On 31 January, in the early hours, armed men launched a simultaneous attack on three Libyan border posts: the Al-Toum border crossing, the Wadi Bughrara point, and the Al-Salvador point located on the border strip between Libya and Niger, where Libyan National Army (LNA) Border Guard forces are stationed. The attackers said they were part of the ‘Southern Revolutionaries’ group and are understood to be Tebu fighters. They briefly took control of the al-Toum border crossing near the Niger border before LNA Battalion 676 regained full control within hours.
In a video released after the attack, a spokesperson for the ‘Southern Revolutionaries’ group described the operation as a targeted strike against what he called corruption and smuggling networks in southern Libya. The group accused LNA-aligned security forces of facilitating fuel and goods smuggling and warned that vehicles and checkpoints allegedly involved in such activities would be attacked or destroyed. The message suggested that the group’s objective was not to hold territory, but to send a warning and inflict material and symbolic damage.
The LNA General Command issued a statement dated 31 January condemning ‘in the strongest terms the cowardly attack targeting the Al-Toum border crossing, carried out by groups of mercenaries and outlawed armed terrorist gangs.’ It said the attack resulted in the deaths of three LNA fighters, with several others wounded, while some were also taken prisoner – efforts are underway to liberate them. The General Command stressed the LNA fighters were ‘performing their national duty of protecting and guarding the country’s borders and combating smuggling and organized crime activities.’
The General Command said that these ‘criminal gangs’ are engaged in smuggling in all its forms and have suffered heavy blows recently after the LNA managed to cut off their supply and smuggling routes. It said LNA forces were lying in wait for them, ‘which prompted them to carry out this desperate act of aggression, with the support of hostile entities seeking to destabilize the country’s security and stability.’ The General Command said initial information indicates that the attacking elements fled towards the borders of Niger. Efforts are underway to locate them and deal with them as the situation requires.
On 1 February, GNS Deputy Prime Minister Ahmed Houma confirmed that the situation is now stable, noting that the ‘mercenaries’ fled deep into the desert toward the Niger-Chad border. He said this was an attempt to breach national sovereignty and aimed to destabilize security and stability in the region.
The HoR’s Defense and National Security Committee strongly condemned what it described as a ‘treacherous attack’ targeting the Al-Toum border crossing in southern Libya, warning that the incident carries serious security implications for the region and beyond. The statement warned that any form of support, financing, or logistical assistance provided to outlawed armed groups—whether originating inside Libya or from external actors—constitutes a direct violation of Libyan sovereignty. Such actions, the committee said, risk destabilizing not only the southern region but also neighbouring countries, potentially triggering wider security repercussions across the region.
The Council of Elders of the Tuareg Tribes in Libya issued a statement from Ghat, expressing its strong condemnation of attempts to undermine the security of the Libyan borders at the al-Toum crossing. It renewed its loyalty and full support for the Khalifa Haftar’s forces, stressing that the tribes are placing all their capabilities and support ‘with the military establishment to build the future of Libya and protect it from conspiracies and foreign agendas that target the unity of its territory.’
The 5+5 Joint Military Commission strongly condemned the attack on al-Toum describing it as a clear violation of the October 2020 ceasefire agreement. The JMC said it holds the perpetrators and all those who support them fully responsible for any breach of the ceasefire. It also called on UNSMIL to fulfil its role in maintaining and enforcing the ceasefire across Libya.