In Battle for Tripoli, Turkey Has Billions in Projects at Stake

Turkey seeks to salvage deals, get ahead in Med energy rush
Turkey denies it armed Tripoli loyalists despite UN embargo

A destroyed migrant detention center in Tripoli following an air strike, on July 3.Photographer: Mahmud Turkia/AFP via Getty Images

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By Selcan Hacaoglu

July 8, 2019 at 4:00 AM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Turkey’s support for Libya’s internationally-backed government aims to salvage billions of dollars of business contracts thrown into limbo by the conflict and secure more leverage in the scramble for oil and gas in the Mediterranean, according to two Turkish officials.

Turkey evacuated 25,000 workers during the NATO-backed uprising that ended Moammar al-Qaddafi’s four-decade rule in 2011. Libya has been in turmoil ever since, with rival governments in the east and west and dozens of militias vying for control of a country that’s home to Africa’s largest proven oil reserves.