Libya's Oil Production Falls by Over 1Mln Barrels Per Day Amid Turmoil

Libya's oil production has lately decreased by over a million barrels per day on average due to the unstable political situation in the country, the Libyan vice prime minister for corporations, who is responsible for the energy sector, told Sputnik.

VIENNA (Sputnik) — According to Ahairish, the government is doing its best to regain control of the oil fields that have been captured by extremist groups and to protect the other oil fields.

Ahairish noted that the internationally recognized authorities in Libya, based in the city of Tobruk, intend to normalize the country's oil production levels in the next two years.

"Production has fallen to 450,000 barrels per day due to armed conflicts, whereas earlier it was reaching 1.5-1.7 million barrels [per day]," Abdourhman Taher Ahairish said on the sidelines of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) meeting in Vienna.

Libya has been in a state of turmoil since early 2011, when Arab Spring protests led to a civil war and the overthrow of long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi.

The country is currently divided between two conflicting governments — the internationally recognized Council of Deputies, based in Tobruk, and the self-proclaimed General National Congress, based in the Libyan capital, Tripoli.

The official authorities do not control a number of key territories. According to UN experts, Daesh (also known as ISIL or Islamic State) terrorist group has up to 3,000 members in Libya. Russia has outlawed Daesh, designating it terrorist organization.