Hommam Al Nassim 
Today, Thursday, Libyan Oil Minister Muhammad Aoun issued a statement in which he revealed the developments of the crisis with the Prime Minister of the National Unity Government, Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, in light of the presence of two ministers at the head of the oil and gas portfolio.
Aoun called on the Prime Minister to take a clear position regarding the leadership crisis in the Ministry of Oil, proposing either correcting the current situation, or issuing a decision to remove him from the position of Minister of Oil and Gas in the National Unity Government.
Aoun stressed that the current situation, which witnesses the presence of a legitimate and an illegitimate minister for the sector, leads to severe damage to Libya, citing Schlumberger’s threat to withdraw from the country.
The Minister of Oil and Gas in Libya, Muhammad Aoun, returned to his work about a month ago, but the crisis of division in the sector continued as Khalifa Abdel-Sadiq continued his work within the Ministry’s office as Minister-designate.
The details of the crisis go back to Tuesday, March 26, 2024, when the Administrative Control Authority issued a decision to suspend Libyan Oil Minister Mohamed Aoun from work, due to accusations of committing legal violations that harmed the public interest of the state.
Aoun denied committing any violations, and on May 12, 2024, the Administrative Control Authority announced the lifting of the precautionary suspension against him after he was acquitted of the charges against him.
Libyan Oil Minister Mohamed Aoun expressed his dissatisfaction with the Prime Minister’s refusal to communicate with him, describing this as behavior inappropriate for ministries and governments, stressing that he did not seek the position, and does not care about leaving it if that would serve the public interest.
Aoun criticized the measures taken by Khalifa Abdel Sadiq, considering that they hinder the progress of work in the ministry and confuse development attempts. He pointed to issuing official seals in the name of the minister, canceling the secondment and secondment of some ministry employees, and changing the offices of some general directors from the ministry’s office to the headquarters of the National Oil Corporation.
Aoun stressed in his statement that he does not accept to be a minister without a ministry, and expressed his readiness to accept dismissal if it is legal, stressing that the reason for dismissal will not be due to poor performance, a lack of patriotism, or the efficiency of the administration, nor due to accusations of corruption or neglect of the wealth of the Libyans.
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