Libya’s state-owned National Oil Corporation (NOC) denied reports that it was supporting the conflict in Sudan, through the Sarir Refinery near the borders.
The NOC said in a statement that it will “file lawsuits locally and internationally against the publisher of that fake news, in order to preserve the reputation of the Corporation and the Libyan state.” It did not mention the name of the publisher, but noted that they were a “media activist.”
The NOC stressed that the Sarir Refinery “has a limited refining capacity that does not exceed 10,000 barrels per day, which is not enough for the neighbouring oases in Libya.”
The Corporation affirmed its “commitment to professional standards in the performance of its work.” It noted that most of its focus is on stabilizing current production levels, and implementing plans to increase production.
Last week, a group of Libyan MP’s expressed their concerns about the armed conflict in Sudan, stressing that “Libya will not support one party at the expense of the other.”
In a joint statement, the MP’s called on Sudan’s leaders to “sit at the dialogue table and give priority to the country’s supreme interest. The armed conflict in Sudan will turn the country into chaos, and a battleground between external parties that threaten the security of Sudan.”
They warned that the conflict “might affect neighbouring countries, especially Libya, which had previously suffered from violations by the armed militias of neighbouring countries.”
“Libya is neutral and equidistant from both sides of the conflict in Sudan. Libya has not, and will not support any party at the expense of the other,” the statement said.
They also condemned foreign interference in Sudanese internal affairs.
The Libyan lawmakers also called on their Sudanese “brothers to immediately stop these clashes, turn to the dialogue table, and support holding general elections that would resolve the competition for power through the ballot box.”
Notably, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, the leader of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), denied that the Commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA) Filed Marshal Khalifa Haftar supports any of the two sides of the conflict in Sudan.
Al-Burhan said, in press statements, that Khalifa Haftar “contacted me, and confirmed that his support for the other party (the Rapid Support Forces) is untrue.”
He added that they must sit together, to find a way out of the crisis.