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The Central Bank of Libya has announced the suspension of all its operations after one of its senior employees was kidnapped in the capital, Tripoli.
The bank condemned in a statement issued today, Sunday, the kidnapping of the bank's IT Director, Musab Muslim.
They said Mr. Muslim was kidnapped from his home by an “unknown party” on Sunday morning, and that other employees had been threatened with kidnapping.
The central bank said its operations would not resume until Mr. Muslim was released.
The central bank, which is independent but owned by the Libyan state, is the only internationally recognized authority for Libya's oil revenues – a vital economic income for a country torn for years between rival governments in Tripoli and Benghazi.
This comes a week after the central bank was besieged by gunmen, according to Agence France-Presse.
Local media reported, quoting Agence France-Presse, that the gunmen did this in order to force the governor of the Central Bank, Al-Siddiq Al-Kabir, to resign.
Mr Kabir, who has been in office since 2012, has faced criticism over the management of oil resources and the state budget.
Since the overthrow and killing of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, the country has witnessed suffered from chronic insecurity.
The country has been divided by power struggles and currently has two governments – one recognised by the United Nations and based in Tripoli, and another in the east of the country backed by warlord General Khalifa Haftar.
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