BENGHAZI, Libya — A Libyan oil ministry official says protesters have forced the closure of an oil terminal in the east of the country for the second time in six months, disrupting exports.

Deputy Oil and Gas Minister Omar al-Shakmak says dozens of demonstrators closed the terminal of Zueitina on Wednesday, demanding the Libyan National Oil Corporation make good on pledges to hire 340 people.

This is the second time protesters have closed the terminal, through which flows 20 percent of Libya's 1.6 million barrels a day of exports.

Zueitina is located 870 kilometers (540 miles) east of Tripoli. The first closure took place in December.

Libya is going through a rocky transition after its bloody 2011 civil war. The central government remains weak.