Sources have revealed to the BBC that the 95 Libyans arrested in South Africa and deported to Libya were victims of a scam, and that they travelled to South Africa on the basis that they would participate in joint training with the South African army, but the South African authorities were not aware of this.
The BBC explained that “these Libyans belong to the Tariq bin Ziyad Battalion, affiliated with Haftar’s forces,” explaining that they went to South Africa because of a proposal presented to the authorities in eastern Libya to renew and diversify training sites, and that the opportunity to train with the army in South Africa had become available.
A BBC source added that one of the officials had made an offer from a company specialising in military and security training in South Africa, confirming that it would organise special training for the selected Libyans in South Africa, confirming that the Libyans travelled on this basis, “but it seems that the authorities in South Africa were not aware of the matter and what happened happened.”
In late July, South Africa announced that a multidisciplinary team including police and Home Affairs officials had raided an illegal camp on a farm used to train security guards in the city of White River in Mpumalanga province.
The Libyans were arrested while undergoing training, which authorities described as “more than just security guard training, and appears to be military training.”
Authorities found military firearms and smuggled rifles on the farm.
The Libyans appeared in court three times, facing charges of violating South African immigration law because they entered the country on student visas.
On its official website, the South African Department of Home Affairs said that the charges against the Libyans had been dropped and they had been deported to their country.
Source: BBC
2024-08-25 09:04:42