Tribal men hold protest on Libya oilfield

Benghazi, Libya (Reuters) – A small group of Libyan tribespeople demonstrated in front of an oil field in the south of the country and threatened to shut down their facilities if their living conditions did not improve. Sunday a video and oil workers.

Closing operations, including attacks, kidnappings and blockades by tribes and state-paid guards, have resulted in the closure of some mines in western Libya. The field produces about 300,000 barrels a day.

"The situation is fragile (in the area of ​​sparks) Nobody knows what will happen," said a Libyan oil source interviewed about the protest on Thursday. He said the field was facing "constant threats".

The protesters called for the improvement of public services such as water and banking liquidity in the Fezan region, in the south of the country, where the standard of living has deteriorated over the years. years because of insecurity and the collapse of the state.

A protester said in a statement on a video posted on the internet that protesters had given the state until November 11 to respond to their demands or face a halt in oil and gas production in Fezan in general.

An oil worker and a protester confirmed the protest on Thursday.

The National Oil Corporation made no comment when Reuters made contact.

The field was briefly closed in March after a landowner shut down a valve to protest pollution near a pipeline crossing its territory.

Libya, a member of OPEC, is currently producing up to 1.3 million bpd of oil, the president of the National Oil Corporation told Reuters on Wednesday.

This is Libya's highest level of production since mid-2013, when armed groups launched a wave of blockades and demonstrations in the context of the Libyan conflict since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi.