Source: AFP
The United Nations said it held talks Monday with rival forces in Libya over the country’s central bank crisis, which has threatened vital oil revenues.
The UN Support Mission in Libya hosted the two administrations separately for discussions “marked by open and frank dialogue,” it said in a statement.
The “efforts to resolve the crisis” follow a series of events that the eastern government said were attempts by the UN-backed Tripoli-based government to seize control of the central bank.
Tensions have been rising since early August, when a group of men — some armed — laid siege to the bank demanding the removal of governor Seddik al-Kabir.
After “threats” from armed groups, Kabir told the Financial Times last week that he had left the country.
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The UN mission said the talks in the capital Tripoli “concluded with significant agreements” between the two sides “on ways to address” the banking crisis.
They “further agreed to submit the draft agreement to their respective Chambers for review” with a view to signing the deal on Tuesday, the UN said on social media platform X.
Libya is divided between the UN-recognised government led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah and the rival government in the east backed by military strongman Khalifa Haftar.
On August 18, the central bank announced that it had suspended all operations following the kidnapping of the IT chief. He was finally released.
Days later, an eastern government in divided Libya said a “group of outlaws” close to the UN-recognized government based in Tripoli had forcibly seized the central bank.
As a result, the administration based in the eastern city of Benghazi said it had suspended work at oil fields and terminals in areas under its jurisdiction.
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Libya is struggling to recover from years of conflict following the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that ousted longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
Source: AFP
