The decision by protesters from the Fezzan region to close the Sharara oil field in southwestern Libya since last week, in protest against the outage of fuel and gas, the weakness of public and basic services, and the increase in smuggling operations, prompted the National Oil Corporation of Libya to declare a state of force majeure in the largest oil fields in the country.
Al Arab London – The National Oil Corporation in Libya declared a state of force majeure in the Sharara oil field due to protests, and said in a statement on Sunday that the state of force majeure applies as of the date of the decision in the field, which can produce up to 300 thousand barrels per day of oil, indicating that Negotiations are continuing to resume production as soon as possible.
Since last Tuesday, local protesters from the Fezzan region have closed the Sharara oil field, located southwest of Libya, in protest against the interruption of fuel and gas, the weakness of public and basic services, and the increase in smuggling operations, threatening to escalate and close the El Feel field if their demands are not met.
The protesters stated in a statement that the closure of the Sharara field came after the deadline for responding to their demands, which included poor services and fuel and gas shortages, and they held the National Oil Corporation and governments fully responsible if their demands were not met.
Government circles fear that the closure of the Sharara field will be the beginning of a new crisis affecting the oil production areas in the south and center of the country, especially in light of the continuing political conflict between the main parties and the failure of the international community to exert its pressure to reach a date for organizing elections.
The circles believe that the closure of the Sharara field was carried out with the indirect approval of the authorities in force in the southern regions, including the National Army led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, the government emerging from the House of Representatives, and influential popular activities.
In this context, the Supreme Council of Fezzan Tribes and Cities announced its support for the protesters in the Sharara field, and asked them to form a dialogue committee to communicate with the relevant authorities, and explained in a statement that a committee must be formed capable of dialogue and communication with the relevant authorities, to achieve the demands and rights of the people of Fezzan, stressing that “The necessity of adding and including all of Fezzan’s demands and rights, for which all political, social, youth and women elites fought, through government visits and forums.”
The Council demanded that the demands and rights of Fezzan be included in the reasons for the sit-in, which include supporting the Southern Region Development Authority and establishing an investment portfolio for the south, according to what was stated in the statement of the Fezzan Call for Libya conference, and allocating an amount of ten billion dinars ($2.09 billion) to meet all the needs of the Fezzan region. Necessary, service and development.
The Council also called for accelerating the solution to the fuel problem by raising the share allocated to the Fezzan region and obliging the Brega Company to announce through its websites on a daily basis the quantities of fuel distributed to the region in full transparency. It called for accelerating the implementation and maintenance of the main roads linking the cities and providing sufficient financial allocations for implementation, and for issuing A decision to consider the Tamlint region as a land port, and to expedite the issuance of the decision to establish the Ghat Free Zone and the Qatrun Free Zone.
The Council urged the need to grant and undermine all the powers and competencies of the National Unity Government related to the management, supervision and follow-up of development projects for the Fezzan region to the Deputy Prime Minister for the South, and called for the importance of emphasizing the rights of Fezzan contained in the political agreements regarding sovereign positions, and demanding fair representation of the people of Fezzan in government positions and the corps. Diplomatic, consular, and attachés by 33 percent, and supporting and assisting the security directorates in the Fezzan region with equipment and material capabilities to raise the level of their performance and seeking the assistance of competencies and expertise in the field of local security from the people of the region to familiarize them with the security specificities of the region.
The Council urged support for the security and customs agencies concerned with combating smuggling and crime and guarding land borders, and working to activate security agreements with neighboring countries related to combating terrorism and cross-border organized crime, and accelerating the opening of a branch of the National Oil Corporation in the Fezzan region and a branch of the Brega Oil Marketing Company, and obligating the administrations of oil companies whose establishment decision stipulates or whose scope of work and activity in the region is considered to be to transfer their headquarters by decision, most notably Al-Zallaf. Among the demands also is separating the southern refinery from Al-Zallaf Company to become an independent company according to its establishment decision, obligating oil companies operating in the Fezzan region to give priority when hiring to the youth of the region, and accelerating the establishment of solar energy and renewable energy stations geographically distributed across the Fezzan regions.
The demands included improving health services in the Fezzan region by developing the infrastructure of health facilities and establishing an advanced medical center, qualifying the technical staff working from doctors and nurses, working to bring in medical teams from abroad, providing them with all medical supplies and equipment, and reviving and supporting strategic agricultural projects in the Fezzan regions by providing all Supplies, supporting farmers by granting them agricultural loans, activating the project to establish the International Center for Aircraft Storage and Maintenance at Ghat International Airport, accrediting it as a major transit station to Africa, and sending students for postgraduate studies, especially those who obtained first-place rankings to study abroad.
There is a regional and international struggle to extend influence over the natural wealth of the southern regions and their important strategic locations as a gateway to the Sahara and Central Africa.
The southern regions suffer from permanent marginalization, even though they have sources of oil, gas and water and are rich in precious minerals. There is a regional and international struggle to extend influence over their natural wealth and important strategic locations as a gateway to the Sahara and Central Africa.
The south complains about the activity of human and goods smuggling networks, especially the smuggling of fuel, the price of which in the Fezzan region exceeds 50 times the official price, noting that Libya subsidizes various types of fuel, as a liter of subsidized gasoline is sold at a price of 0.15 dinars ($0.031), which is considered the cheapest in the world. But remote areas suffer from smuggling, which causes fuel to leak into neighboring countries or the black market.
Last Thursday, the Government of National Unity said that it was coordinating with the Brega Company to increase the quantities of fuel heading to the warehouse in the city of Sabha, the largest city in the south, as part of meeting the demands of the protesters in Fezzan regarding the provision of fuel and its derivatives.
The Minister of Local Government, Badr al-Din al-Toumi, and the Minister of State for Prime Minister and Council of Ministers Affairs, Adel Gomaa, stressed, after a meeting with a number of mayors of southern municipalities, the importance of constructive dialogue and the necessity of reaching a solution that takes into account the demands of the protesters without compromising the public interest and the continuity of oil production. He said, “The government is working on Study the demands presented, and will take the necessary measures to ensure sustainable development and the provision of basic services to the residents of the region,” stressing “the government’s understanding of the difficult circumstances that prompt citizens to express their demands in this way,” noting “its commitment to working to resolve these issues in a way that achieves justice and equality for all.” Citizens.”
For his part, the Libyan Minister of Oil and Gas, Mohamed Aoun, warned of the repercussions of closing the Sharara oil field, stressing that only the Libyan people would be harmed by this. He said in an official statement that closing the field would harm Libya’s economic reputation, and oil should not be used as a political pressure card at the expense of Libya’s interests. The people, adding that the closure will lead to a shortage of fuel and electricity, calling on the Petroleum Facilities Guard to secure the fields and ensure the continuation of production.
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2024-06-27 02:30:08