Tripoli: Concern over "continued abductions, arbitrary arrests, and disappearances of citizens and public figures by various security actors" in the war-torn nation has been voiced by the UN mission in Libya.

Former finance minister Faraj Abderrahmane Boumtari is one of those who has vanished.
Boumtari "was reportedly detained at Mitiga Airport and taken to an undisclosed location," according to a statement from the UN Support Mission in Libya on Wednesday.

Five members of the High Council of State, it continued, "are reportedly prohibited from travelling at the same Tripoli airport."

Also Read: Rights organisations in Tunisia call for assistance and shelter for migrants who are stuck there

Such actions "promote tensions between communities and tribes, create a climate of fear, and have serious implications for the unification of national institutions," the UNSMIL warned.

Oil-rich After Muammar Qaddafi was overthrown and killed in an uprising supported by NATO in 2011, Libya descended into chaos that lasted for more than ten years.
Since then, the nation of North Africa has been split into two administrations, one based in Tripoli and the other in the east, where Khalifa Haftar, a military strongman, provides support.

The UN called on the security forces and government of Libya to "release all those arbitrarily detained, ensure independent investigations for all alleged extra-legal detentions and abductions, and bring the perpetrators to justice."

Also Read: The UN deems the conditions in Damascus for cross-border aid as unacceptable

The authorities have not yet confirmed the reports of the Boumtari's arrest by security personnel at the airport on Wednesday.

On Thursday, members of Boumtari's tribe, the southeast-located Zouaya, threatened to shut down oil terminals in the east if he was not freed. However, on Thursday, reports on social media claimed that protesters had already blockaded two oilfields in the south, at Al-Sharara and Al-Fil.

Separately, according to attorneys, Libya's sovereign wealth fund filed a criminal complaint against Belgium's Prince Laurent, accusing him of extortion and fraud in connection with his attempt to recover funds from a failed reforestation project..

Requests for comment from the royal family and the king's Cabinet were not immediately fulfilled.

In 2008, the prince—the king's brother—and the Libyan government signed a multimillion-euro agreement to reforest desert areas of the country's interior. The project was abandoned in 2011 when civil war broke out in Libya.

The prince allegedly applied "unacceptable pressure" to get the Libyan Ministry of Agriculture to pay him nearly 70 million euros ($78.52 million), according to the Libyan Investment Authority.

The LIA's legal team, Jus Cogens, announced on Thursday that it had filed a criminal complaint against Prince Laurent for extortion, fraud, and improper influence.

Also Read: Sweden condemned as police greenlight Torah burning protest

The founding partner of Jus Cogens, Christophe Marchand, stated, "We have communicated factual elements to the investigative judge showing, in our opinion, that Prince Laurent abused his status as a public office holder, claiming he could influence the criminal procedure against LIA and his CEO."
Since 2011, Libya has been subject to international sanctions, and the nation's 14 billion euro sovereign wealth is currently frozen at the bank Euroclear in Brussels.