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Four Italians kidnapped in Libya: foreign ministry

The Farnesina said that its Crisis Unit is monitoring the case and remains in constant contact with the families of the four Italian nationals and Bonatti.

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Rome closed in February its diplomatic representtation in Libya, a country in chaos that has two governments, parliaments and separate armies.

The country is beset with warring factions four years after the civil war that ousted leader Muammar Gaddafi.

“We are busy trying to find the people that were kidnapped and trying to solve this problem”, Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said.

The four men were working for Parma-based firm Bonatti when they were taken from a site near the Mellitah Oil & Gas compound, Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported.

They were kidnapped while returning from Tunisia on Sunday evening, La Repubblica newspaper reports.

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A number of areas in Libya are not controlled by central authorities, but are under the control of the Islamic State (ISIL) militant group which has become increasingly active in the country due to the internal tensions.

Paolo Gentiloni