Libya poised to retake oil ports from militantsLibyan forces are poised to attack militants blockading key eastern oil ports in an offensive that risks splitting the country apart.
Libyan government forces plan to launch the military operation this weekend, The Guardian reported on Friday.
A deadline for militants in the eastern province of Cyrenaica to hand over the ports has passed and they are vowing to form a breakaway state if attacked.
"The central authorities in Tripoli are in a weak position. We still encourage a serious dialog, otherwise we will just break away declaring the independence of new Cyrenaica," said Osama Buera, a spokesman for the rebel Cyrenaica Political Bureau.
On March 12, Libya’s General National Congress gave the militants two weeks to lift the blockade of crude terminals or face fresh military action.
The ports have been blockaded since last summer.
Militant tribes in both eastern and western oil-producing regions are demanding a bigger share of the country's oil wealth.
Earlier this month, US Special Forces captured a renegade tanker off Cyprus after the militants tried to sell oil independently.
The incident triggered a political crisis in Libya, with congress firing Prime Minister Ali Zeidan over the issue.
On March 8, militants at the militant-held port of al-Sidra managed to load oil into a North Korean-flagged tanker that had docked there without government permission.
Libyan authorities later said they had taken control of the tanker. However, the vessel managed to slip through the Libyan naval brigade.
Also on March 12, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution authorizing sanctions against illegal crude exports from Libya’s militant-held oil facilities.
Libya has been witnessing numerous clashes between government forces and rival militia groups, who played a key role in the 2011 popular uprising that toppled former dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
The former rebels refuse to lay down arms despite efforts by the central government to impose law and order.
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