Libya police end Agoco protest, secure offices

Libyan security forces have put an end to a protest that closed off the headquarters of the country's biggest oil company for two weeks, securing the offices and arresting some demonstrators overnight, officials said on Wednesday. A spokesman for Benghazi-based Arabian Gulf Oil Company (Agoco) said last week the company had cut output by 30,000 barrels per day due to the protests, in a setback for Libya's oil industry, which has recovered well since the end of last year's conflict that ousted Muammar Gaddafi. However its parent company, the Tripoli-based National Oil Corporation (NOC), denied the cut in production. Protesters prevented employees from entering Agoco's office since April 23, calling for more transparency over how Libya's new rulers are spending its money and demanding more jobs for young people. "Forces from the high security committee arrived in the early hours. They are now in control and are checking the building," Agoco spokesman Abdeljalil Mayuf said. "Maybe we can start work there again tomorrow."