| CNN International | - |
(CNN)
-- Rebels have kidnapped Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zidan and taken him
to an undisclosed location, his spokeswoman told CNN early Thursday.
Armed rebels kidnap Libyan PM, take him to undisclosed location
updated 1:27 AM EDT, Thu October 10, 2013
Libya: Birth pains of a new nation
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: Rights groups say security remains a main concern in Libya
- Witness: The prime minster was taken from a hotel into a convoy of waiting cars
- The witness did not report gunfire during the incident
- Militias have run rampant since the revolution that ousted Moammar Gadhafi two years ago
Armed rebels escorted the
prime minister from the Corinthian Hotel in Tripoli into a convoy of
waiting cars, said a hotel clerk who was not authorized to speak to the
media.
The witness reported no gunfire during the incident, and said the gunmen were respectful and "caused no trouble."
Zeidan's office initially
called the abduction a "rumor" on its official Facebook page, but later
posted an update that it was "coerced by kidnappers to deny the
report."
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Libya militias have run rampant since the revolution that ousted Moammar Gadhafi two years ago.
Militias in the east of
the country are demanding more autonomy from the central government, and
have severely constrained Libya's oil output, which is central to its
export revenue.
Last month, Zeidan said
the nation is trying to rebuild after decades under Gadhafi's rule. He
shot down reports that Libya is a failed state.
"We are trying to create a
state, and we are not ashamed of that," Zeidan told CNN's Christiane
Amanpour. "The outside world believes that Libya is failing, but Libya
was destroyed by Gadhafi for 42 years, and was destroyed by a full year
of civil war. And that's why we are trying to rebuild it."
Part of Libya's rebuilding involves reconciliation and accountability, he said last month.
Security an issue
Rights groups have said security remain a main concern in Libya.
"The main problem affecting both justice and security is that armed militias still maintain the upper hand," Human Rights Watch said.
"They have various agendas -- financial, territorial, political,
religious -- and operate with impunity two years after the Gadhafi
regime ended. Successive interim governments have failed to assert
control over these militias, preferring to contract them as parallel
forces to the army and police."
Recent attacks have added to the uncertainty.
Gangs of armed men have
surrounded key ministries, including justice and foreign ministries,
trying to force out members of the democratically-elected government.
Libyan Justice Minister Salah Marghani was forced to evacuate after armed militias surrounded his ministry in April.
The nation continues to
struggle to rein in militia groups that menace the country. Libyan
intelligence services have said the country is increasingly militant,
and is becoming a safe haven for al Qaeda to regroup and regenerate
itself.
Numerous weapons left
over after Gadhafi's downfall are providing groups with different
motivations to form their own militias, government officials said.
Libya has an interim president, but the prime minister holds all executive powers.
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