2 Libya oilfields resume production

Production at two oilfields in southern Libya has restarted after it was suspended for several months, a national oil company official said on Monday. Mohamed al-Harairi of Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) told AFP the Sarir and Msala oilfields had "resumed production on Sunday". Electricity production in the North African nation has been affected since July when armed protesters demanding regional autonomy blockaded the main oil facilities in the east. Oil output has plunged to about 250,000 barrels per day from nearly 1.5 million bpd normally. Foreign firms tasked with repairing power plants damaged in the uprising have also pulled out staff in the face of persistent unrest. The NOC spokesman said the Al-Hariga export terminal in eastern Libya, which has been closed for several months due to protests by local people, would reopen soon after negotiations with protesters. Oil is Libya's main resource, and accounts for 80 percent of state revenues.