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The governor of Libya’s central bank, Naji Issa, has resigned without giving a reason, according to reports on Monday.
Private television channel Al-Ahrar reported that Issa had confirmed his resignation, although neither the central bank nor Libya’s eastern-based parliament had immediately issued an official statement.
Issa and the bank’s vice-governor, Miree al-Barasee, were appointed by Libya’s eastern-based parliament in September 2024 as part of a United Nations-backed agreement that ended a dispute over the country’s oil production and a wider financial crisis.
Libya continues to grapple with the effects of years of conflict following the 2011 North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)-backed uprising that ousted longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi.
The country remains divided between the UN-recognised government of Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah in the west and a rival administration in the east backed by military commander Khalifa Haftar.
Issa succeeded Seddik al-Kabir, whose management of the central bank and state funds had been criticised by officials aligned with Dbeibah. They accused him of favouring the eastern-based administration.
Kabir was removed by Tripoli authorities in August 2024, prompting the Benghazi-based administration to declare force majeure and halt oil production and exports.
The shutdown reduced Libya’s oil output by about half to roughly 600,000 barrels per day, according to the state-run National Oil Corporation.
Oil accounts for most of Libya’s government revenue, with much of the country’s production concentrated in the east and south, areas controlled by forces loyal to Haftar.
Libya’s eastern-based parliament had not immediately commented on Issa’s resignation.
