Armed Groups Block Libyan Oil Production

Outside intervention there has not made things better

Armed groups in Libya are currently blocking key oilfields—hijacking the government of its main source of revenue and leading to some fuel shortages and blackouts.

Billions of dollars have been lost over the last few months as oil production has plummeted, costing about $130m (£82m) a day.

Earlier this year, Libya was producing at least 1.5 million barrels of oil per day; last week a little more than 100,000 were pumped a day—a figure which officials say has gone up to 263,000 this week.

Leading the blockade are armed groups made up of current and former employees of border security and an eastern unit of the Petroleum Facilities Guard—set up to secure the oilfields.

Their main complaint is about industry corruption which they say has not improved since long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi was toppled from power in 2011, but there is no one single issue or demand.