Libya’s NOC says armed groups affiliated with Haftar are clashing inside oil facilities

BY Libyan Express Jul 19, 2020 - 16:12

The building housing Libya’s oil state energy firm, the National Oil Corporation (NOC), is seen in Tripoli, Libya. [Photo: NOC]

The Libyan National Oil Corporation (NOC) said Saturday evening it was deeply concerned at the serious deterioration in the security situation in areas surrounding oil facilities in the Gulf of Sirte.

“Violent Clashes took place over the past 48 hours in the Brega region, only hundreds of meters away from oil tanks, between armed groups called Al-Saiqa and the Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG), all of whom belong to Khalifa Haftar.” The NOC added in a statement.

The NOc added that the armed groups and PFG forces exchanged gunfire using medium-sized, 23mm-caliber firearms and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), which reflects the lack of responsibility and military discipline among these armed groups, whose actions jeopardize oil facilities and threaten the safety of NOC workers as well the residents in the surrounding areas.

The NOC stressed the importance of evicting Russian Wagner Group, Syrian and Janjaweed mercenaries from its facilities and calls for an end to the militarization of its installations under international supervision and the restructuring of security arrangements in oil regions to be under the protection of a professional, disciplined and independent security force.

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