British teacher David Bolam, who has been held hostage by the Islamist militants in Libya for four months, has been released, RIA Novosti reported Sunday referring to Daily Telegraph.
"We are glad that David Bolam is safe and well after his ordeal, and that he has been reunited with his family," reads the statement by the Foreign Office, adding that the UK authorities have been supporting Bolam's family since he was captured.
Libya is currently facing its worst wave of violence since the 2011 overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi and the subsequent civil war. After the conflict, the country has seen violent clashes between numerous militias, armed with weapons, seized from government ammunition depots. According to the Libya Body Count data, the violence in the country has claimed the lives of over 1,800 people in 2014 alone.
Due to the unsettled disputes, Libya currently witnesses the period of diarchy, represented by the elected parliament and the Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thani on one side and by the pro-Islamic General National Congress and its proclaimed Prime Minister Omar al-Hasi on another. However, several parts of the country are not controlled by any of the central powers.