July 14 (EUROPA PRESS) –
Production at the Sharara oil field in eastern Libya has come to a complete halt due to a wave of protests demanding the release of a former minister and prominent tribal representative amid a new episode of tension between communities in the country, sometimes linked to the frictions that separate the two parallel administrations that compete for its control.
The protesters, members of the Al Zawia tribe, demand the release of Faraj Bu Matari, former Finance Minister, who has been detained by security services at the Mitiga airport, according to the ‘Libya Observer’.
In protest, they have closed the El Sharara field, as confirmed to Bloomberg by the Minister for Oil and Gas, Mohamed Un. The nearby El Feel field is also blocked.
The production and export of crude oil are essential to get the country out of the enormous economic and security crisis in which it has been trapped since the death in 2011 of Muammar Gaddafi. The conflicting parties, political or tribal, often use the deposits as a threat to achieve their achievements.
