This archive report was first published on 17 July 2020.
On July 16, 2020, a group of protesters in Tunisia's southeastern town of Tataouine made their way past military forces to enter the remote El-Kamour oil production site in the desert.
According to the energy ministry, some of the protesters shut down a valve blocking the flow of crude oil in the pipeline that runs into Tataouine, effectively stopping the delivery of half of Tunisia's production.
"The oil that runs in the pipeline linking oil fields in the Tataouine desert to the Skhira terminal has been interrupted," said Hamed Matri, an advisor to the energy minister.
He explained that the lost productivity is very significant and that the procedure needed to reopen the valve and resume the flow of oil to its previous level was complex.
The Tunisian oil sector is modest, producing on average 38,000 to 40,000 barrels per day, with 55% of it extracted from the Tataouine region where Austria's OMV, Italy's ENI, and Anglo Tunisian Oil & Gas have exploration rights.
Tataouine has been gripped by weeks of unrest, with protesters staging sit-ins and demonstrations to demand the government honour a 2017 pledge to invest millions to develop the region.
"There is a real problem of development in Tataouine," Matri said.
