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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Tunisian consular workers freed 'in exchange for Libyan commander' | Tunisian consular workers freed 'in exchange for Libyan commander' |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Ten Tunisian diplomatic staff who were kidnapped in Libya a week ago have been freed and returned home. | Ten Tunisian diplomatic staff who were kidnapped in Libya a week ago have been freed and returned home. |
| Foreign Minister Taieb Bakouch said the consulate had now been closed and urged all Tunisians to leave the country. | Foreign Minister Taieb Bakouch said the consulate had now been closed and urged all Tunisians to leave the country. |
| He denied reports that the workers were freed in exchange for a Libyan militia commander. | He denied reports that the workers were freed in exchange for a Libyan militia commander. |
| Walid Kalib, who leads a brigade in the "Libya Dawn" alliance which controls Tripoli, was recently arrested in Tunisia on terrorism charges. | Walid Kalib, who leads a brigade in the "Libya Dawn" alliance which controls Tripoli, was recently arrested in Tunisia on terrorism charges. |
| Libya Dawn official Jamal Zubia on Wednesday wrote on his Facebook page: | |
| "The page of the Tunisian consulate will be turned and they will return to their families and the revolutionary hero Walid Kalib returns to his family,'' reports AP news agency. | "The page of the Tunisian consulate will be turned and they will return to their families and the revolutionary hero Walid Kalib returns to his family,'' reports AP news agency. |
| Analysis: Rana Jawad, BBC News, Tunis | |
| Tunisian officials have occasionally advised their nationals to leave Libya in times of crisis there in recent years. | |
| More often than not, these calls are not heeded - this is partly why officials here decided to re-open their consulate in Tripoli in recent months. | |
| Tunisia has very high unemployment and the livelihoods of a large number of its nationals depend on Libya for both skilled and menial jobs, as well as trade. | |
| The recent kidnappings of Tunisia's consular staff served as a reminder of why most embassies pulled out of Tripoli last summer. Militia allegiances shift as frequently as the sand dunes in the Libyan desert. | |
| There is no central security structure that anyone can rely on - not even those who are in power. | |
| In urging Tunisians to leave Libya, Mr Bakouch said "we cannot again be subject to any blackmail," according to the Reuters news agency. | In urging Tunisians to leave Libya, Mr Bakouch said "we cannot again be subject to any blackmail," according to the Reuters news agency. |
| However, he said that the decision to deport Mr Kalib had been taken by the courts, independently of his ministry. | However, he said that the decision to deport Mr Kalib had been taken by the courts, independently of his ministry. |
| Why is Libya lawless? | Why is Libya lawless? |
| Holed up in Tobruk | Holed up in Tobruk |
| Libya descended into chaos after the uprising that led to the overthrow of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. | Libya descended into chaos after the uprising that led to the overthrow of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. |
| There has been no central government since then, with different militia groups competing for power. | There has been no central government since then, with different militia groups competing for power. |
| Most countries closed their embassies during the fighting that ensued, but Tunisia recently sent consular staff back to Tripoli. | Most countries closed their embassies during the fighting that ensued, but Tunisia recently sent consular staff back to Tripoli. |
| The UN is trying to negotiate a political settlement to the crisis in Libya, after insecurity in the capital forced Libya's internationally recognised parliament and government to relocate to the eastern city of Tobruk. | The UN is trying to negotiate a political settlement to the crisis in Libya, after insecurity in the capital forced Libya's internationally recognised parliament and government to relocate to the eastern city of Tobruk. |
| Libya Dawn last year seized control of Tripoli and surrounding areas. | Libya Dawn last year seized control of Tripoli and surrounding areas. |