One of Libya’s dueling authorities unilaterally fired the country’s powerful central bank governor in an abrupt move that is likely to inflame tensions in the divided North African country.

The presidential council in the capital of Tripoli, which is allied with the government of Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah that controls western Libya, removed Gov. Sadiq al-Kabir, according to a decree issued late Sunday.

In his place, the council appointed Mohamed Abdul Salam al-Shukri, an economist and former deputy governor, as the new governor for the Central Bank of Libya.

Al-Kabir had led the central bank since October 2011 — the year that Libya was plunged into chaos after a NATO-backed uprising toppled longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

During that time, he accumulated significant influence and power but also faced criticism from officials on both side of the country’s political divide in allocating Libya’s oil money. In recent months, that criticism has turned into calls for his removal.