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Libya said Monday night it had taken control of a North Korean-flagged tanker that had
docked in a rebel-controlled oil port, but rebels dismissed the government's claims.
Culture Minister Habib al-Amin told reporters at a late-night news conference that government
forces skirmished with rebels in speedboats as the ship left port Monday morning. The
rebels were pushed back and government troops boarded the ship, which is loaded with what
the United States said is "illicitly obtained oil."
There was more shooting Monday night in connection with the disputed tanker but the ship was
secure, al-Amin said. The rebels, meanwhile, told Libyan television
that they still were in charge of the tanker and it was still docked at the port.
The dispute is one snapshot in the bigger picture of who controls -- and who profits
from -- Libyan oil sales. The vessel, dubbed Morning Glory, docked late
Friday night in the port of As-Sidra in the northeastern part of the African nation.
While the ship was flagged in North Korea, it is unclear who actually owns the vessel.
Libya has seen its oil exports shrink to just 12.5% of its output since the revolution two
years ago that led to the death of longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi.
Since the revolution, the government in Tripoli has struggled for control of the North African
nation. Tripoli had entrusted militia leader Ibrahim
Jadran to safeguard some crucial oil ports. But eight months ago, he and his men seized
them, blocked oil exports, and demanded more autonomy and shared revenues for his eastern
region. "We used to be part of that government until
the corruption became so visible, and the government started to sell oil without measuring
units, and ... we became certain that such a government is not credible and unable to
rebuild the state," Jadran, 32, told CNN's Christiane Amanpour in January. "That's why
we declared independence of our province and we started to seek our fair rights."