Kidnapping of children, threats of employees… how the head of the Libyan Central Bank was forced to flee

Tunis

He had held the keys to the Libyan safe since the 2011 revolution. As head of the Central Bank, one of the few Libyan institutions still united, Saddik el-Kebir had held firm despite conflicts, civil wars, threats from militias and the division of the country into two governments. He was finally forced to give up his seat, dismissed from his post by the government of Abdelhamid Dbeibah in Tripoli (recognized by the international community). The parallel government of Osama Hammad, allied with the Marshal Haftarin the east of the Libyarefused this dismissal and immediately reacted by closing the oil fields and terminals, located mainly in this part of the country.

Until now, despite governance that was far from transparent, Saddik el-Kebir had preserved his position and a sort of continuity of government functions by paying salaries and part of the budget to the two competing authorities in this rich country where money, coming from black gold…