Masked men try to storm Libya’s financial oversight body

Masked men in military uniform tried to storm the headquarters of Libya’s financial oversight agency on Wednesday, in what the country’s UN mission called an “unacceptable” attempt to install a senior employee by force.

Footage posted on social media showed a group of men in beige fatigues and hats at the gate of the Tripoli offices of the Audit Bureau, which is charged with safeguarding public funds.

It was not clear who was behind the attempt to storm the building.

The Audit Bureau condemned the action and said in a statement it had suspended work until further notice “pending the resolution of the underlying causes and the restoration of appropriate, safe conditions for the resumption of work.”

“The Audit Bureau emphasizes that this decision is taken out of respect for the sanctity of state institutions, and to avoid any actions that might compromise their safety or independence,” it said.

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Libya has known little stability since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that ousted Muammar Gaddafi. The country has been split into rival eastern and western camps since 2014.

Armed factions, some with official status, have long vied for control of territory and financial revenues in the Libyan capital, sometimes raiding institutional buildings and abducting staff.

On Wednesday, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said that “force and intimidation” had been used to try to install a disputed deputy head of the institution.

“The use of force to impose appointments to sovereign institutions is wholly unacceptable and represents a grave threat to the rule of law and the independence and integrity of Libya’s sovereign institutions,” UNSMIL said in a statement.

“Such actions are particularly concerning when directed at an independent oversight institution entrusted with safeguarding the use of public funds and ensuring accountability in the management of state resources,” it said.

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