Libya’s Tripoli-based government has appointed a new head of the state oil company to replace veteran technocrat Mustafa Sanalla, who refused to give up his post.
Unlike many other Libyan state bodies, the National Oil Corporation, which has been run by Sanalla since 2014, has managed to remain largely neutral amid the political infighting.
But petrol is at the heart of political rivalries in Libya, which has two governments, one in Tripoli led by Abdulhamid Dbeibah, appointed last year as part of a UN-backed peace process to end more than a decade of violence in North Africa to end country.
Dbeibah has refused to cede power to Fathi Bashagha, who was appointed prime minister in February by a parliament based in eastern Libya and is supported by military strongman Khalifa Haftar.
According to a July 7 decree released Wednesday, Farhat Bengdara and four others will form the “board of directors of the National Oil Corporation.”
Bengdara, 57, was governor of Libya’s central bank from 2006 to 2011 before joining the revolt that toppled dictator Muamer Gaddafi.
An ad hoc committee that was supposed to organize the handover at the head of the NOK on Wednesday had to stop its work because of the displeasure of the employees – including from the very top.
Sanalla said late Wednesday he would not be relinquishing his post.
“This institution belongs to all Libyans, not yours,” he said in a live video address to Dbeibah.
“Your government’s mandate has expired,” he said, emphasizing the oil company’s technical and non-political nature.
Sanalla has positioned itself as an interlocutor with foreign powers and oil companies. He has also been adept at mediating disputes to keep Libya’s crude oil flowing in wartime and boosting production in peacetime.
However, Dbeibah’s Oil and Gas Minister Mohammed Aoun has tried on several occasions to oust Sanalla.
In an April interview with AFP, Aoun accused Sanalla of not respecting the laws that govern the sector “and exceeding its prerogatives”.
Bengdara is said to be close to the United Arab Emirates, which is backing Libya’s eastern camp. Sanalla accused the UAE of involvement in his sacking.
Despite sitting on Africa’s largest proven oil reserves, war-torn Libya suffers from chronic power outages and rising poverty. This has fueled public anger, which has pressured both the Tripoli-based government and its eastern rival.
On Wednesday, the NOC said it was lifting force majeure at two eastern export terminals. They had been blocked for three months by groups demanding Dbeibah’s departure.
#Libyan #oil #company #resisting #move #replace
