Gunmen kidnap Tunisian diplomat in Libya

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - A Tunisian diplomat was kidnapped on Thursday in the Libyan capital Tripoli, Libya's foreign ministry said, two days after gunmen seized Jordan's ambassador. Kidnappings have become commonplace in the oil producer, with foreign officials often the targets. The weak government has been unable to disarm former rebels and Islamist militants who fought to depose leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 and who have formed increasingly powerful and violent militias. A spokesman for the Libyan foreign ministry said it was unclear who was behind the kidnapping of the Tunisian diplomat, the second to have been seized within one month. An official in Tunisia's foreign ministry said: "We cannot confirm that he has been kidnapped but we have been unable to contact him." The same official said the missing diplomat is called Aroussi Gantassi and works as an adviser at the Tunisian embassy in Tripoli. On Tuesday, gunmen kidnapped Jordan's ambassador to Libya and demanded an Islamist militant be released from a Jordanian jail in exchange for the diplomat's freedom. Masked men shot and wounded the driver of Ambassador Fawaz al-Itan's car as they snatched the diplomat from a street in the capital Tripoli. Last week, Libya's interim prime minister resigned after just one month into the job, saying gunmen had tried to attack his family. Local officials, policemen and army personnel are also targeted and there have been some random acts of violence against ordinary foreigners. In December, an American teacher was shot dead in Benghazi and in January, a British man and a woman from New Zealand were shot execution-style on a beach in western Libya. One month later, seven Egyptian Christians were found dead, having been killed in a similar manner. Tribal groups, militias and even local citizens resort to road blockades as a negotiating tactic. Some have even resorted to shutting down the OPEC member's vital oil facilities. (Reporting by Feras Bosalum and Tarek Amara; Writing by Ulf Laessing; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)