Johannesburg – Ninety-five Libyans deported from South Africa last month were training to be special forces for a commander in eastern Libya from where they were monitored via webcam, whistleblowers told local media.
The 95 were getting proper military instruction for the Libyan faction of Khalifa Haftar, who controls the oil-rich east of the unstable country, and not training to be security guards as claimed, they told the Rapport and City Press newspapers.
The Rapport published on Sunday pictures and a video supplied by its sources, whom it did not identify, that showed men in camouflage, and running through military drills.
Police raided the camp near the town of White River, about 360 kilometres (220 miles) east of Johannesburg, on July 26 and detained the men, who were in South Africa on study visas issued for security guard training.
An investigation found the visas were “irregularly acquired” and were cancelled. The men were deported on August 18.
South Africa’s Foreign Military Assistance Act makes it illegal to offer military or security training to a foreign national from a country where there is armed conflict.
The sources told Rapport that the Libyans included former ISIS fighters who were paid to join Haftar’s forces. The 95 were to have also undergone instruction in sniper-shooting, parachuting and sea survival.
One anonymous source was quoted as saying that the men trained with wooden guns because the instructors were afraid they might turn real weapons against them. One of Haftar’s senior generals would check-in on the training via webcam from Libya to make sure it was strict enough, sometimes ordering punishments to instill discipline, the source said.
According to the source, the 95 were part of a group of more than 900 Libyans who were meant to be trained in South Africa for Haftar.
South African officials would not comment on the reports on Monday. The Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority is investigating the owners of the camp where the training was conducted for any violation of South African regulations.
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Source: AFP
Picture: X/@SAPoliceService
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