Militants have kidnapped four more Egyptian diplomats in the Libyan capital of Tripoli hours after gunmen captured an Egyptian official in the city.
Egypt’s cultural attaché and three other embassy staff were abducted on Saturday and its administrative attaché on Friday evening, forcing Cairo to evacuate its embassy in Tripoli and consulate in Benghazi.
The Libyan government said that the Egyptian officials were kidnapped in retaliation for the arrest of a Libyan militia commander by Egyptian authorities.
On Friday, Libya’s state news agency reported that Egyptian authorities had arrested Shaaban Hadiya, the commander of the Operations Room for Libya Revolutionaries. The group was accused of briefly abducting Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan in October last year.
Libyan Justice Minister Salah al-Marghani said the government had established contacts with the kidnappers to free the diplomats.
“We condemn and reject what has happened here as a reaction,” he stated.
“Those who are detaining the Egyptian diplomats committed a huge mistake, for themselves and for Libya,” Marghani added.
Libyans rose up against former dictator Muammar Gaddafi’s four-decade rule in February 2011 and deposed him in August 2011. He was slain on October 20 of the same year.
Since 2011, Benghazi has been the scene of numerous attacks and political assassinations amidst increasing power struggle among several militias who fought against Gaddafi during the uprising.
The former rebels refuse to lay down their arms despite efforts by the central government to impose law and order.
Over the past few months, Tripoli and its suburbs have been hit by violent clashes between rival militias.
In an interview with Press TV in October last year, political commentator Johnny Miller said that Libya is on the verge of becoming a failed state.
Libya “really is close to being a failed state. I mean you have the situation where the government is very, very weak. You have the streets ruled by militias, affiliated with the government, but also acting unilaterally by themselves,” he said.
GJH/NN/AS
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