Libya's largest oil field was closed by tribal leaders in the south, according to a statement made by authorities on Monday.
This is amid the ongoing standoff between the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU) and the east-based Fathi Bashagha, who was appointed by the House of Representatives as prime minister.
The Daily Sabah reports Oil production at the Sharara field has been stopped and the state-run National Oil Corporation declared force majeure at the field, which produces around 450,000 barrels a day.
Force majeure is a legal maneuver that enables a company to get out of its contractual obligations because of extraordinary circumstances.
The corporation called the shutdown of the field an absurd move that mirrors the ongoing standoff in the country.
And the closure will likely create a fuel crisis in the oil-rich country, as the field is one of the main sources of domestic fuel.
The corporation did not name those behind the closure, but its announcement came a few hours after tribal leaders in the desert town of Ubari said they shut down the field in protest against the GNU led by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah.
They called for Dbeibah to hand over power to the government of Prime Minister Fathi Bashagha, who was appointed by the east-based pro-putschist General Khalifa Haftar-led parliament in February to lead a transitional administration after Libya failed to hold its first presidential election in December.
The country has been wracked by conflict since the NATO-backed uprising killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. The country has for years been split between rival administrations in the east and west, each supported by different militias and foreign governments.
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