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A huge fire broke out at the Zawiya oil refinery in western Libya as a result of a drone attack that took place late on August 11, the third within a few days.
The National Oil Corporation (NOC) said in a statement on Facebook that the fire broke out at tank number 402-T, belonging to the Brega Oil Company. It noted that the tank, which contained about 4.5 million litres of gasoline, was “directly targeted, resulting in a severe fire before the tank completely collapsed”.
The attack followed drone strikes on a water desalination plant at the refinery on August 8 and on a naphtha reservoir on August 9, according to NOC.
The company declared a “maximum emergency” in the region and urged authorities to launch an investigation and bring the perpetrators to justice.
In all three attacks, first-person-view suicide quadcopters were used. Such weaponized drones have become common in Libya in recent years.
In a statement issued later, the NOC said the refinery was “still being subject to sabotage attacks” with a drone targeting an oil blending and filling plant operated by the Zawiya Oil Refining Company. It added that the drone fell near its main oil tank and a pipeline network used to produce oils for the domestic market, without causing any casualties or damage.
Libya’s Ambulance and Emergency Service said in a statement on August 11 there were no “serious injuries” from the fire, with most patients treated for smoke inhalation.
In recent months, Zawiya has witnessed several rounds of clashes between armed factions loyal to the Government of National Unity (GNU) — based in the capital, Tripoli — that left people dead and injured, and damaged vital facilities.
On August 4, several people were reported killed and injured in clashes between the First Support Force, led by Mohamed Bahroun, also known as “al-Far”, and the 103rd Battalion, led by Othman al-Lahab, in Zawiya and the nearby city of Surman amid reports of a jailbreak. Al-Far and al-Lahab are among the most prominent leaders in the ranks of GNU forces.
Libya plunged into chaos following a NATO-backed armed uprising that toppled and killed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
The oil-rich country is now split between the GNU in the west and a rival government based in Benghazi in the east, backed by the House of Representatives and the LNA. While the east has long been stable under the control of the LNA, the west remains unstable as the GNU continues to rely on rival armed factions.
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