industry

Masked gunmen storm oil corporation HQ in Libya


Armed men have stormed the headquarters of Libya’s National Oil Corporation in Tripoli, where a blast and gunfire were heard, witnesses and a security source have said.

The building near the city centre had caught fire and was surrounded by security services, they said. There was no official confirmation of any casualties.

“The security services are looking for gunmen in the building, but our priority is to evacuate the civilians stuck inside,” said Ahmed Ben Salem, a spokesman for al-Redaa, a militia that operates as Tripoli’s police force. “The situation is under control,” he said. He was not able to provide details on the identity of the attackers.

An oil company official, who asked not to be named, said masked gunmen had exchanged fire with guards and attacked the building. “I jumped out of the window with other colleagues, and then we heard an explosion,” the official said.

No group has so far claimed the attack.

The incident came four months after suicide bombers struck the headquarters of Libya’s electoral commission, killing 14 in an attack claimed by Islamic State.

The country’s vital oil sector has been repeatedly disrupted by violence since a 2011 Nato-backed rebellion that toppled Muammar Gaddafi.

Petrochemical exports had accounted for the vast majority of state revenues under Gaddafi’s rule, with production at 1.6m barrels per day. But since his ousting, output fell to about 20% of that level, before recovering to more than 1m barrels per day by the end of 2017.

Opec, the oil producers cartel, has estimated Libya’s oil reserves at 48bn barrels, the largest in Africa.

Two rival governments and armed groups are struggling for control of the country and its resources.



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