Eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar is set to permit the country’s oil ports to reopen after an eight-month blockade, according to a US embassy statement.

The statement said, “The Libyan National Army (LNA) conveyed to the US government the personal commitment of General Haftar to allow the full reopening of the energy sector no later than September 12.”

There is a general consensus that it is high time to reopen the energy sector. The restarting of operations “will also enable progress toward a much-needed overhaul of security arrangements for NOC facilities, including the full withdrawal of foreign military personnel and equipment present at oil and gas sites without Libyan approval.”

Libya, which holds Africa’s largest crude reserves, had an annual output of 1.2 million barrels a day (mmbbl/d) in 2019. Output plummeted to about 95,000 bbl/d after the cessation of operations at fields and ports as a result of an illegal blockade.