A drone strike destroyed a power substation in Zawiya on Wednesday, becoming the latest in a string of attacks on critical infrastructure in western Libya, which have damaged key oil and gas facilities.

The incidents are part of a larger eruption of violence in the fragmented country, which could imperil a drive by the OPEC member to revive energy production and attract foreign investment as the US-Iran war spurs interest in North Africa. They also come as Washington steps up efforts to broker a political deal between Libya’s rival eastern and western administrations, raising questions about whether the push for greater unity could itself be contributing to heightened instability.

According to Geoff Porter, president of North Africa Risk Consulting, it is important to see these destabilizing developments in Libya against the backdrop of efforts led by President Donald Trump’s senior adviser for Africa, Massad Boulos, to engineer a Libyan unification deal. Boulos has opted to try to ram through an accord without addressing the structural challenges that have hampered Libyan political unity thus far. “Boulos is working on the facade rather than the foundation,” Porter told Al-Monitor. “He is, however, making progress, and that is causing the foundation to shift.”

What happened: The latest attack hit the South Zawiya 30/11 kV substation, which was completely destroyed by fire and taken out of service, Libya’s General Electricity Company announced on Aug. 12. The damage caused power outages across parts of southern Zawiya.