NOC’s Sanallah: ports deal with ‘criminal’ Jadhran threatens Libyan oil recovery

The UN’s agreement to pay off militia controlling oil terminals will ‘contaminate’ its reputation in the country and sets a dangerous precedent, says NOC chief

The deal brokered by the UN’s top diplomat in Libya, Martin Kobler, with Ibrahim Jadhran’s Petroleum Facilities Guards (PFG) is a threat to the oil sector and will damage the UN’s reputation in the country, Mustafa Sanallah, chairman of National Oil Company (NOC), said on 10 August. While NOC was making new efforts to restart fields and pipelines in Libya’s southwest, the agreement to pay Jadhran to open the Ras Lanuf, Es-Sider and Zueitina ports – which his militia has shut for months – could now prompt other groups to hold energy infrastructure hostage. “Up to now people at the terminals have been no problem – but now who knows?” Sanallah said, referring to groups controlling the two ports