Quartz: Clashes halt Libya’s gas flow to Italy, but also may leave North African energy exports more secure

A dispute among militia fighters over who was responsible for guarding an Eni-led refinery resulted in one death, seven injuries, and Libya halting 40% of its natural gas exports. It is not known when the gas flow—all of it to Sicily—will resume.

The Libyan fiasco was part of a violent weekend in northern Africa—in Mali, Chad said it had killed both of al Qaeda’s senior commanders for the Sahara. Those killed, according to the unconfirmed reports, include Mokhtar Belmokhtar, the militia and black-market leader who claims responsibility for a deadly January assault on a BP-run natural gas facility in Algeria. If true, the deaths could seriously disrupt militia activities in the region.

Over the last week, the US has stepped up its contribution of intelligence gathered by drones, leading to escalated French and Chadian attacks on militant hideouts in Mali.  MORE