Libya oilfields remain shut as clashes threaten ceasefire
- Critics say Berlin peace summit failed to produce ‘concrete mechanisms’ to ensure truce and de-escalation are observed
- Rival leaders, PM Fayez Sarraj and former general Khalifa Hifter, did not sign any documents, let alone appear in same room
Libya’s major oilfields and production facilities remained closed on Monday, its national oil company said, in a sign that the country’s east-based forces are not backing down after an international summit to end the Libyan civil war.
The Libyan National Oil Corporation confirmed it had invoked force majeure on oil exports from two key southern fields, a clause that allows for a failure to fulfil international contracts due to a sudden disruptive event.
The continued closure of virtually all of Libya’s oil facilities by eastern Libyan forces ratchets up pressure on their adversaries in the west, the UN-backed government that controls the capital, Tripoli.
World powers with interests in Libya’s long-running conflict pledged on Sunday to respect a much-violated arms embargo and push opposing factions to reach a truce.
But on the ground, tensions remained high. As world leaders convened about military de-escalation, observers said scattered clashes erupted outside Tripoli, testing a tenuous week-old ceasefire.
