Suspension of Central Bank of Libya's Activities After Abduction of an Official

The Central Bank of Libya suspended all its activities following the "abduction" of one of its senior officials in Tripoli, the capital of the country. On Sunday, August 19, the bank announced in a statement on its Facebook page that Musab Muslim, the head of the IT department at the Central Bank of Libya, was "abducted by an unknown group in front of his house." The Central Bank of Libya added that it has "suspended all its operations" and stated that it will not resume activities until Mr. Muslim is freed. The bank condemned the "kidnapping threats against other employees" and pointed fingers at "rebel parties" that "threaten the security of employees and the proper functioning of the banking sector." The abduction of the head of the IT department of the Central Bank of Libya comes a week after dozens of people, some armed, gathered in front of the bank's headquarters in Tripoli to demand the ousting of Sadiq al-Kabir, the bank's president. Al-Kabir, who has been in the position since 2012, has faced criticism from his opponents regarding the management of the budget and the country's significant oil revenues. In an interview last Tuesday with Richard Norland, the U.S. ambassador and special envoy to Libya, he spoke about the "growing threat to the security" of the Central Bank of Libya and its staff. Mr. Norland deemed the forced removal of the Central Bank of Libya's president as "unacceptable" and stated that Libya could lose access to international financial markets. Libya, which remains in the grip of chaos following the fall and death of dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, is governed by two rival factions: a government recognized by the United Nations in western Libya and another led by Marshal Khalifa Haftar in the east.