Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) is going ahead with plans to host an international oil and gas conference on 16-18 September even as Libyan oil production has crashed after weeks of strike action and blockades by disgruntled oil workers and security guards. While there were nuggets of good news with the announcement of two new gas discoveries in the past week, the crisis in the oil sector is far from over despite NOC’s attempt to put on a façade of business-as-usual.
The interim government has yet to take concrete action to stop the rot in the oil and gas sector, which has become hostage to rival political and armed factions and a hodgepodge of tribal groups that have taken advantage of weak central authority to press demands for a variety of issues. (CONTINUED - 1915 WORDS)
