The Central Bank of Libya has announced the suspension of all operations after the kidnapping of a senior employee in the capital, Tripoli. In a statement issued on Sunday, the bank said that its director of information technology, Musab Musallim, was abducted from his home by an unknown group.
The Central Bank noted that other employees were also threatened with kidnapping. The bank has declared that it will not resume its activities unless Mr. Musab Musallim is released.
Although controlled by the Libyan state, the independent Central Bank is the only internationally recognized depository of Libya's oil revenues. It is vital economic revenue for a country that has been divided for years between two rival governments in Tripoli and Benghazi.
The incident happened a week after gunmen besieged the Central Bank, according to the AFP news agency. Referring to the local media, it was reported that the armed men took this step to force the resignation of the governor of the bank, Saddiq al-Kabir.
Mr. Kabir, who has been in office since 2012, has been criticized for managing oil resources and the state budget.
After the overthrow and assassination of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, the country faced chronic security problems. The country is currently divided between a UN-recognized government based in Tripoli and another in the east of the country, backed by warlord General Khalifa Haftar.
