Corinthia Hotel in Tripoli surrounded by army

Army protecting Corinthia, yep the ARMY!!! pic.twitter.com/98EekMd0vK — Nadia Ramadan (@Nadia_Ramadan) December 29, 2013

Corinthia Hotel Tripoli was on Sunday surrounded by the Libyan army, with pictures showing armed soldiers patrolling the hotel.

The hotel, run by Maltese owned Corinthia Hotels International, was hosting a number of dignitaries, including an Algerian delegation led by Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal who yesterday signed a number of agreements with his Libyan counterpart Ali Zeidan.

It is believed that the Libyan authorities received a number of threats and the government stepped up security around the hotel which is hosting the dignitaries.

On Sunday, the two countries signed deals on border security cooperation, the movement of people and goods across their common frontier and historical research.

In October, the Libyan prime minister was captured in a brief but dramatic kidnapping at the same hotel, only to be released a few hours later.

The situation in the Libyan capital is increasingly tense, with non-governmental militias vying for power in Tripoli and other cities, while citizens and opposition groups

In recent days a number of groups have threatened to cut electricity, gas and internet services in Tripoli unless Zeidan resigns.

Moreover, on Sunday, a group of protestors calling themselves the 'Honourable People of Libya' seized the Foreign Ministry building demanding that the General National Congress pass a vote of no confidence in Zeidan.

The protestors have give the Congress three days to act on their demands, which also include a call for tough measures to reopen oil ports and the full implementation of Law 27 and 53, requiring the removal of all armed militias from Tripoli and other Libyan towns and cities.

They are also bemoaning the continued violence in the east of the country, particularly Benghazi, which they say the government has proved itself powerless to stop.