Armed group blocks key Libya oil field

TRIPOLI(Libya): One of Libya’s largest oil fields has been out of production for more than a week, the state-owned National Oil Corporation said Tuesday, blaming a militia for the shutdown.

The NOC said early last week that an armed group had seized the Sharara site, prompting it to declare “force majeure” -- a legal measure exempting it from responsibility for failure to deliver on contracts. A video posted online showed southern Libyans saying they were blocking the field to protest against marginalisation and shortages of electricity, fuel and money.

The group said Monday it would not allow production to resume until Libya’s unity government met its demands.

“The closure of Sharara will be maintained until the GNA (Libya’s UN-backed Government of National Accord) meets the demands of the inhabitants of the marginalised south of Libya, which is severely deprived of services,” said Mohamad Emeguel, who said he was a spokesman for the protesters.

“We call on the GNA to guarantee the supply of fuel (to petrol stations) and cash to banks, to pay more attention to the dilapidated medical sector, to reopen airports and to help disaster-stricken cities” in the south, he said by telephone. Libya was plunged into chaos following the NATObacked uprising that toppled and killed longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi.