Jihad training? That’s certainly one possibility.
“Libyan government ‘concerned’ over militants caught in South Africa,” AFP, July 26, 2024:
White River — South African authorities rounded up 95 Libyans on Friday in a raid at a farm that appeared to have been converted into an illegal military training base, police said.
The morning raid was in a remote area outside the town of White River in the northeastern province of Mpumalanga, about 360 kilometres (220 miles) east of Johannesburg.
“The 95 individuals taken into custody are all Libyan nationals and are currently being questioned by the relevant authorities,” police said in a statement.
The Libyans had entered South Africa in April and claimed to be training to be security guards, officials said….
But police in Mpumalanga “suspect they are receiving military training”, she said, and they were arrested for contravening the immigration act….
The owner of the security company said to be running the facility was a South African national, police spokesman Donald Mdhluli told AFP….
“We do suspect them of serious crime because we have had multiple complaints from the community for cases including rape,” Mdhluli said….
South Africa has porous borders and high corruption and criminality that experts say have made it fertile ground for criminal syndicates.
Its security problems have given rise to a huge private security industry….
There are also concerns the country may be a base for jihadist financing in Africa.
The US Treasury Department on Tuesday announced sanctions against what it said were two Islamic State group operatives based in South Africa.
They used robberies and kidnappings for ransom to raise money, and one was a suspected IS trainer and facilitator, it said.
Libya is still struggling to recover from years of war and chaos after the 2011 overthrow of longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi.
Although relative calm has returned in the past four years, clashes periodically occur between its myriad armed groups.
Most are allied with either the UN-recognised government in Tripoli or the rival administration backed by strongman Khalifa Haftar in the east.
Jalel Harchaoui, an associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in Britain, said rival factions were known to have sought security training abroad to create elite military units.
“This is often done through networks of foreign private companies,” Harchaoui told AFP.
In a statement on Facebook, the UN-recognised Libyan government said it “formally and clearly denies” any affiliation with the group in South Africa and would assist with investigations to find out who they were.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
When they talk about the “Libyan government”, which one are they referring to? Is it the one in Tripoli of the GNA, or the one in Tobruk of Gen Haftar? That makes a difference: the latter is a secular militia leader who has defeated ISIS in Libya and occupied most of the country, including its oil supplies, whereas the former has been flaky at best
As for South Africa, I don’t think today’s South Africa is any less of a third world ?? than Zimbabwe or Zaire/Congo
olufemi oyerinde says
South Africa is a country that aids and abet terrorism the like of Hamas , they’re haters of the Jews and the land of Israel…The 95 libyans are on a friendly country….
Scotsman48 says
South Africa is a long ways away from Libya so how did they get and who paid for their travel.
Always search the source of the money and there you will find who where and why the situation is as it is.