Five Catalans moved to ambassador's residence in Libya's Tripoli after militia infighting

Five Catalans on a business trip to Libya's Tripoli were moved to the Spanish ambassador's residence in the city due to the ongoing militia infighting in the area, as diplomatic sources told the Catalan News Agency (ACN).

The five Tarragona businesspeople were on a trip with four more Spaniards, organized by the Tarragona business guild. After landing on Monday, they were held in the hotel's basement for security reasons in Tripoli due to the ongoing conflict in the area.

Later, the travelers were moved back to their rooms before being escorted to the ambassador's residence in the city.

The international director of the guild, Roberto Barros, is among the travelers and said in a video that they have not faced "any physical danger" at all, as "they have not threatened us and we do not feel our lives are in danger."

"There have been clashes between militias, and the situation is complicated," Barros added before explaining that the team is waiting for the embassy to prepare a repatriation plan.

In the hotel, aside from Barros and the other members, there are several travelers, all protected by Libyan diplomatic police.

Spain's foreign ministry sources told ACN that there are around 160 Spanish citizens in Libya, most of them with Libyan-Spanish families who, in the past, had rejected being evacuated.

The team is also in contact with 45 Spaniards who are currently in the country for working reasons, and are now either in hotels or at the ambassador's residence.

Libya is a "very interesting market for Spanish companies due to its demand, mainly focused on reconstruction, so food, furniture, construction materials, and all elements related have a huge interest," Barros said. 

International business trips are pretty common for the Cambra de Comerç de Tarragona. In the future, the organization plans to travel to Zambia, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Cabo Verde, Venezuela, the Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Gabon, Madagascar, Mauritius, and Réunion.