Production resumed at two major oilfields in Libya. After a forced closure on Thursday by people protesting against the arrest of a former minister on his arrival in Tripoli, the Libyan Oil Ministry said on Sunday.
Libya: Oil operations resume despite tensions
“Operations have resumed at the al-Charara (…) and al-Fil (…) fields after being suspended” on Thursday, the national unity government’s Ministry of Oil and Gas announced in a brief statement, without mentioning the cause of the shutdown.
Faraj Boumtari, former Minister of Finance in 2018, was arrested on Wednesday on arrival at Mitiga airport (Tripoli) by agents of the Internal Security Agency (OSI). And led to an unknown place. Members of his tribe, the Zouaya, had threatened on Thursday to block oil sites and terminals. And to cut off the capital’s water supply if he wasn’t released. According to local media, Mr. Boumtari was released on Saturday at the request of the Attorney General after having been detained by the OSI.
The UN Support Mission in Libya, which had denounced “arbitrary abductions and detentions” on Thursday, welcomed Mr. Boumtari’s release, urging the authorities to “immediately release all those arbitrarily detained, including civilians, civil society activists and political figures”.
Power struggle in Libya: the oilfields at stake
Endowed with Africa’s most abundant oil reserves, Libya has been plunged into chaos since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime in 2011, rocked by divisions between the east and west of the country.
Two governments have been battling for power for over a year. One based in Tripoli (west) and recognized by the UN, the other in the east, backed by the powerful Marshal Khalifa Haftar. Al-Charara, located in south-west Libya, is one of the country’s largest deposits. It normally produces 315,000 barrels a day, out of a national output of over 1.2 million barrels a day (compared with 1.5 to 1.6 million before 2011).
Akakus is jointly owned by the Libyan National Oil Company (NOC), Spain’s Repsol, France’s Total, Austria’s OMV and Norway’s Statoil. She actively manages the field. The Mellitah Oil & Gas joint venture is made up of NOC and Italian giant Eni. It actively manages the Fil field, located in the Morzouq basin southwest of Tripoli. Which normally produces around 70,000 barrels a day.
