The Sharara field, one of Libya's largest oil production sites, has been a frequent target for political protesters. Reuters
The Sharara field, one of Libya's largest oil production sites, has been a frequent target for political protesters. Reuters
The Sharara field, one of Libya's largest oil production sites, has been a frequent target for political protesters. Reuters
The Sharara field, one of Libya's largest oil production sites, has been a frequent target for political protesters. Reuters

Production halted at Libya’s El Feel and Sharara oilfields after protests


Ismaeel Naar
  • English
  • Arabic

Production at Libya's El Feel, Sharara and 108 oilfields has stopped after tribal leaders protested against the apparent arrest of a former finance minister.

The shutdown was confirmed by engineers working at the sites.

The closures are being led by the Al Zawi tribe against the disputed arrest of Faraj Bumatari on Tuesday.

The protesters released a video statement from the 108 oilfield saying they had closed a valve.

"We affirm the continuation of the oil closures and we may escalate the situation to more than that if our son Faraj Bumatari is not released," footage showed a man surrounded by others saying.

No protesters have entered the Sharara oilfield so far, two engineers working in the field told Reuters on Thursday, but the threat from the demonstrators was enough for production to be halted.

The Sharara field, one of Libya's largest production areas with a capacity of 300,000 barrels per day, has been a frequent target for protesters fuelled by political causes.

The site is in the Murzuq basin in the south-east and is run by state oil firm NOC via Acacus alongside Spain's Repsol, France's Total, Austria's OMV and Norway's Equinor.

Faraj Bumatari arrived at Mitiga Airport on Tuesday, where he was reportedly arrested, although his tribe say he was kidnapped. AFP
Faraj Bumatari arrived at Mitiga Airport on Tuesday, where he was reportedly arrested, although his tribe say he was kidnapped. AFP

El Feel field, with a capacity of 70,000bpd, is operated by Mellitah Oil and Gas, a joint venture between NOC and Italy's Eni.

No immediate comment was available from NOC.

Oil-rich Libya was plunged into over a decade of chaos after a Nato-backed uprising toppled and killed dictator Muammar Qaddafi in 2011.

The country has since been politically divided, with one administration in Tripoli and another in the east backed by Gen Khalifa Haftar.

The leader of Al Zawi tribe, Al Senussi Al Ahlaiq, told Reuters the closure of El Feel was aimed at pressuring authorities in Tripoli to release Mr Bumatari, who was reportedly arrested by security agents after arriving at Mitiga Airport on Tuesday.

The tribe, to which Mr Bumatari belongs, claims he was abducted.

Mr Al Ahlaiq said preparations were under way to close Tripoli's entire water supply.

Mr Bumatari is a candidate for the position of central bank governor, the tribe said in a written statement, which "makes him vulnerable to danger and kidnapping".

The UN mission in Libya said the "shutdown must be immediately ended".

The mission said five members of Libya's High State Council had also been banned from travelling at the same airport.

"These acts create a climate of fear, promote tension between communities and tribes," said the UN Support Mission in Libya (Unsmil).

2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups

Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.

Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.

Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.

Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).

Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.

Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.

Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.

Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.

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%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Khalid%20Fahad%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Shaima%20Al%20Tayeb%2C%20Wafa%20Muhamad%2C%20Hamss%20Bandar%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Dubai Bling season three

Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed 

Rating: 1/5

Brief scores:

Toss: Nepal, chose to field

UAE 153-6: Shaiman (59), Usman (30); Regmi 2-23

Nepal 132-7: Jora 53 not out; Zahoor 2-17

Result: UAE won by 21 runs

Series: UAE lead 1-0

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Generation Start-up: Awok company profile

Started: 2013

Founder: Ulugbek Yuldashev

Sector: e-commerce

Size: 600 plus

Stage: still in talks with VCs

Principal Investors: self-financed by founder

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T10 Cricket League
Sharjah Cricket Stadium
December 14- 17
6pm, Opening ceremony, followed by:
Bengal Tigers v Kerala Kings 
Maratha Arabians v Pakhtoons
Tickets available online at q-tickets.com/t10

The drill

Recharge as needed, says Mat Dryden: “We try to make it a rule that every two to three months, even if it’s for four days, we get away, get some time together, recharge, refresh.” The couple take an hour a day to check into their businesses and that’s it.

Stick to the schedule, says Mike Addo: “We have an entire wall known as ‘The Lab,’ covered with colour-coded Post-it notes dedicated to our joint weekly planner, content board, marketing strategy, trends, ideas and upcoming meetings.”

Be a team, suggests Addo: “When training together, you have to trust in each other’s abilities. Otherwise working out together very quickly becomes one person training the other.”

Pull your weight, says Thuymi Do: “To do what we do, there definitely can be no lazy member of the team.” 

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Uefa Champions League last 16 draw

Juventus v Tottenham Hotspur

Basel v Manchester City

Sevilla v  Manchester United

Porto v Liverpool

Real Madrid v Paris Saint-Germain

Shakhtar Donetsk v Roma

Chelsea v Barcelona

Bayern Munich v Besiktas

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Why it pays to compare

A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.

Route 1: bank transfer

The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.

Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount

Total received: €4,670.30 

Route 2: online platform

The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.

Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction

Total received: €4,756

The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.

Results

5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,200m, Winner: ES Rubban, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ibrahim Aseel (trainer)

5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh85,000 (T) 1,200m, Winner: Al Mobher, Sczcepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami

6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m, Winner: Jabalini, Tadhg O’Shea, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami

6.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m, Winner: AF Abahe, Tadgh O’Shea, Ernst Oertel

7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh85,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: AF Makerah, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel

7.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: Law Of Peace, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar

COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed 

From exhibitions to the battlefield

In 2016, the Shaded Dome was awarded with the 'De Vernufteling' people's choice award, an annual prize by the Dutch Association of Consulting Engineers and the Royal Netherlands Society of Engineers for the most innovative project by a Dutch engineering firm.

It was assigned by the Dutch Ministry of Defence to modify the Shaded Dome to make it suitable for ballistic protection. Royal HaskoningDHV, one of the companies which designed the dome, is an independent international engineering and project management consultancy, leading the way in sustainable development and innovation.

It is driving positive change through innovation and technology, helping use resources more efficiently.

It aims to minimise the impact on the environment by leading by example in its projects in sustainable development and innovation, to become part of the solution to a more sustainable society now and into the future.

Updated: July 14, 2023, 8:48 AM