By XINHUA More by this AuthorTripoliThe US Embassy in Libya on Sunday welcomed the reopening of Sharara oilfield, the largest in Libya, after it was closed by tribal leaders in January. "The needless, five-month long shutdown of Libya's energy sector and the targeting of NOC personnel and facilities must end on a nationwide basis," said the statement. "Now is the time for all responsible parties to reject attempts to militarise the energy sector, divide Libya's economic institutions, and subjugate critical infrastructure to foreign interests," it said. Oil ports and fields had been closed since January by tribal leaders in eastern Libya, who accuse the Tripoli-based UN-backed government of using oil revenues to support armed groups against the east-based army. The closure of the oilfields and ports has caused losses of more than 5.2 billion US dollars so far, the NOC confirmed.

Source: Daily Nation June 08, 2020 04:18 UTC