Libya Central Bank Governor and Other Bankers Flee to Escape Militias, According to FT Reports

Libya’s central bank governor, Sadiq al-Kabir, has revealed that he and senior bank officials have been compelled to leave the country to safeguard their lives amid threats from armed militias. In a statement to the Financial Times, he described a climate of fear where bank personnel are routinely threatened, with some having their children and relatives abducted to coerce them into continuing their work.

Kabir further asserted that attempts by interim Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah to replace him are unlawful and violate U.N. agreements regarding the governance of the central bank. This ongoing struggle over control of the Central Bank of Libya adds another layer of instability to a nation that is already divided between eastern and western factions, each supported by outside powers including Turkey and Russia.

The U.N. Support Mission in Libya recently called for a halt to unilateral decisions, the lifting of force majeure on oil fields, an end to escalating conflicts, and the safeguarding of central bank employees.