Libya’s central bank suspends operations after official abducted

By Anadolu staff

TRIPOLI, Libya (AA) – Libya’s central bank suspended its operations on Sunday following the abduction of a senior official.

In a statement, the Tripoli-based bank said its information technology director, Musab Moslem, was kidnapped outside his home by unknown assailants early Sunday.

It said several bank officials have also been threatened with kidnapping.

"We have suspended our operations and work will not resume until Moslem is freed,” the bank said.

The move followed a statement by East Libya-based parliament, which denounced what it called attempts by some individuals to take control of the central bank.

Libya has remained in turmoil since 2011, when longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi was ousted after four decades in power.

The country is currently governed by two rival administrations: the UN-recognized Government of National Unity led by Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh in Tripoli, which controls the western part of the country, and the government of Osama Hammad, appointed by the parliament, which operates out of Benghazi and governs the eastern region and parts of the south.

Efforts led by the UN to hold parliamentary and presidential elections have repeatedly stalled, prolonging the country’s political deadlock and exacerbating the security situation in the oil-rich nation.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi