Head of Libya's National Oil Corporation resigns

The head Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC), Farhat Bengdara, has resigned due to "health issues," and Masoud Sulaiman has been appointed as acting chief, the state oil company said, Report informs via Reuters.

The Government of National Unity's head, Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah, accepted Bengdara's resignation and appointed Sulaiman pending the formation of a new board of directors at the next cabinet meeting, NOC added in a statement.

Bengdara, who was appointed in July 2022 to replace veteran NOC chief Mustafa Sanallah, submitted his resignation to Dbeibah three times in one year as he wanted to have a back surgery that would require him to rest for months and could not be postponed.

The NOC runs the technical sector of oil and gas production, along with a number of smaller subsidiaries, in OPEC member Libya, which is the third largest oil producer in North Africa.