Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) has lifted the force majeure on what it deemed secure oil ports and facilities, but said the measure would remain in place for facilities where fighters and mercenaries loyal to warlord Khalifa Haftar remain.
Haftar’s militias and allied forces, including mercenaries from Russia’s Wagner Group, hold some of Libya’s largest oil fields and export ports, and the NOC had already rejected any return to operations until they left the facilities, citing the safety of its staff.
“Force majeure continues in oil fields and ports where the presence of fighters from Wagner and other armed groups that obstruct the activities and operations of NOC is confirmed,” the oil company said in a statement posted on its Facebook page on Saturday.
Force majeure refers to unexpected external circumstances that prevent a party to a contract, in this case the NOC, from meeting its obligations.
