Libya’s internationally recognized government on Thursday suspended the operations of 40 foreign companies including French oil major Total, Reuters reported, citing a government official.
The Tripoli-based government of national accord (GNA) confirmed that the licenses of those 40 foreign firms had expired.
Total is a major oil player in Libya, which pumps more than 1m barrels of oil a day and aims to have reached 2.1m barrels by 2023.
The decision follows a meeting held between French president, Emmanuel Macron, and the Libyan prime minister, Fayez al-Sarraj, in Paris earlier this week. Sarraj had wanted Macron to explicitly condemn Khalifa Haftar for his assault on Tripoli, but Macron only called for an unconditional ceasefire that too with the condition attached that all armed groups be monitored.
“Noting that there is no military solution to the Libyan conflict, and to put an end to the military offensive launched towards Tripoli, the President of the Republic encouraged an unconditional ceasefire,” Macron’s office said in a statement.
As per reports, the Libyan government is unhappy with France’s stand on the ongoing battle between eastern Libyan forces commander Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) and the UN-backed Fayez Al Sarraj’s internationally-recognized government for Libya’s capital Tripoli. The relation between Tripoli, home to the internationally recognized government, and France have been strained because Paris has ties to Tripoli as well as Khalifa Haftar.
Haftar received military support from France which helped him take over the eastern city of Benghazi in 2017. He also enjoys the backing of the United Arab Emirates and Egypt. About 443 people have been killed in the offensive with thousands in southern Tripoli displaced.
In related news, the eastern Libyan forces commander met with Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Thursday. El-Sisi confirmed Egypt’s support for efforts to counter terrorism and militias in order to achieve safety and stability in Libya.
