The commander of the Libyan National Army Khalifa Haftar on Friday said that he would lift months-long oil production blockades for a month, following an agreement with the Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli on a fair distribution of energy revenue. The lifting is expected to ease financial constraints for both sides in the Libyan conflict.
Ahmed Maiteeg, the deputy prime minister of GNA, also issued a statement confirming Haftar’s promise on blockade lifting. Maiteeg said that a new committee would oversee revenue distribution and coordinate between the two sides regarding budget, payment, and debt.
The Libyan conflict has slashed the country’s oil production from 1.2 million bpd to 100,000 bpd. Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) said that it would need time to regain pre-conflict production levels as prolonged shutdown damaged its facilities. The company said LNA needs to withdraw militants from its facilities to ensure staff safety before resuming oil production. Both Haftar and Maiteeg did not address this issue.
