UN calls for sparing oil Libya's political crisis

The United Nations’ Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Libya, Stephanie Williams, yesterday called for the reopening of the country’s oilfields “as soon as possible.”

“I met with Libyan National Oil Corporation (NOC) Chairman Engineer Mustafa Sanallah today in Tripoli. During our meeting, we discussed the national and international impact of the oil shutdown, including the infrastructure difficulties that ensue in the instance of a prolonged shutdown,” Williams said on Twitter.

2/2 ..-> that ensue in the instance of a prolonged shutdown, in addition to the loss in revenues. We reiterated the importance of lifting the oil blockade as soon as possible, as well as the need to shield Libya’s national resources from instrumentalization and politicization.

— Stephanie Turco Williams (@SASGonLibya) May 8, 2022

“We reiterated the importance of lifting the oil blockade as soon as possible, as well as the need to shield Libya’s national resources from instrumentalization and politicization,” she continued.

Since 17 April, Libya’s oilfields have been shut by tribal groups across the African country, calling in the Government of National Unity, chaired by Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, to hand over power to the Fathi Bashagha gove9 rnment that was appointed by the parliament in the country’s eastern city of Tobruk in March.

READ: Are we back to armed conflict over oil?

Dbeibeh has repeatedly refused to step down unless “popular elections were held.”

Libya is a member of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), with an average daily production of 1.3 million barrels. On 20 April, Oil Minister Mohamed Aoun said that the country was incurring a total of $60 million in losses per day due to the closure of the oil facilities.