By Libya Herald reporter.
Tripoli, 30 March 2015:
Two members of a Libyan Tebu group of smugglers were killed yesterday and their leader . . .[restrict]seriously wounded in a gun-fight in Qatrun between them and another band of smugglers, also Tebu, from Chad. They are said to have been fighting over possession of a consignment of drugs in the possession of the Libyan group.
According to reports, the Chadians, said to be from the Ounianga Lakes district in northeastern Chad, ambushed the Libyan group and seized the drugs. The two men who were killed are believed to be the sons of the wounded leader of the group. It, allegedly, has carried out a number of criminal attacks in the area over the past year.
For its part, the Chadian group is now being pursued.
Drug trafficking is a major issue in the Tibesti region, and beyond, and said to be far more profitable than people smuggling. A drugs trail, from Morocco to Egypt, via the Sahel states, southern Libya and the Siwa oasis, developed in the early 1990s and has involved both Tebus and Tuaregs as the smugglers. Corrupt local officials and army personnel are also said to be linked in what has become a highly lucrative business.
The lawlessness in Libya had enabled the illicit trade to further flourish. [/restrict]
