Saudi Arabia announced Monday that it has temporarily shut down its embassy in the Libya's capital city of Tripoli and pulled out all its staff due to "security concerns."
Saudi ambassador to Libya Mohammed Mahmud al-Ali said in a statement that its embassy in Tripoli would be reopened "when the situation stabilizes in the Libyan capital."
The development comes after the militia led by Khalifa Haftar, a rogue former army general, clashed with Islamist militants in the eastern city of Benghazi on Saturday. A day later, militants loyal to Haftar attacked the parliamentary building in Tripoli.
Haftar claims that he is fighting to crush the Islamists who he accuses of seizing the country. Some militias as well as military units in the east of the country have pledged their support to Haftar.
Libya, which has been undergoing a democratic transition since the toppling of the regime of former autocratic leader Muammar al-Qadhafi three years ago, has been grappling with deteriorating security situation.
Libya's first free elections in decades were held in July 2012, following the toppling of the Qadhafi regime. The country is currently being governed by a new government that emerged from that elections.
Despite these political developments, most of Libya is still controlled by militias that fought the Qadhafi regime, despite serious efforts by the current government to bring them under its authority.
Violent clashes still break out between rival militias, mostly in capital Tripoli. Their continued presence in Libya even after the civil war has raised concerns about the possible outbreak of further violence in the oil-rich nation.
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