The Tripoli based Libyan government yesterday condemned what it called the attempt to shut down Sharara oil field. It said it is following up on the technical and security reports it has received regarding the attempt to shut down the Sharara Oil Field, which comes within the framework of new attempts at political blackmail.
It said ‘‘While we clearly denounce and condemn any attempt to disrupt an important economic artery such as the Sharara Field, which represents about 40% of the country’s oil production, with Libya’s production share in it being 88% and the foreign operator’s share being 12%, which results in the aggravation of the suffering of the Libyan people who have paid the price alone for the repeated oil shutdown crises that have caused serious damage to the national economy and negatively affected the lives of our citizens.
We emphasize that oil wealth belongs to all Libyans and may not be used as a pressure card to achieve narrow political or personal goals. The government will not hesitate to take all necessary measures to protect the interests of our people and defend their rights to benefit from the wealth of their country, renewing our call to use the language of reason, uphold the interests of the nation and the citizen, and abandon actions that harm them’’.
Reasons for the partial closure?
Initial reports said that the oil filed was closed by the local Fezzan Movement group who had used the closure of the Sharara field to obtain solutions to local grievances. However, the group quickly refuted this claim, and it transpired that, according to widely published local and international media reports, Saddam Khalifa Hafter closed the oil filed because it is operated by Spain’s Repsol.
Spain and Hafter’s alleged arms smuggling
The closure by Saddam Hafter was, the reports claim, in retaliation for him being stopped at Rome Airport for several hours as a result of an arrest warrant issued by Spanish authorities.
Spanish authorities had, the reports claimed, issued an international arrest warrant for Saddam accused of an arms smuggling operation foiled by Spain earlier this year. This was when Spanish police had intercepted an arms shipment destined en route from the UAE to Benghazi.
