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State Department resumes full consular services with Libya amid surge in violence
The State Department on Monday resumed full consular services for U.S. citizens in Libya but reiterated year-old advice to avoid “all but essential” travel to the violence-racked North African country.
Until now, consular services inside the country were available only to emergency services, with routine visa applications processed abroad. Monday's travel warning confirms that the country remains in chaos almost a year after the death of longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi.
“The incidence of violent crime, especially carjacking and robbery, has become a serious problem,” Monday's travel warning states. “In addition, political violence in the form of assassinations and vehicle bombs has increased in both Benghazi and Tripoli.”
Despite the progress toward democracy, the State Department warns of continuing violence including car bombings in Tripoli and assassinations of military officers and alleged former regime officials.
“Inter-militia conflict can erupt at any time or any place in the country,” the travel warning states, just as The Wall Street Journal reports that the new Congress held an emergency session Sunday amid accusations that government authorities stood by as radical Islamists tore down Sufi shrines over the weekend.
“Seven Iranian Red Crescent officials were kidnapped July 31 in Benghazi by local militia members, and as of the date of this warning, they have not been released,” the travel warning says. “There have also been several reports of militias briefly apprehending and detaining foreigners due to perceived or actual violations of Libyan law. The embassy’s ability to intervene in such cases remains limited, as these groups are neither sanctioned nor controlled by the Libyan government."
