Libya is getting ready to ship its first oil after months of instability have affected the export of crude oil in the country.

According to the National Oil Company (NOC), the country will again witness the export of crude oil which was ceased by war, political infighting and jihadi attacks.

“Now we will begin working to restart exports from the ports that were closed and from the fields that supply them,” the NOC said in a statement.

This is coming after the Petroleum Facility Guards at Libya's oil fields recently announced that they would reopen two major export terminals, following an agreement with the Government of National Unity (GNA) based in Tripoli.

The NOC added that the GNA had decided to release funds to allow the oil company to boost production by over 900,000 bpd by the end of 2016.

Ras Lanuf and al-Sidra terminals which have respective capacities of 200,000 bpd and 500,000 bpd have been closed since January this year, due to attacks by Islamic State group on storage tanks.

Oil is Libya's main natural resource with reserves estimated at 48 billion barrels, the biggest in Africa. The country depends on oil for its income and is managed by the NOC which is divided into two rival divisions.

One in the capital and close to the GNA, while the other is in the east.

Eastern-based NOC’s Chairman, Nagi al-Maghrabi, has said that he rejects the deal between the GNA and the oil installation guards, however.

“We will not accept that oil is exported under these conditions... as there will be no guarantees of the fair distribution of income, or assurances that the funds will not fall into the hands of militias,” he told The New Arab news.

Anita Fatunji