Libya’s oil chief rejects sacking, says govt mandate expired

TRIPOLI: The head of Libya’s National Oil Corp. (NOC) on Wednesday rejected the prime minister’s authority to sack him, raising the prospect of an open struggle for control of the state energy producer.
In a furious televised speech, Mustafa Sanalla said Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah’s mandate to govern had expired and warned him not to touch NOC.
Libya’s messy political situation has already removed 850,000 barrels per day from the market this year through a blockade by eastern factions, underlining the risks to already constricted global energy supply.