Libya tension rises amid oil threats, drone strike

Tension between the rival governments in Libya is on the rise amid new disputes over oil revenues and a drone strike on Wagner facilities Friday, Energy Voice reports.

According to the report, the eastern House of Representatives (HoR) discussed actions on the oil industry this week. The head of HoR, Osama Hammad, said the National Oil Corporation had sided with the Government of National Unity (GNU), based in Tripoli.

Hammad said there were plans for a “judicial guard” to halt exports and seize $16 billion in revenue.

Libya Oil and Gas Minister, Mohamed Oun, expressed his concerns over the threats. Libyan oil production collapsed in 2020 because of blockades, casting a shadow over its finances.

READ: Rival Libya administration threatens to block oil exports

Oun expressed his concerns to a newspaper this week. The main victims of such a stoppage would be the Libyan people, he warned.

The report added that Wagner mercenaries remain active in oil-rich eastern Libya, as well as the country’s south, though some had left to fight in Mali and Ukraine, supporting the Russian army’s invasion.

Libya is producing 1.2 million barrels per day of oil, he said. “The negative impact of the shutdown will not be light,” he said. The income from oil and gas provides the “main source” of Libya’s income.