Around 172 Tunisian nationals are currently being held in Libya by a militia reportedly affiliated with Libya Dawn, according to an AFP report Monday.
Tunisian Consul in Tripoli Ibrahim Rezgui claims the Tunisians were held by a “militia allied to Libya Dawn”, but adds that “there could be more” than the 172 reported.
He also accused Libya Dawn of trying to stage a retaliation manoeuvre for the arrest of Walid El-Klibi, “one of their leaders”.
Libya is engulfed in a civil-war-like state, with rivalling governments in Tripoli and Tobruk fighting over control.
Amidst their fighting, groups linked to “Islamic State” (IS) were able to seize control of parts of the country and boost their numbers.
The resulting terrorist threat became most obvious after the beheading of Egyptian Copts in Libya by IS-affiliated militias, sparking retaliatory strikes by the Egyptian air force.
