The US Embassy in Libya has voiced its concern alongside the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) regarding reports suggesting potential clashes in Tripoli.
The embassy is calling for immediate calm and urging all parties to refrain from violence. The attempt to resolve the crisis at the Central Bank of Libya by force is deemed unacceptable and could have severe consequences for the integrity of this vital institution and the stability of the country.
It could also negatively impact Libya’s position in the international financial system.
As the United Nations intensifies efforts to facilitate a negotiated solution, the US is encouraging all stakeholders to participate in serious dialogue about the equitable distribution of wealth.
This approach underscores the international community’s commitment to fostering peace and stability in Libya through diplomatic means.
Safety in Libya’s capital, Tripoli is continuously deteriorating, with threats of kidnapping and murder a daily occurrence for residents.
Over the years, kidnappings, arrests, and assassinations have increased substantially in western Libya. This is evident in the repeated statements of the Ministry of Interior, about the arrest of gangs and individuals involved in the kidnapping and extortion of expatriate workers.
In October 2022, the Head of the Zaher Al-Jabal Police Station, Abdel-Salam Abdullah Abdel-Nabi, was assassinated by unknown assailants. Just days before, a policeman was assassinated in the same city. Despite this happening in full view of everyone, those at the helm of power do not move a finger to identify the perpetrators. The security authorities do not move to arrest them, or announce their names.
Salah Abdel-Salam, the former Executive Director of the Civil Society Commission of the Libyan Presidential Council, was kidnapped in central Tripoli.
The National Commission for Human Rights in Libya (NCHRL) said that there are reports of security forces being involved in the kidnapping of Abdel-Salam. There has been no contact with him since the incident, and the identity of the security agency that kidnapped him has not been established. So far, his fate remains unknown.
Libya ranked fourth in the Arab world, and twenty in the world, among the countries with the highest levels of organised crime, according to the report of the Global Initiative to Combat Crime (GLOBAL INITIATIVE).
