Libya’s central bank has officially suspended all operations following the alarming kidnapping of its information technology director, Musab Msallem, in Tripoli. This incident was condemned in a statement released by the bank.
According to the bank, Mr. Msallem was abducted from his residence by an unidentified group on Sunday morning, prompting concerns for the safety of other employees who have also reportedly received kidnapping threats. The central bank has stated that it will not resume operations until Mr. Msallem is safely returned.
The central bank holds a crucial role as Libya’s only internationally recognized depository for oil revenues, a vital economic lifeline in a country that has been politically divided between rival governments in Tripoli and Benghazi for years. This latest turmoil follows a siege of the central bank by armed individuals just a week prior, aimed at compelling the resignation of bank governor, Seddik al-Kabir.
Mr. Kabir, who has been in office since 2012, has faced mounting criticism regarding his management of the nation’s oil resources and state budget. Libya continues to grapple with chronic insecurity since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, with ongoing power struggles leaving the country divided between a UN-recognized government in Tripoli and another backed by warlord Gen. Khalifa Haftar in the east.
