Libya's interim prime minister said closed oilfields and ports in the Opec member state may soon reopen, despite his leadership rival’s energy minister claiming that negotiations with protesters were proving difficult.
Fathi Bashagha, who is backed by the country's parliament, said on Tuesday that efforts to reopen oil refineries were “crowned with success”, and that a militia in the east of the country had agreed to “lift its siege” on oilfields.
Libya’s crude production was halved to 600,000 barrels a day over the past month after protesters demanding the resignation of the incumbent, Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, forced the closure of oilfields such as Al Sharara, the nation’s biggest.
The country's parliament, based in eastern Libya, confirmed former interior minister Mr Bashagha as interim prime minister in March this year.
However, Mr Dbeibah refused to relinquish power except to an elected government and rejected the parliamentary vote, leaving the country with two competing governments.
Mr Dbeibah was appointed through a UN-led process in March last year on the condition that he leads the North African country until elections.
Mohamed Oun, Mr Dbeibah’s oil minister, said talks with protesters were continuing.
“We are facing some difficulties in reaching an agreement with protesters to reopen the [oilfield],” Mr Oun told Bloomberg on Tuesday, hours before Mr Bashagha’s Twitter statement.
Libya is losing between $50 million and $60m a day from the closures, he said.
The country produces about 1.2 million barrels of oil a day and is exempt from the Opec+ production deal because of security concerns.
Libya’s National Oil Corporation, which controls operations at oilfields, has not said when production or exports will return to normal.
The shutdowns are the latest in a series of disruptions to hit Libya’s energy sector amid the worsening political crisis.
They come at a delicate time for global commodity markets, with oil having surged above $100 a barrel after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Libya's rival administrations could herald a return to division and instability, the UN warned earlier this year.
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, second leg:
Liverpool (0) v Barcelona (3), Tuesday, 11pm UAE
Game is on BeIN Sports
Cricket World Cup League Two
Oman, UAE, Namibia
Al Amerat, Muscat
Results
Oman beat UAE by five wickets
UAE beat Namibia by eight runs
Fixtures
Wednesday January 8 –Oman v Namibia
Thursday January 9 – Oman v UAE
Saturday January 11 – UAE v Namibia
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
The schedule
December 5 - 23: Shooting competition, Al Dhafra Shooting Club
December 9 - 24: Handicrafts competition, from 4pm until 10pm, Heritage Souq
December 11 - 20: Dates competition, from 4pm
December 12 - 20: Sour milk competition
December 13: Falcon beauty competition
December 14 and 20: Saluki races
December 15: Arabian horse races, from 4pm
December 16 - 19: Falconry competition
December 18: Camel milk competition, from 7.30 - 9.30 am
December 20 and 21: Sheep beauty competition, from 10am
December 22: The best herd of 30 camels
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
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