By Thompson ABISOLA
UN Special Envoy to Libya, Ghassan Salame, on Thursday said that the Libyan oil “belongs to all Libyans’’ and warned against using the oil for “bargaining.”
“Libya’s oil belongs to all Libyans. No one has the right to obstruct the production, transportation and export of it. Workers’ salaries must be protected and paid,” Salame said in a statement.
“Libya’s oil should not be taken hostage. The nation’s wealth must not be used for bargaining and must remain untouched by tensions and shocks,” the statement added.
The Libyan government on Wednesday announced that the largest oil field, Al-Sharara, was reopened after it was forcefully closed two weeks ago by gunmen and protesters demanding better services for the South.
The government made the announcement following a visit by Prime Minister Fayez Serraj to the field, where he promised to improve the security and services in the region.
Al-Sharara, located some 750 km Southwest of capital Tripoli, is the largest oil field in Libya.
It produces 270,000 barrels of oil per day, more than a quarter of Libya’s daily oil production.
In a development, UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) on Thursday expressed concern over the military escalation in Western Libya, where the Eastern-based army attacked an armed group on Wednesday.
“Reports from Sirte vicinity are worrying — whether caused by misjudgment or bad faith; Libya doesn’t need new bloody battles. It needs guns to be silenced and clashes avoided,” the Mission said in a statement.
“UNSMIL warns parties against consequences of playing with fire, will hold initiators responsible and deal with them accordingly,” the statement said.
The Eastern-based army announced earlier on Wednesday that it launched an attack in Al-Sdada, some 280 km East of the capital Tripoli, against an armed group that used to occupy vital oil ports.
The Libyan government condemned the military escalation in the Al-Sdada area and called for resorting to reason and refraining from any further escalation.
Since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi’s regime in 2011, Libya has been suffering political division, insecurity and chaos.
