Gunpoint exit for Libya’s Sanalla

A figure from the Gaddafi era has replaced the NOC’s top man. Initial consequences have been positive for output, but uncertainty and risks remain

Libya’s oil industry has been rocked by fresh turbulence after armed groups stormed the headquarters of state-owned National Oil Corporation (NOC) to enforce the sacking of its chairman Mustafa Sanalla. Sanalla, in post since 2014, was fired by one of Libya’s two rival administrations, the Government of National Unity (GNU). Libya’s parliament, which is based in the east of the country and controls a rival government, has denounced his replacement as unconstitutional. Tensions between Sanalla and the GNU have been simmering for months. The GNU is internationally recognised but was installed last year as a temporary government to oversee elections in December. When those elections were cancel