Washington - The US Treasury Department
has targeted the leader of a Libyan militia with sanctions for
directing attacks on oil facilities in the country, it said in a
statement on Wednesday.
Ibrahim Jathran damaged peace and stability in Libya by
overseeing forces that attacked Libyan oil facilities in the
"oil crescent," a lucrative target for rogue militias and
criminals, the department said.
It said the militia had caused many fatalities in Libya this
year.
"Jathran’s repeated militia attacks on Libya's oil
facilities have done colossal damage to its economy and robbed
the Libyan people of billions of dollars in oil revenue," said
Sigal Mandelker, Treasury undersecretary for terrorism and
financial intelligence.
She said Jathran's attacks have affected Libyan oil exports
since 2013.
Forces led by Jathran violently attacked and seized control
of the Libyan oil ports Ras Lanuf and Al Sidra in June, the
department said, costing Libya more than $1.4 billion in revenue
and setting back efforts to promote political progress and
stability.
The UN Security Council Libya sanctions committee
blacklisted Jathran on Tuesday, subjecting him to a global asset
freeze and travel ban.
Jathran is sought by judicial authorities in Tripoli for
blockades of oil terminals and attempts to export oil
independently.
Libya, which has been in turmoil since a 2011 uprising that
toppled Muammar Gaddafi, has been divided between rival
governments and military factions based in the east and west of
the country since 2014, causing political deadlock and an
economic crisis.
Armed groups regularly block oilfields to make demands.
Several armed men attacked the headquarters of Libya’s National
Oil Corporation in the capital Tripoli on Monday, killing at
least two staff members, a security official said. No group
immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.