North Africa

Libya reels from assassination, oil strikes and central bank turmoil Elis Gjevori on Wed, 08/12/2026 - 11:41 The violence has shaken claims of stability and placed further pressure on Libya’s divided authorities Black smoke rises during a fire at the Zawiya refinery, Libya’s second-largest oil refinery, after a storage tank was attacked by unknown perpetrators in Al-Zawiyah on 11 August 2026 (AFP/Mahmud Turkia) Off Libya was plunged into fresh turmoil this week after a car bomb killed eastern military intelligence chief Fawzi al-Mansouri in Benghazi, drone attacks struck the country’s largest operational oil refinery and the central bank governor resigned from his post. Mansouri, the military intelligence chief for forces controlling eastern Libya, was leaving a mosque on Monday night when an explosive device attached to his vehicle detonated, the Libyan National Army (LNA) said on Tuesday. Khaled Haftar, the son of the LNA renegade commander Khalifa Haftar who controls eastern Libya, said authorities had opened an investigation, adding that "indicators point to a despicable terrorist tactic". "Terrorism is a project targeting the entire region, not just Libya," the statement added. While no group has taken responsibility for the attack, Hamish Kinnear, principal Middle East and North Africa analyst at risk intelligence company Verisk Maplecroft, told Middle East Eye that "it is a reminder that security in eastern Libya remains fragile despite the domination of Khalifa Haftar’s LNA”. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The killing also challenges the Haftar family’s efforts to present eastern Libya as stable after years of conflict. The LNA said it would "not cease fighting terrorism and will continue our struggle for the stability and security of Libya, as well as for the unification of its institutions". 'Drone attacks on oil infrastructure in Zawiya, a car bomb assassination in Benghazi and the resignati

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