Libya’s largest oil field closed as turmoil intensifies

By SAMY MAGDY
Associated Press

CAIRO (AP) — Authorities say tribal leaders in southern Libya have shut down the county’s largest oil field — the latest closure of an oil facility amid a bitter standoff between two rival governments. Oil production at the Sharara field was stopped Monday and the state-run National Oil Corp. 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 political standoff in the country.