Ahmad 
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the government assigned by the Libyan parliament, Abdul Hadi Al-Huwaij, confirmed in the first official comment on the detention of 95 Libyans in South Africa, providing legal support to Libyans detained abroad.
Al-Huwaij explained in press statements that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is following up on the situation of the detained Libyans and seeks to provide them with legal support, and to ensure that their detention conditions are appropriate, in a way that preserves their moral and legal rights, in addition to the fairness and integrity of the legal procedures applied to them.
Police spokesman, Donald Mdluli, said that the Libyans submitted applications to the Ministry of Home Affairs in South Africa to obtain visas, through immigration regulations, in order to train as security guards.
Mdluli confirmed that the detainees will not be deported directly, but will be charged, the first of which is “violating the rules regulating immigration.”
Mdluli explained that there were reports of serious crimes being committed in the residential area near the military base, such as rape, and that these reports included descriptions of the accused as “foreigners” and “Asian features”, stressing that these cases will be looked into and to ensure that the detainees are not involved in them, and charges will be brought against them if proven.
On Friday morning, the South African Police announced the arrest of 95 Libyans after a raid carried out following intelligence gathering about the camp’s activity two days ago, under the supervision of the South African Police Commissioner in Mpumalanga Province, Major General Ziv Mkhwanazi.
The statement indicated that the place initially designated as a training site was transformed into an illegal military training base, and that all detainees are currently being interrogated by the relevant authorities.
Major General Mkhwanazi stressed that the police take any threat to the security and stability of the province and the country seriously, adding: “This operation demonstrates our commitment to act quickly and decisively against any activities that could undermine our national interests and ensure the safety of our citizens because this is our primary mission.”
The police warned citizens that there was “no immediate threat to the safety of the community,” and provided contact numbers to receive any information regarding similar or related activities.
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