Managing the rivalry between the two factions of the National Oil Corp. in Tripoli and Bayda will be the first major challenge for the newly formed Government of National Accord, Libya's U.N.-backed unity government. Either NOC-Tripoli's attempted loading at Ras Lanuf and NOC-Bayda's attempted export deal could spark a new standoff between the east and the west, which would mean the mobilization of guards to protect the export terminals. The government will need to find a compromise quickly before the situation escalates. However, this is more easily said than done. Though the unity government may initially succeed in merging the two rival oil companies, specifically by backing NOC-Tripoli and undermining NOC-Bayda to the point of irrelevance, the underlying fragmentation of Libya's social structure and long-established grievances against Tripoli mean stable exports from Libya's hydrocarbons sector are a distant prospect.