Kufra authorities deny involvement in Sudanese conflict

May 5, 2023 | Libyan actors

On 5 May, the Municipal Council and Emergency Room of Kufra condemned national and international media allegations that Kufra authorities and the Libyan National Army’s (LNA) Suboul al-Salam Brigade are involved in providing support to Sudanese forces. The statement dismissed such reports as malicious propaganda and lies which are intended to ‘increase international interference in Libya and violate its sovereignty’. It affirmed that ‘the LNA’s Suboul al-Salam Brigade is the one that guards the borders and combats crimes of human smuggling, drugs and weapons, and that the southeastern borders of the Libyan state are fully secured.’ It went on to deny the presence of any mercenaries or armed groups in Kufra.

According to data recorded by the Displacement Monitoring Matrix of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 550 refugees (Sudanese and other nationalities) crossed into the Kufra region from Sudan. During the same period, 16,000 people were displaced to Egypt, and 20,000 to Chad.