LONDON // Libya's leader, Muammar Qaddafi, the loyalty of his armed forces proving decidedly unreliable, appears to have turned to mercenaries from elsewhere in Africa to support his bloody crackdown.
Witnesses and rights groups have repeatedly told of foreigners brought in to fight, perhaps veterans of wars and insurgencies elsewhere in Africa - often from countries with which Col Qaddafi has built strong links.
A lawyer in Benghazi said on Wednesday that a security committee formed by civilians there had arrested 36 mercenaries from Chad, Niger and Sudan hired by Colonel Qaddafi's elite Praetorian Guard.
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LIBYAN REVOLT
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In Egypt, a 21-year-old Libyan student named Saddam said he had seen French-speaking fighters from west and north Africa open fire on protesters before he fled.
But Libya also has its own black African population, as well as thousands of African refugees hoping to cross to Europe. Identifying fighters' nationalities is hard.
However, the head of the working group on mercenaries for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said evidence of the use of mercenaries was growing increasingly convincing.
"It's not 100 per cent but it does seem likely," Jose Luis Gomez del Prado said. "It may be that the army are not willing to fire on their brothers and so it would make sense for Qaddafi to use them."
The Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights, quoting reports from Libyan exile groups, said it believed Colonel Qaddafi was relying on up to 6,000 foreign fighters to cling to power, 3,000 of them based in the capital Tripoli.
The federation said foreign fighters came from many countries including Chad, Mali, Nigeria and Zimbabwe as well as Liberians who had fought for Charles Taylor, the former president now on trial for war crimes in neighbouring Sierra Leone.
Sudan's government said Darfur rebels long hosted by Colonel Qaddafi were also involved, a charge the rebels denied.
It may not be the first time Colonel Qaddafi has turned to outside help. During his fight against Islamist insurgents in the 1990s, there were persistent rumours he had hired Serbian mercenary pilots after Libyan officers refused to bomb civilians.
Some Libyan pilots again appear to have refused to obey his orders. Two pilots defected to Malta earlier in the week, saying they had refused to bomb protesters, while a Libyan newspaper reported a bomber crew ejected into the desert on Wednesday rather than bomb Benghazi. The UN's Del Prado said he had heard occasional reports of eastern European mercenaries in the current crackdown, but most evidence pointed to fighters from elsewhere in Africa.
Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia and others have all had bloody civil wars leaving whole generations traumatised and often armed. Colonel Qaddafi has built business and diplomatic links with many African countries in recent years.
Most accounts suggest any foreigners were brought into the country well in advance. Saddam, the student, said they had been hiding in army camps and emerged when troops began to mutiny.
"Many of the soldiers started leaving the camp, but the mercenaries fought with the army men trying to leave," he said.
Rights groups want an arms embargo in part to prevent Colonel Qaddafi bringing in any more fighters. They also want those guilty of any atrocities to be put on trial, though experts say international justice may be the last thing on their minds.
"Mercenaries tend to worry about two things," said Adam Roberts, author of a book on the 2004 attempted coup in Equatorial Guinea involving mercenaries from southern Africa. "The first is whether they are going to get killed and the second is whether they are going to be paid."
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
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- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Straightforward ways to reduce sugar in your family's diet
- Ban fruit juice and sodas
- Eat a hearty breakfast that contains fats and wholegrains, such as peanut butter on multigrain toast or full-fat plain yoghurt with whole fruit and nuts, to avoid the need for a 10am snack
- Give young children plain yoghurt with whole fruits mashed into it
- Reduce the number of cakes, biscuits and sweets. Reserve them for a treat
- Don’t eat dessert every day
- Make your own smoothies. Always use the whole fruit to maintain the benefit of its fibre content and don’t add any sweeteners
- Always go for natural whole foods over processed, packaged foods. Ask yourself would your grandmother have eaten it?
- Read food labels if you really do feel the need to buy processed food
- Eat everything in moderation
JAPANESE GRAND PRIX INFO
Schedule (All times UAE)
First practice: Friday, 5-6.30am
Second practice: Friday, 9-10.30am
Third practice: Saturday, 7-8am
Qualifying: Saturday, 10-11am
Race: Sunday, 9am-midday
Race venue: Suzuka International Racing Course
Circuit Length: 5.807km
Number of Laps: 53
Watch live: beIN Sports HD
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A cheaper choice
Vanuatu: $130,000
Why on earth pick Vanuatu? Easy. The South Pacific country has no income tax, wealth tax, capital gains or inheritance tax. And in 2015, when it was hit by Cyclone Pam, it signed an agreement with the EU that gave it some serious passport power.
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Benefits: No tax, no restrictions on dual citizenship, no requirement to visit or reside to retain a passport. Visa-free access to 129 countries.
Tips on buying property during a pandemic
Islay Robinson, group chief executive of mortgage broker Enness Global, offers his advice on buying property in today's market.
While many have been quick to call a market collapse, this simply isn’t what we’re seeing on the ground. Many pockets of the global property market, including London and the UAE, continue to be compelling locations to invest in real estate.
While an air of uncertainty remains, the outlook is far better than anyone could have predicted. However, it is still important to consider the wider threat posed by Covid-19 when buying bricks and mortar.
Anything with outside space, gardens and private entrances is a must and these property features will see your investment keep its value should the pandemic drag on. In contrast, flats and particularly high-rise developments are falling in popularity and investors should avoid them at all costs.
Attractive investment property can be hard to find amid strong demand and heightened buyer activity. When you do find one, be prepared to move hard and fast to secure it. If you have your finances in order, this shouldn’t be an issue.
Lenders continue to lend and rates remain at an all-time low, so utilise this. There is no point in tying up cash when you can keep this liquidity to maximise other opportunities.
Keep your head and, as always when investing, take the long-term view. External factors such as coronavirus or Brexit will present challenges in the short-term, but the long-term outlook remains strong.
Finally, keep an eye on your currency. Whenever currency fluctuations favour foreign buyers, you can bet that demand will increase, as they act to secure what is essentially a discounted property.
The five pillars of Islam
