MadridLibya’s Sharara oilfield, the largest in the country, has once again partially suspended operations, three people with direct knowledge confirmed.
According to the Agenzia Nova, the Sharara site in the south of the country was partially closed by men affiliated with the General Command of the self-proclaimed Libyan National Army of General Khalifa Haftar.
A security source in Ubari, an oasis town in the southwestern region of Fezzan near Sharara, confirmed the incident, the outlet said.
Libyan broadcaster Al Ahrar said Saddam Haftar, son of Khalifa Haftar, ordered the enclave to be closed after receiving an arrest warrant issued by Spanish authorities when he returned to Libya from Italy.
The leader of the Libyan region of Fezzan, Bashir Sheikh, also said in a video posted on social media on Sunday that Saddam Haftar had ordered the partial blockade.
Output at the Sharara field fell by 30,000 barrels per day to 230,000 on Saturday evening after operators were ordered to begin a partial production shutdown, the sources who spoke to Bloomberg said.
Libya has Africa’s largest oil reserves, but energy production has often been at the heart of political conflict.
Its deposits have been used on many occasions by the country’s parallel administrations – that of Tripoli and that of the east – as a tool of pressure to satisfy their demands.
The Sharara field is a joint venture between state-owned oil company National Oil, France’s Total SE, Spain’s Repsol, Austria’s OMV and Norway’s Equinor.
The previous blockade of the facilities took place in January due to popular protests that paralyzed production and its reopening required the mediation of the Libyan National Oil Corporation and the military, Repsol reported at the time.
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– 2024-08-09 12:28:06
