South African police say 95 Libyans detained at suspected military camp

The early morning raid was near the town of White River in the northeastern province of Mpumalanga, about 360 kilometers (220 miles) east of Johannesburg. (File/AFP)

• They were suspected to be linked to a number of complaints of harassment lodged by local residents in recent months

JOHANNESBURG: South Africa authorities rounded up 95 Libyans in a raid Friday at a farm that appeared to have been converted into a military training base, police said.
The early morning raid was near the town of White River in the northeastern province of Mpumalanga, about 360 kilometers (220 miles) east of Johannesburg, they said.
“The place, which was initially designated as a training site, appears to have been converted into an illegal military training base,” police said in a statement.
“The 95 individuals taken into custody are all Libyan nationals and are currently being questioned by the relevant authorities.”
Mpumalanga’s safety and security minister, Jackie Macie, told local media the men had entered the country in April and claimed to be training to be security guards.
However they had “violated their visa,” he said.
They were suspected to be linked to a number of complaints of harassment lodged by local residents in recent months.
Authorities were processing the group with the aim of sending them back to their country of origin, Macie said.
Television footage from the scene showed a heavy police presence outside the suspected camp, which included green military-style tents and sandbags.
The owner of the security company was a South African national, police spokesman Donald Mdhluli told AFP.
“The site was said to be a training camp for a security company but it is a military base by the looks of things,” he said.
South African officials will be in touch with Libyan authorities about the group, he said.
Most of those detained were said to be on student visas, he said.
“We do suspect them of serious crime because we have had multiple complaints from the community for cases including rape,” Mdhluli said.
“We are not arresting them now but we are taking them in for questioning and will investigate any criminal activity.”
The raid was launched two days after authorities received intelligence about the site, the official said.
“We take any threat to the security and stability of our province and country very seriously,” Mpumalanga acting police commissioner Major General Zeph Mkhwanazi said in a statement.
There was no immediate threat to community safety, he added.
Most of the men did not speak English and it was not immediately clear whether the Libyans were affiliated to any group or what they were doing in South Africa.
Although relative calm has returned to oil-rich Libya in the past four years, clashes periodically occur between its myriad armed groups.
Most are allied with either the UN-recognized government in Tripoli or the rival administration based in the east.