06/12/2014
A fierce battle for control in Libya's desert
(TNS) ? In Libya's southwest Saharan desert, near the vast el-Sharara oil field and the borders with Niger and Algeria, a fierce struggle for control of the small oasis town of Ubari and its surrounding area has dragged on since September. This desert conflict illustrates the shift of tribal allegiances in the country's post-revolution fight over resources and power, now cast within the larger national context of Libya's two competing governments and their agendas as the country slides deeper into civil war. quot;We are taking out dead bodies. Our challenge is how to get help inside the town, and to get people out,quot; Mahmoud al-Araby, head of the Red Crescent Society in Ubari, told Al...
