Mon. Dec 23rd, 2024

South African police spokesman Donald Mdluli said most of the Libyans arrested in the country were on student visas, adding that authorities would be in touch with their Libyan counterparts regarding them.

On Friday, South African police arrested 95 Libyans in a raid on a farm near the town of White River in Mpumalanga province, suspected of being turned into a military training base.

The site was supposed to be a training camp for a security company but appears to have been converted into a military base, police said, adding that the owner of the security company is a South African citizen.

Mdluli told AFP that police were investigating the legality of converting the site into a military base, noting that the detainees face complaints of serious criminal acts, including rape.

Mdluli added that police are not currently in the process of arresting them, but rather interrogating and investigating them regarding any criminal activities.

Mdluli pointed out that most of the detainees do not speak English, and it was not clear whether they belong to any specific group.

Mpumalanga Provincial Security Minister Jackie Maisi confirmed that the detainees entered the country in April and stated that they were training to become security guards, violating their visas.

For its part, the outgoing Government of National Unity in Tripoli denied any connection to the detained Libyans.

It said in a statement that it had tasked the military prosecutor and the Libyan embassy in South Africa to communicate with the authorities to follow up on the circumstances of the case.

The government of Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh confirmed that it denies that this group is affiliated with it, and that it is ready to participate in the investigations to uncover the parties behind it, while ensuring the safety of the detained citizens in accordance with the relevant international agreements and procedures.

For his part, the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the government assigned by the House of Representatives, Abdul Hadi Al-Huwaij, said in Benghazi that they are following up on the situation of the detained Libyans and are seeking to provide legal support for them, and to ensure that their detention conditions are appropriate in a way that preserves their moral and legal rights.

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