Libya's interim Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah appointed a new head to lead the country's state oil company on Tuesday.
"Farhat Omar Bengdara was appointed chairperson of the National Oil Corporation (NOC), replacing Mustafa Sanalla," Oil Ministry spokesperson Ahmad Jumaa told Anadolu Agency (AA).
He said four new board members of the oil company were also appointed.
Sanalla had headed NOC since 2015, but recently disputes emerged between him and Oil Minister Mohamed Aoun, who accused the former NOC chairperson of hiding oil production and revenues reports.
Bengdara had previously served as governor of Libya's central bank between 2006 and 2011.
Libya's crude oil production has decreased to between 100,000 and 200,000 barrels a day due to the closure of most of the country's oil fields and ports.
Since April 17, Libyan tribal groups shut down much of the country's oil facilities in southern and central Libya to pressure Dbeibah to hand over power to the newly parliament-appointed government of Fathi Bashagha.
Before the closure, Libya produced around 1.2 million crude oil barrels daily.
There are growing tensions on the ground, and sporadic clashes between rival militias erupt in Tripoli. Living conditions have also deteriorated, mainly because of fuel shortages in the oil-rich nation.
The blockade was primarily meant to cut off key state revenues to Dbeibah, who has refused to step down even though the vote was not held in December.
Now, Dbeibah and another prime minister, Fathi Bashagha, appointed by the east-based parliament to lead a transitional government, are claiming power. The rivalry has sparked fears the oil-rich country could slide back to fighting after tentative steps toward unity last year.
Libya has been wrecked by conflict since a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. For years, the country was split between rival administrations in the east and west, each supported by different militias and foreign governments.
