petroceltic on the deals. Eight other oil and gas exploration deals were signed in January valued at $2.1 billion. Apache Corp., which this week singled out a partnership agreement in Egypt with China Petrochemical Corp. as […]

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Reports of South Sudan Fighting, Despite Pact, Prompt Worry and Warnings

Less than a month after the cease-fire was signed, a rebel leader’s hometown was attacked. Goran Tomasevic/Reuters NAIROBI, Kenya — The ranks of displaced people have swelled to nearly 900,000, close to a tenth of the entire population. Humanitarian groups warn that millions could go hungry if fields remain unplowed before the coming rainy season. Aid workers themselves are on the run, hiding ever deeper in the bush to escape attack. Fighting has continued in South Sudan, both rebels and government officials say, in spite of the cease-fire agreement last month that was meant to bring peace to the young nation while a broader political solution was found. Negotiators from the two sides will meet again in Ethiopia this week. But in a sign of the continuing hostilities, the hometown of Riek Machar, a former vice president […]

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Libyan army helicopter missing, possibly shot down

A Libyan military spokesman says an army helicopter with eight people on board has gone missing in the country’s east and may have been shot down. Colonel Ali al-Sheikhy says the aircraft went missing late Wednesday while en route to the city of Benghazi. He says there was no word on the fate of its two-member crew and six passengers. A regional security operations center in the coastal city of Ajdapia said the aircraft went down near the oil town of Ras Lanov. A military official said the helicopter had come under fire, which forced it to change course before it went missing. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to media. © 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy and Terms […]

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Putin backs Egypt army chief's run for president

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday wished Egypt’s military chief victory in the nation’s presidential vote as Moscow sought to expand its military and other ties with a key U.S. ally in the Middle East. Putin said at the start of his meeting with Field Marshal Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi that he’s aware of his intention to seek the presidency. "I know that you have made a decision to run for president," Putin said, according to Russian news reports. "That’s a very responsible decision: to undertake such a mission for the fate of the Egyptian people. On my own part, and on behalf of the Russian people I wish you success." El-Sissi, who rose to prominence after the ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi last July, is popular among a large segment of Egyptians and is widely expected to announce a candidacy for presidential elections that […]

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Putin backs Egypt army chief’s run for president

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday wished Egypt’s military chief victory in the nation’s presidential vote as Moscow sought to expand its military and other ties with a key U.S. ally in the Middle East. Putin said at the start of his meeting with Field Marshal Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi that he’s aware of his intention to seek the presidency. "I know that you have made a decision to run for president," Putin said, according to Russian news reports. "That’s a very responsible decision: to undertake such a mission for the fate of the Egyptian people. On my own part, and on behalf of the Russian people I wish you success." El-Sissi, who rose to prominence after the ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi last July, is popular among a large segment of Egyptians and is widely expected to announce a candidacy for presidential elections that […]

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Egypt Blackouts Raise New Worries

Egyptians are suffering through a rare spate of winter power outages, an indication they could sweat through a hot summer when soaring temperatures are likely to bring nationwide blackouts, experts say. Summer blackouts would put Egypt’s next leader, set to be elected in the coming months, in a difficult position. In July, frequent electricity cuts, long gas lines and political tensions helped to stoke massive antigovernment protests that prompted the military to oust Mohammed Morsi, the country’s first freely elected president. Some experts attribute shortages to a lack of foreign investment to develop Egypt’s natural-gas resources, which meet most of the country’s energy needs. Mohamed Shoeib, managing director of the energy division at Egypt’s Citadel Capital and former head of the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Co., said he expected the power cuts this summer to be far worse than those last summer. "The expectation for next summer is the […]

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Tullow May Sell Part of Stake in Ugandan Oil Field

Africa-focused oil and gas explorer Tullow Oil PLC is considering selling part of its stake in a Ugandan oil field it is developing with France’s Total SA and China’s Cnooc Ltd. to focus on Kenya, where a more supportive government is helping a project there move faster, Tullow’s chief operating officer said Wednesday. It is the first time the company has disclosed it could look to sell a share in one of its prized assets. The project has been delayed for years and has weighed on the share price while the company and its partners hammered out a development plan with the Ugandan government. Tullow and partners struck an agreement with the Ugandan government on a development plan for the Lake Albert basin last month after years of talks. But in the meantime, a project to develop Kenya’s South Lockichar basin, which was discovered in 2012—five years after the […]

