SINGAPORE — Oil prices rose to near $103 a barrel Friday in Asia as Libyan government and rebel forces dug in amid fierce fighting, raising investor fears of protracted oil output cuts in the OPEC nation.

Benchmark crude for April delivery was up 92 cents at $102.83 a barrel at late afternoon Singapore time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell 32 cents to settle at $101.91 on Thursday.

In London, Brent crude for April delivery was up $1.01 to $115.80 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange.

Analysts say oil prices could stabilize if the political upheaval that has swept through North Africa and the Middle East doesn’t spread to other crude-producing countries.