https://arab.news/r4h2m
- Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah had accepted Farhat Bengdara’s resignation
- Libya has Africa’s most abundant hydrocarbon reserves but is struggling to recover from years of conflict since 2011
TRIPOLI: The chairman of Libya’s National Oil Corporation, Farhat Bengdara, has resigned for “urgent” health reasons, the NOC said in a statement on Thursday.
It said Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah had accepted Bengdara’s resignation, “which he submitted due to urgent health circumstances that prevented him from optimally performing his duties and responsibilities.”
The statement said NOC board member Masoud Suleman had been appointed acting chairman.
Libya has Africa’s most abundant hydrocarbon reserves but is struggling to recover from years of conflict after the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that overthrew longtime leader Muammar Qaddafi.
There have been frequent blockades of oil installations, often because of social demands or political disputes.
After a complaint filed by an employee facing dismissal, a Libyan court in November ruled that Bengdara’s position as NOC chairman was invalid because he was also a citizen of the United Arab Emirates.
Under Libyan law, senior positions in public office are open to those with Libyan nationality only.
Bengdara, a former central bank chief under Qaddafi, also worked in banking in the UAE and became head of the NOC in 2022.
Oil production in Libya had hovered for a decade at around 1.2 million barrels per day, but rose to 1.4 million barrels per day in early December.
Pre-uprising output was between 1.5 million and 1.6 million barrels per day.