Libya’s central bank governor, Sadiq al-Kabir, revealed that he and other senior bank officials have been forced to flee the country due to escalating threats from armed militias, according to a report by the Financial Times on Friday.
Al-Kabir, speaking to the newspaper by phone, described how militias have resorted to intimidation tactics, including kidnapping the children and relatives of bank employees, to coerce them into working under duress.
He further criticized interim Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah’s attempts to replace him, labeling the move as illegal and in violation of U.N.-brokered agreements concerning the management of the central bank.
The ongoing struggle for control of the Central Bank of Libya adds another layer of instability to the country, a significant oil producer that remains divided between eastern and western factions, each supported by international powers like Turkey and Russia.
Earlier this week, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya called for an end to unilateral actions, the lifting of force majeure on oil fields, a cessation of escalations and the use of force, and the protection of central bank employees.
