{
  "id": 9127291,
  "title": "Armed group shuts pipeline from Libya's largest oil field, jeopardising exports",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/22/armed-group-shuts-pipeline-from-libyas-largest-oil-field-jeopardising",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-22T10:53:17.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Euronews",
    "slug": "euronews",
    "url": "https://www.euronews.com/2026/09/22/armed-group-shuts-libyas-largest-oil-field-pipeline-jeopardising-exports"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "An unspecified armed group recently shut a valve on a pipeline connecting Libya's largest oil field to the coastal city of Zawiya, resulting in a significant drop in production, according to the National Oil Corporation (NOC). The disruption threatens the El Sharara field, a crucial source of crude for Libya, an OPEC member country blessed with Africa's largest proven oil reserves. Such attacks are common as armed groups and protesters frequently target oil fields, pipelines, and export terminals to voice political or economic demands. The NOC disclosed that the closure impacted a pipeline stretching 700 kilometers from the El Sharara field, situated 700 kilometers south of Tripoli, to Zawiya. The company did not reveal the identity of the group responsible for the act. In the event that the shutdown persists, the NOC might be compelled to declare force majeure, a legal clause that permits service providers to suspend contractual obligations due to circumstances beyond their control. The NOC had previously invoked this provision in January 2024 during another closure at El Sharara, which led to a considerable reduction in production and subsequently impacted state revenues. Currently, global oil prices have surged above $100 per barrel due to disruptions in Gulf shipping related to the Iran war. The NOC also cautioned that the Zawiya refinery, located approximately 45 kilometers west of Tripoli, could be compelled to shut down if the disruption continues. Despite possessing immense energy resources, Libya has been plagued by violence and instability since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The nation remains divided between the internationally recognized government in Tripoli, led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, and the opposing administration in the east, supported by the military strongman General Khalifa Haftar. The El Sharara field, Libya's largest oil reserve managed by Akakus Oil Operations, a joint venture involving the NOC, Spain's Repsol, France's TotalEnergies, Austria's OMV, and Norway's Equinor, can produce approximately 350,000 barrels per day at full capacity, constituting roughly a third of Libya's total output. The field experienced a two-year shutdown from November 2014 to December 2016 following a pipeline blockade by armed groups and has encountered repeated interruptions since Gaddafi's overthrow.",
  "summary": "A valve closure on the El Sharara-to-Zawiya pipeline has cut production at a field accounting for roughly a third of Libya's total output, prompting the national oil company to warn it may declare force majeure.",
  "key_points": [
    "Armed group shuts pipeline from El Sharara field to Zawiya",
    "Disruption threatens Libya's largest oil exports",
    "NOC may declare force majeure if shutdown persists"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}