Production in 1 of Libya's largest oilfields, Sharara, resumes

A Libyan oil official says production at one of the country's largest oilfield has restarted, pumping at more than 90 percent of its capacity in a boost to the troubled North African nation.

Mohammed al-Harari, spokesman for the National Oil Corporation, said Wednesday that 325,000 barrels were pumped from the southwestern Sharara oilfield, one of Libya's largest at 340,000 barrels per day. Production resumed a day earlier, following repeated halts because of protests in the area.

In a boost to the country's troubled sector, the government reached an agreement last weekend with eastern rebels to regain control of two oil ports there. The rebels had seized the ports for nearly a year, halting exports and demanding a share of the revenues and political autonomy. Production there has not resumed yet.