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Egypt: Militants blow up gas pipeline in Sinai

Egyptian security officials say suspected al-Qaida-inspired militants have blown up a natural gas pipeline in the restive Sinai Peninsula. The officials say the explosion took place early Tuesday in a desert area south of el-Arish, the provincial capital of North Sinai. The pipeline carries natural gas to Jordan and feeds heavy industry factories in central Sinai. The officials say pipeline technicians were forced to shut the flow of gas in order to get the fire under control. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to talk to media. There have been scores of attacks on the pipeline since the 2011 uprising that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak and the security vacuum that ensued. A Sinai-based militant group, Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, has claimed responsibility for several such bombings. © 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, […]

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Battle of the Nile: Egypt, Ethiopia clash over mega-dam

Egypt and Ethiopia remain at loggerheads over Addis Ababa’s plan to build a $4.2 billion, 6,000-megawatt dam on a major tributary of the Nile River that Cairo says will greatly reduce the flow of water that is Egypt’s lifeline. Tension between the two African states rose sharply in January after Ethiopia rejected Egypt’s demand it suspend construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile, the main tributary of the 4,130-mile river, the world’s longest. Egypt has vowed to protect its "historical rights" to the Nile "at any cost" and says it could lose 20 percent of its water if the giant dam in northwestern Ethiopia, one of several hydroelectric projects planned by Addis Ababa, is completed. "It would be a disaster for Egypt," Mohamed Nasr Allam, a former Egyptian water minister, lamented to the Guardian daily of London in 2013. […]

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Uganda takes major steps with oil majors

Ugandan Energy Minister Irene Muloni said Thursday signing agreements with international oil companies gives the country significant production opportunities. Muloni said Uganda is close to becoming a major oil producer with the signing of memorandums of understanding with Chinese, French and British oil companies. "The signing of the MOU is therefore a significant step toward the production of Uganda’s discovered oil and gas resources," she was quoted by the Ugandan newspaper the Independent as saying. Tullow Oil, a British exploration company involved in the agreements, published a report last year on its Ugandan developments. It said it has uncovered more than 1 billion barrels of oil in Uganda since operations began and most of that was in the country’s Lake Albert basin. Muloni said the agreements gives Uganda a "harmonized commercialization plan for the development" of its oil resources. She said the government […]

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Jihadist Return Is Said to Drive Attacks in Egypt

In just the last two weeks, Islamist militants have detonated a car bomb at the gates of the capital’s security headquarters, gunned down a senior Interior Ministry official in broad daylight and shot down a military helicopter over Sinai with a portable surface-to-air missile. But perhaps most alarming to officials in Cairo and Washington are the signs that the swift increase in the scale and effectiveness of the attacks may come from a new influx of fighters: Egyptians returning from jihad abroad to join a campaign of terrorism against the military-backed government. “Egypt is again an open front for jihad,” said Brian Fishman, a researcher in counterterrorism at the New America Foundation in Washington. “The world is being […]

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Libya rebels say oil crisis can be resolved, but no end in sight

Eastern separatists blockading three of Libya’s oil export terminals say the six-month-old crisis crippling the country’s energy industry could be resolved within weeks. But there’s little sign of any breakthrough. Prime Minister Ali Zeidan said Monday he’s ordered the army, a force that has still to coalesce as a state institution capable of protecting the state, to lift the blockade of the ports of Es Sider, Ras Lanuf and Zueitina that began in July 2013. But on Tuesday the military said it had received no orders, from Zeidan or the Defense Ministry, to move against the rebels holding the ports through which the bulk of Libya’s oil exports pass. "If we receive any orders, the matter will be studied at that time," said army spokesman Ali Alsheikhi — a reply that suggested the army doesn’t seem to be in any hurry to confront […]

