[Legbreaker]

From Mediterranean Cruise:

Libya
The climate of most of Libya is arid, and the land along the coast mostly semi-desert, with shrubs and desert grasses being the predominant vegetation. This region is inhabited by bands of nomadic herders, travelling from place to place as their sheep and goats consume the local foilage.
A small patch of the coast, however, has a drier version of the Mediterranean climate and vegetation found in Sicily and other areas.

Oil
The extensive oil deposits and petroleum handling facilities made Libya a target for nuclear attacks, in order to deny those facilities to the enemy. Efforts by the Libyan government to reopen the fields on a large scale ended in failure, and with the complete disintegration of the remaining Libyan military forces into roving marauder bands, and the subsequent collapse of the Libyan government, the oil remained underground for a while.

It does not take an engineering genius, however, to make diesel fuel from crude oil. Filter out the sand and silt, and let it set for a few days to allow the heavier components to settle out, and the result can be burnt in a diesel engine (although it will burn very dirty). Given an oil well that is in salvagable shape, a little mechanical expertise, and a few 55-gallon oil drums, practically anybody can produce a trickle of diesel. By 2001, a few Libyan communities were doing just that.

The oil was located hundreds of kilometres inland, however, far from the fertile area in Cyreniaca and from food. A trade then developed, with caravans running to the coast carrying petroleum in exchange for food. Some of the military units turned marauders bands were hired to guard these convoys.