Libya’s Central Bank Governor Sadiq al-Kabir has left the country due to militias threats, other officials have also move with him. More recently, in a recent interview, al-Kabir explained that its bank staff is under considerable terrorist pressure, for example, in the form of abductions in order to force the employees to work.
The Central Bank, which is responsible for managing billions of dollars of oil revenue, has been drawn into Nigeria’s ongoing political crisis, which began when Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown in 2011.
Relations soured when Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah tried to sack al-Kabir over alleged embezzlement. In the same spirit, the eastern government headed by Prime Minister Osama Hammad declared the closure of oil fields, although it has no formal legitimacy.
Due to the situation, employees in banks are confused regarding their contractors. Although al-Kabir has told his staff to avoid the company, a new board has directed its staff to return. Everything has been closed down, including banking operations, whereby citizens cannot withdraw or deposit their money. UNSMIL wants no more authoritarian steps and has asked for the safety of the employees of the Central Bank in Libya as the country seems to be spiraling towards more instability as factions emerge.
