On 28 May, rumours circulated on Libyan social media that the HQ of the National Oil Corporation (NOC) in Tripoli was stormed by militia groups. According to reports, gunfire was heard from around the building. Some sources even said that the NOC Chairman, Massoud Suleiman, was virtually highjacked and kept in the HQ against his will with another two people.
On 28 May, the NOC issued an urgent statement denying the allegation, and clarifying that ‘what happened was nothing more than a limited personal dispute that occurred in the reception area and was immediately resolved by administrative security personnel without any impact on the [NOC]’s workflow’. The NOC also said that its operations continue normally.
Later the same day, the Government of National Stability (GNS) promptly issued a statement condemning ‘the actions of these armed groups in storming the [NOC]’s headquarters, attacking the office of the chairman of its board of directors, and threatening and intimidating its employees with the use of weapons’. The GNS stressed that such attacks on state institutions, especially economic institutions, pose ‘a major threat to the oil sector and to the wealth and livelihood of Libyans in general’ and ‘undermine all opportunities to unify public institutions’. The GNS therefore threatened to halt Libya’s oil production, unless the NOC’s HQ be temporarily relocated out of Tripoli, citing Ras Lanuf and Brega as possible alternative locations.
On 29 May, the Attorney General (AG) said it had detained 3 people for breaking into the NOC HQ. At the time of writing, it is unclear who these people are and how they were identified and arrested.
The Government of National Unity’s (GNU) Ministry of Defense confirmed that it had monitored the incident at the NOC and had taken ‘immediate measures’ to deal with the involved individuals and hand them over to the judicial authorities.