TRIPOLI, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Libyan daily crude oil production is down by more than 360 thousand barrels per day(bpd) due to militias closing down oil fields, National Oil Corporation (NOC) said on Wednesday.
"The National Oil Corporation confirms that daily crude oil production is down by 360 bpd due to outlawed militias closing down western oil fields, which is a loss of 160 million USD of oil sales so far," NOC chief Mustafa Sanalla said.
"Those gangs do not only harm the country, but also harm their own families," said Sanalla.
"This is a national tragedy. Our production was recovering, not enough to balance the budget, but it was enough to give us hope that the financial situation could stabilize and that the use of the central bank savings will be reduced. Now, we are sliding backward," Sanalla said.
"Everyone will suffer because of this criminal act. Enough is enough. Local communities must understand that such gangs will not do any good for anyone. We must work together to build a stable society where everyone's interests are respected, or else the future will be very dark for all of us," Sanalla added.
According to the NOC, a militia on August 19 closed down a pipe line in southwestern Libya, causing a drop of oil production by nearly 283 thousand bpd.
The militia closed down another oil field on August 25, causing a drop of oil production by almost 8,000 bpd. The same militia also closed down a third oil field on August 26, which dropped the oil production by 70 thousand bpd.
The NOC announced a status of Force Majeure in the three fields and filed a formal complaint with the Attorney General.
The militia did not reveal any demands or reasons for closing the fields.
Libya's oil sector has been suffering since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011.
Rival militias have closed down oil fields and ports in the country, causing sharp drop of oil output.
