DFA issues security warning for Filipinos in Libya

December 26, 2018

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Wednesday issued a security warning for Filipinos in Libya following a suicide bomb attack at the Libyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs last week.

Filipinos were advised to remain vigilant and avoid unnecessary movement following the attack that left at least three persons dead and seven injured.

Philippine Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Mardomel Melicor said three suicide bombers were involved in the attack.

Although no Filipino has been reported among casualties, Melicor advised more than 2,000 Filipinos and their dependents in the Libyan capital to restrict their movement and stay indoors.

Since the ouster of former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, Libya has been plagued by civil unrest and armed hostilities.

A South Korean, along with three Filipino engineers, were kidnapped by armed men off a water project site in western Libya on July 6. They remain in captivity.

In 2015, a Filipino worker was beheaded by militants and a Filipina nurse was gang-raped, while another was injured in an attack in a hotel in Tripoli.

There are around 4,000 Filipinos working in Libya, the DFA said. DMS