clear

Creating new perspectives since 2009

Tunisian workers held hostage in Libya freed, says consul

February 18, 2019 at 12:18 am

Tunisian flag is raised up to the highest flagpole on the 61st anniversary of Tunisia’s independence during a ceremony at Belvedere Park in Tunis, Tunisia on 20 March, 2017 [Amine Landoulsi/Anadolu Agency]

The Tunisian consul in Libya said on Sunday that the 14 Tunisian workers who had been held hostage by militants in the country had been freed, according to Extra News TV.

Last Thursday militiamen abducted 14 Tunisian workers in the Zawya neighbourhood, west of Tripoli, then took them to an unknown area.

Read:  US ‘concerned’ about escalation in southern Libya

The group claimed responsibility for the abduction of the Tunisian nationals. In a video that was published on the Internet, they demanded that Tunisian authorities release a fellow Libyan militiaman jailed in Tunisia in fulfilment of a 20-year prison sentence over drug trafficking.

The consul did not reveal details as to the circumstances surrounding the 14 Tunisian nationals’ release.