NOC said armed militia had stormed the premises at El Sharara oilfield on Saturday. Reuters
NOC said armed militia had stormed the premises at El Sharara oilfield on Saturday. Reuters
NOC said armed militia had stormed the premises at El Sharara oilfield on Saturday. Reuters
NOC said armed militia had stormed the premises at El Sharara oilfield on Saturday. Reuters

Militia forces Libya’s NOC to declare force majeure on biggest oilfield


  • English
  • Arabic

Libya's National Oil Company on Monday declared force majeure on exports from El Sharara oilfield, which was seized at the weekend by a local militia group.

NOC said the shutdown would result in a production loss of 315,000 barrels per day at its biggest oilfield, and an additional loss of 73,000bpd at El Feel oilfield.

Production at the Zawiya Refinery was also at risk because of its dependence on crude-oil supply from El Sharara, NOC said in a statement, and said it was "reviewing" evacuation plans.

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Read more:

Neglected locals storm Libya's largest oilfield

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Chairman Mustafa Sanalla said NOC would not negotiate with the militia group. “We will not pay a penny to anyone who closed the field... and we will never sit with them,” he told Al Ahrar TV.

NOC said armed militia had stormed the premises on Saturday after guards and locals claiming to be attached to the Petroleum Facilities Guard forced open the gates.

Members of the group, which sources told Reuters included local tribesmen from the impoverished region, then drove around in jeeps, filming themselves in videos they sent to journalists.

They stayed overnight in the vast, partly unsecured area, making good on a threat issued in October to stop production if authorities did not provide more development funds.

In Libya, armed men, often friends or relatives of existing guards, have regularly blocked oilfields to get added to the state payroll. At El Sharara, there are at least 1,500 PFG members, though almost 500 are civilians, Mr Sanalla said.

Libya is divided and run by two weak governments, and armed groups, tribesmen and normal Libyans vent their anger about high inflation and a lack of infrastructure on the NOC, which they see booking billions of dollars in oil and gas revenue.

Mr Sanalla said NOC had repeatedly informed the government in Tripoli about the problems at El Sharara, which had been attacked 110 times since 2011, the year Muammar Qaddafi was toppled.

But there was little co-ordination between the PFG in south-western Libya and the capital, he said.

Before the force majeure, Libya had been producing up to 1.3 million bpd, its highest level since 2013 when a wave of oilfield blockages started.

Oilfield blockades tend to be solved by authorities quickly giving more money to guards or locals living close by.

This blockade might be more complicated to resolve because the group that seized the facility included tribesmen, who have said they want funds to improve hospitals and other services that might take time to deliver.

Mr Sanalla said the NOC had made good on its promises of help to southern communities, but the government was responsible for resolving the broader situation in the south.

No more lice

Defining head lice

Pediculus humanus capitis are tiny wingless insects that feed on blood from the human scalp. The adult head louse is up to 3mm long, has six legs, and is tan to greyish-white in colour. The female lives up to four weeks and, once mature, can lay up to 10 eggs per day. These tiny nits firmly attach to the base of the hair shaft, get incubated by body heat and hatch in eight days or so.

Identifying lice

Lice can be identified by itching or a tickling sensation of something moving within the hair. One can confirm that a person has lice by looking closely through the hair and scalp for nits, nymphs or lice. Head lice are most frequently located behind the ears and near the neckline.

Treating lice at home

Head lice must be treated as soon as they are spotted. Start by checking everyone in the family for them, then follow these steps. Remove and wash all clothing and bedding with hot water. Apply medicine according to the label instructions. If some live lice are still found eight to 12 hours after treatment, but are moving more slowly than before, do not re-treat. Comb dead and remaining live lice out of the hair using a fine-toothed comb.
After the initial treatment, check for, comb and remove nits and lice from hair every two to three days. Soak combs and brushes in hot water for 10 minutes.Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay.

Courtesy Dr Vishal Rajmal Mehta, specialist paediatrics, RAK Hospital

F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Global Fungi Facts

• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil

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