The resumption of oil exports was called for by Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh on Wednesday, amid a dispute over the distribution of revenues.
During a cabinet meeting in the capital Tripoli, Dbeibeh said, “Oil exports must be resumed and then reaching an understanding on a mechanism to distribute revenues.”
Since April, amid pressure on Dbeibeh to cede power to the Parliament-appointed government of Fathi Bashagha, much of Libya’s oil facilities have been shut down by tribal groups.
Although Libya holds Africa’s largest crude reserves, since the 2011 ouster of ruler Muammar Gaddafi, 11 years of conflict in the country has hobbled production and exports.
The Tobruk-based parliament appointed Bashagha, who is a former interior minister, in March to replace Dbeibeh as a prime minister. However, Dbeibeh insists on remaining in his post.
No country recognized Bashagha’s government as it failed to enter Tripoli as there is a public resistance there against the unilateral action by the Tobruk parliament.
