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Rebels who seized oil ports in eastern Libya say they have loaded oil on to a North Korean-flagged
tanker. The Morning Glory docked at Sidra port earlier
on Saturday, after a failed attempt to dock on Tuesday.
"We started exporting oil. This is our first shipment," a rebel spokesman said. The rebels
demand more autonomy - and oil wealth - for Libya's east.
Libyan officials confirmed to the BBC the Morning Glory had docked. They said the rebel
move was an "act of piracy". Analysts have said it is more likely the ship
is sailing under a North Korean flag of convenience, than being controlled from Pyongyang. They
say it is extremely unusual for a North Korean-flagged oil tanker to operate in the Mediterranean.
Libya's state-owned National Oil Corp (NOC) had warned tankers against approaching the
port, and two others in Libya's volatile east that are also controlled by armed groups.
It is not the first attempt to ship oil from the rebel-controlled port.
On Monday the Libyan navy ship Ibn Auf fired warning shots at a Maltese-flagged oil tanker
to prevent it from docking and loading oil. The owners of the ship complained it was fired
on in international waters. Libya's government has tried to end a wave
of protests at oil fields and ports, which have slashed vital oil revenues, but there
has been little progress in indirect talks between the government and former militia
leader Ibrahim Jathran, now leading the protests. His men seized three eastern ports last year,
which previously accounted for 600,000 barrels of oil a day.
Libya is struggling with armed groups and tribesmen who helped topple Muammar Gaddafi
in 2011 but who have kept their weapons.