Radio France Internationale (RFI) said that under pressure from the international community, Khalifa Haftar has asked Sudanese and Chadian mercenaries to leave the cities of Sirte and Jufra and go south, but they refuse to do so until they have been paid.
RFI said in an article titled “Southern Libya, a lawless area that worries Chad” that the mercenaries are risking leaving with heavy weapons and ammunition, as had already happened during the withdrawal from Tripoli.
“Southern Libya is an area that has served for several years as a rear base for the Chadian and Sudanese rebellions, which also engage, in part, as mercenaries on behalf of Khalifa Haftar. The south also serves as a refuge for terrorist organizations and traffickers of all kinds. This area completely escapes the authority of the Libyan state and that of Haftar.” RFI added.
RFI indicated that since 2018, Chad, Niger, Libya and Sudan have been trying to coordinate security at their borders over what they call “the threat coming from southern Libya”, but this coordination is struggling to be put in place, adding that southern Libya continues to be “a hotbed of serious threats,” as the Chadian and Sudanese armed groups constitute a great security challenge for Khartoum and Ndjamena as for Tripoli.
“The international community and the new Libyan authorities have demanded the departure of all the mercenaries, but Tripoli seems helpless or even overwhelmed in the face of these groups.” RFI explained.
