Chaos in the Libyan oil sector, Sanall refuses to leave
The oil sector plunged into chaos when the Government of National Unity put a new head in charge
of the National Oil Corporation (NOC) and the current head in office, Mustafa Sanalla, questioned
his authority. The situation outside the NOC headquarters was tense, with armed groups on the
spot. NOC personnel launched a call to arms to Libyans to protect the building as a "national duty".
Sanalla left HQ, which remains under NOC control, and the GUN claimed that the new appointed
chief, Farhat Ben Gudara, took over. In a TV speech before his departure, Sanalla denounced the
legitimacy of the GUN, one of the two governments of Libya: "You do not have the ability to make
decisions," said Sanalla addressing GUN leader Abdelhamid Dbeibeh directly. "The mandate of your
government is over. It is a provisional government since October 2021 and the parliament has
approved a vote of no confidence". Sanalla has accused the GUN of disrupting the oil markets and
of negotiating agreements with the United Arab Emirates, which in the past supported the Libyan
national army insurgent against Tripoli and the NOC.