Protest forces Libya’s national oil firm to close Al-Fil field.

Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) has announced the suspension of production at a major oil field in the country’s south, declaring a force majeure due to a protest at the site.

Located some 750 kilo meters southwest of Tripoli, the Al-Fil field is jointly managed by the NOC and Italian energy giant ENI and produces about 70,000 barrels of oil per day.

The field was already forced to close temporarily in early March when an armed group shut down valves delivering crude.

Libya has recently found itself again with two rival governments after the eastern-based parliament in February appointed a new prime minister in a direct challenge to the UN-backed government in Tripoli.

Seun Fakorede