On July 3 Italian authorities intercepted components of two Chinese
Wing Loong II UAVs heading to Libya disguised as wind turbines
As our North Africa energy expert Francis Ghilès explained in his most recent podcast
on 10 July opacity is the best word to describe Sinopec and other
Chinese companies’ deals in North Africa and elsewhere in the Middle
East. As he put it, speaking of Algeria
Algeria is signing more and more agreements with China but
they're back to back agreements. Nobody knows what's in them. The
Algerian government will never favour an Algerian company, other than
the few big ones linked to the military. So it signs agreements with
Chinese companies. And the Algerian industrialists or entrepreneurs,
people on the ground, have no idea what's in them.
What is true of Algeria is even more true of a fractured Libya which
Francis Ghilès describes as resembling a “Mafia gangland.” Chief among
its leaders is the Benghazi warlord Khalifa Haftar and his family clan.
Haftar long at odds
with the NOC has threatened and used oil blockades to secure what he
has called a fair share of oil revenues. (Nothing has emerged to suggest
that the Haftars have links to Arkenu.)
The company’s website
takes the opacity level to new and rather bizarre heights. Arkenu, the
website says, was established in early 2023 and has “a team of experts
who have more than 35 years of experience, as this team includes a group
of experts who have held high positions in major oil production and
development companies.” It does not name any of them. Nor does it list a
board of directors or an executive committee.
Under the heading of “Tenders”
up pops a strange dissertation on the advantage of mirrored glasses
when playing poker: “While mirrored glasses poker does not involve
outright poker cheat, their use is sometimes debated within the poker
community.”
A search for current work under the categories of output, development, drilling and maintenance of wells produces only the response “no posts found.”
Opacity and the curious nature of its website aside there is nothing
to suggest that Arkenu is engaged in any illegal activities.
What is clear is China’s presence in the North Africa energy sector
is continuing its rapid expansion on several fronts. No need for
mirrored glasses to confirm that trend.
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