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Uganda Signs Deal With Foreign Companies to Develop Oil Sector

The government of Uganda has signed a long awaited deal with foreign oil companies to develop its oil sector, bringing to an end several years of protracted talks and opening the way for the development of the country’s crude oil reserves. The deal is based on a Memorandum of Understanding with U.K.’s Tullow Oil PLC, France’s Total SA and China’s Cnooc Ltd. cooperating on plans to develop the country’s oil sector. Those plans include a 60,000 barrels-a-day oil refinery, an oil export pipeline to Kenya’s northern port of Lamu and a crude-fired electricity plant in Uganda’s oil region, Irene Muloni, Uganda’s energy and minerals minister, told reporters in Kampala Thursday. The agreement between the energy multinationals and the Ugandan government could result in up to $15 billion to $17 billion in new investment, company officials said. The new investment will go toward the development of up to 20 […]

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Libya says bandits disrupt oil from Sharara field

Libyan oil industry officials said bandits caused production from the Sharara oil field to drop by 40 percent by blocking a pipeline to downstream facilities. Field manager Hassan al-Sideek said bandits forced a valve to close from Sharara, blocking 40 percent of the delivery of crude oil to the Zawia oil refinery and terminal, the Libya Herald reported Monday. Operations at Sharara, in the western Libyan desert, were shuttered in October by regional protesters calling for more local authority. The field has the capacity to produce 350,000 barrels of oil per day. In January, Libyan Oil Minister Abdelbari al-Arusi said the restart of the Sharara oil field in the west of the country had contributed to recent production gains. Maintenance crews were told by gunmen near the pipeline the rebels would only speak with government officials. "We don’t know what they want," a […]

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Libya Sends Army to End Blockade

Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan said Monday he had ordered the army to end the blockade imposed by armed protesters on oil terminals in the east of the country. The country’s oil production has fallen sharply after rebels blocked the terminals in the summer last year, bringing the government on the brink of a financial crisis. But in a news conference posted on his website, Mr. Zeidan said he asked "the minister of defense to order the chief of staff to move toward oil ports." Mr. Zeidan has frequently warned he would use force to end the blockade by an armed group seeking autonomy for the eastern region of Cyrenaica. But though the Libyan navy has shot at tankers trying to enter the rebel-held ports, no concrete action has been taken to retake the terminals. The blockade of the terminals has cut the country’s production to nearly a third […]

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Chevron Chooses Seplat-Led Bid for Nigerian Oil Blocks

Chevron Corp. has notified the Nigerian government it has selected a preferred bidder—a group led by Lagos-based Seplat Petroleum Development Co.–as the buyer of onshore oil assets the U.S. major has been seeking to sell for eight months, according to people familiar with the matter. Chevron is planning to sell the assets for $800 million to a group led by Seplat, according to these people. Seplat is part owned by French independent oil company Maurel & Prom . The onshore blocks, in the eastern part of the Niger Delta, are still at an exploration stage and aren’t yet producing oil. The government has the last word on whether the sale will go forward. A spokeswoman for Chevron declined to comment. "I can confirm we [made] a bid," said Seplat Chief Executive Austin Avuru. He declined to say if he has been notified that Seplat was the favored bidder […]

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U.S. Apache Corp. keen on investing in Egypt, official says

Egypt’s oil and gas resources provide "continued opportunity for profitable investment," said Thomas Maher of Apache Corp. The U.S. company has 27 drilling rigs and 5 million acres targeted for exploration in Egypt’s Western Desert. "Apache sees continued opportunity for profitable investment developing Egypt’s oil and gas resources," Maher, a company general manager for Egypt, said in a statement Thursday. The company, which has headquarters in Texas, said some of its latest operations are already producing, or have discovered, oil and natural gas. Last year, Apache drilled more than 250 wells in the region. For the third quarter, the last full quarter for which data are available, gross production averaged 346,530 barrels of oil equivalent per day,Apache said. British energy company BG Group said Monday it declared force majeure in Egypt, meaning it’s unable to meet certain contractual obligations because of circumstances beyond its […]

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