(Bloomberg) -- Libya’s National Oil Corp. declared force majeure at the Zawiya refinery in the country’s west after clashes between armed groups caused a fire.
The state company said the blaze broke out early Sunday morning after storage tanks were struck by gunfire. The tanks sustained “significant damage,” the NOC said in a statement on its website, adding that the fire has been contained.
It didn’t identify the armed groups involved, but Almarsad, an online Libya news site, reported the fighting was between two tribes. Libya Alahrar TV said that calm had been restored.
Libya, which is divided between rival governments in its east and west, sees sporadic militia fighting. The NOC had urged the internationally-recognized government in Tripoli to “intervene to resolve these clashes and quell the unrest by any means necessary.”
The North African OPEC member has been roiled by violence and instability since the uprising that ousted long-time leader Moammar Qaddafi in 2011. It sits atop Africa’s largest proven oil reserves, a resource that’s frequently been targeted by armed groups vying for influence.
Earlier this month, officials said Libya’s oil production had risen to 1.422 million barrels — its highest daily level in more than a decade.
--With assistance from Hatem Mohareb.
(Updates with detail on armed groups, calm restored in third paragraph.)
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