Libya's Dbeibeh appoints new head of state oil company

TRIPOLI, Libya

The Tripoli-based government of Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh on Tuesday appointed a new chairman of Libya’s state oil company.

“Farhat Omar Bengdara was appointed chairman of the National Oil Corporation (NOC), replacing Mustafa Sanalla,” Oil Ministry spokesman Ahmad Jumaa told Anadolu Agency.

He said four new board members of the oil company were also appointed.

Sanalla had headed NOC since 2015, but disputes emerged recently between him and Oil Minister Mohamed Aoun, who accused the former NOC chairman of hiding reports about oil production and revenues.

Bengdara had previously served as governor of Libya's central bank between 2006 and 2011.

Libya’s crude oil production has decreased to between 100,000 and 200,000 barrels a day due to closure of most of the country’s oil fields and ports.

Since April 17, Libyan tribal groups shut down much of the country's oil facilities in southern and central Libya to pressure Dbeibeh to hand over power to the newly parliament-appointed government of Fathi Bashagha.

Prior to the closure, Libya was producing around 1.2 million crude oil barrels a day.

* Writing by Ahmed Asmar