Production was halted at the Sharara field, Libya’s biggest oil field and protesters threatened to keep a key export terminal which produces 290,000 barrels a day closed. Al Jazeera reports that the shutdown occurs as the North African nation, which has been mired in conflict following the 2011 ouster of Moammar Qaddafi, once again risks division. Parliament on Thursday swore in a new government to replace Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah’s administration, escalating a standoff that risks reigniting fighting. It also takes place against a backdrop of soaring oil prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and subsequent international sanctions.
