The Canadian security company, GardaWorld confirmed the arrest of seven of its employees in Libya. It said it was “actively working with the Libyan authorities to secure their release.”
GardaWorld Vice-President, Isabelle Panelli wrote in an email to Canadian newspaper La Presse, noting that the employees were arrested on 11 April 2023.
“The team, which includes three expatriate contractors and four local nationals, was arrested due to an administrative imbroglio, while they were carrying out a routine task,” Panelli explained.
“Our priority remains the safety and well-being of our team, and we are actively working with the Libyan authorities to secure their release,” she added.
GardaWorld, one of the largest security companies in the world, forms a consortium with the French company Amarante International in Libya. Their partnership provides security for the European Union Border Assistance Mission in Libya (EUBAM).
“For reasons of safety for our personnel in the region, we will not issue any additional comment in relation to this situation,” she concluded.
GardaWorld did not specify what “administrative imbroglio” caused the arrest of its staff in Tripoli.
The seven employees include four Libyan drivers, and three armed guards of Irish, Romanian, and Croatian nationality.
In an interview with La Presse, the President of Amarante, Alexandre Hollander stressed that the team is “working hard at the moment to have them released, but that there is no particular reason to fear for their safety. We have no information that leads us to believe that they are mistreated or in danger.”
According to an article by Africa Intelligence, Rada militiamen arrested the seven employees because they did not have a license to carry weapons from Libyan authorities. Rada claimed that the Montreal-based company only had a “license issued directly by EUBAM” which awarded them the contract.
The Montreal-based company is increasing its contracts in Libya, notably with the British Embassy in Tripoli and the Italian oil giant, ENI.