Khalifa Haftar, commander of the eastern-based army of Libya, on Friday announced allowing the resumption of oil exports with conditions.
“It has been decided to resume production and export of oil with all necessary conditions and procedural measures that guarantee a fair distribution of the financial revenues, not to use them to support terrorism, or not being subjected to embezzlement,” Haftar said in a televised speech.
“We are keen to improve the living conditions of the people,” he said.
The eastern-based army has been blocking oil production and exports for about eight months, demanding fair distribution of oil revenues.
According to the state-owned National Oil Corporation (NOC), the country has lost nearly 10 billion U.S. dollars as a result of the oil blockade.
The NOC on Thursday expressed regret over “using oil as a bargaining chip to achieve political gains,” stressing that lifting the state of force majeure on oilfields and ports is “linked to transparency and security arrangements.”
Ever since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi’s regime in 2011, the Libyan oil sector has been suffering due to repeated closures and attacks on oil facilities.
