20120707
AFP
Armed federalists have forced two oil terminals in eastern Libya to close in protest over not being granted more seats in this weekend's first elections since Moamer Kadhafi was overthrown.

An oil industry expert on Friday downplayed the incident, predicting that it will all blow over after the elections, and noting that many major oil firms had evacuated expats, anticipating some unrest.

"This is just people jockeying for position," he said, requesting anonymity.

"In terms of worldwide ramifications, it is a minor disruption because it will be for a short term, until elections are over."

Thursday's move to shut down pumping and loading at Haruj in Ras Lanuf came as people seeking autonomy in the oil-rich east threatened to boycott or even sabotage Saturday's election for a General National Congress.

Ibrahim al-Jadhran, a protest leader, said demonstrators also blocked the port of Al-Sidra, 35 kilometres (20 miles) west of Ras Lanuf, and were heading east to the Brega oil terminal.

Earlier suspected arsonists ravaged a depot containing electoral material in the eastern city of Ajdabiya.

And on Sunday, armed men ransacked election offices in the eastern city of Benghazi, cradle of the revolution that ousted Kadhafi last year and a bastion of the federalist movement that wants greater autonomy from Tripoli.

The weeks before the election have been marred by fighting between different communities, with bloody clashes in western hilltop towns claiming more than 100 lives and fighting in Kufra in the south leaving dozens dead.

"The harbour is closed... The pumping and loading of oil has been stopped... The group that came were federalists," Tumi Shakari, a supervisor at a terminal in Ras Lanuf, said.

"A group of 15 people came around 9:30 pm (1930 GMT) and in a very peaceful and amicable manner asked us to shut down operations.

"This group has certain demands that they want to see fulfilled and they have asked us to stop our work for 48 hours," he said, adding that workers had complied.

"The government must do something about this. This is their way of seeking attention for their demands," Milad Mohamed Ali, superintendent of the Al-Haruj terminal west of Ras Lanuf, said on Friday.