95 Libyans arrested in South Africa raid | The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

95 Libyans arrested in raid in South Africa

JOHANNESBURG – South African police arrested 95 Libyan nationals in a raid on what they believe is a secret military training camp on Friday. Authorities said they were investigating whether there were other illegal bases in other parts of the country.

The camp was discovered on a farm in White River in Mpumalanga province, about 350 kilometers northeast of Johannesburg, police said.

National police spokeswoman Athlenda Mathe said in a post on social media site X that the Libyans said they had come to the country on study visas to train as security forces, but police investigations indicated they had received military training.

News channel Newzroom Afrika TV broadcast images from the scene of the arrests, showing a military-style camp with large green and khaki tents lined up in a row. Dozens of men in civilian clothes lined up as they were arrested.

Local government official Jackie Macie said investigations were ongoing and the owner of the farm was being questioned. He said authorities had received information that there were similar secret camps near two other towns in Mpumalanga province.

The province borders Mozambique and Swaziland and is a problem area for the South African authorities with regard to illegal immigration.

Police and authorities have not provided any information on whether there is any suspicion that the camps are linked to a particular group or conflict.

EU provides Ukraine with $1.6 billion

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The European Union announced Friday that it had allocated $1.6 billion in aid to Ukraine, the first tranche of money generated from profits on frozen Russian assets.

In May, the 27 EU member states agreed to use interest income from Russian Central Bank assets worth around $225 billion to provide military support to Ukraine and rebuild the war-torn country.

The money, most of which is held in Belgium, was frozen as part of the sanctions package in retaliation for Moscow’s large-scale invasion. Brussels estimates that interest on these assets could bring in around $325 billion annually.

“The EU stands with Ukraine. Today we are transferring 1.5 billion euros from proceeds from immobilized Russian assets for Ukraine’s defence and reconstruction. There is no better symbol or use for the Kremlin’s money than making Ukraine and the whole of Europe a safer place to live,” EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement.

The move came just days after Moscow announced it had recaptured two villages in eastern Ukraine. A recent push by Kremlin forces in eastern and northeastern Ukraine has produced incremental gains, and Kyiv fears Russia could advance even further without financial support.

Migrant transporter overturns in Serbia; 30 injured

BELGRADE, Serbia – A van carrying about 50 migrants overturned in southwestern Serbia on Friday, injuring more than 30 people, the country’s state television reported.

The incident occurred on the road between the eastern Serbian town of Pirot near the border with Bulgaria and Nis in southern Serbia, the report said.

Further details were not immediately available and Serbian police have not issued an official statement. Video footage from RTS showed an overturned van on the side of the road and police officers directing traffic.

Serbia lies on the Balkan migration route, where smugglers often facilitate illegal border crossings for people seeking to reach Western Europe.

The migrants come to Serbia from Bulgaria or North Macedonia and then travel, often crammed into vans or cars, north and west towards Hungary or Croatia.

Former Russian defense official arrested

MOSCOW – A former Russian Defense Ministry official has been arrested on corruption charges, Russian security services said Friday, the latest in a series of arrests of high-ranking military officials.

Former Deputy Defense Minister General Dmitry Bulgakov was arrested in Moscow and taken into custody, the Russian Investigative Committee said in a statement, without giving further details.

Bulgakov served as deputy defense minister from 2008 until his dismissal in September 2022. At the time, he was in charge of logistics. Although the ministry announced he would take another job, the move was seen as punishment for failures in supporting operations in Ukraine.

His fall came shortly after Kiev made rapid territorial gains in a counteroffensive in the northeastern Kharkiv region.

In recent months, seven high-ranking military officials have been arrested on charges of fraud, bribery and abuse of office. Among them is Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov, who was arrested on bribery charges in April and later dismissed from his post.

Bulgakov’s arrest is the second this week, after Andrei Belkov, head of the Defense Ministry’s construction department, was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of abuse of power.

In this South African Police Services (SAPS) photo, some of the 95 Libyan nationals arrested on suspicion of running an illegal military camp are seen lining up after their arrest, Friday, July 26, 2024, in White River, South Africa. Police say 95 Libyan nationals were arrested on suspicion of training at a secret military camp in the north of the country. (South African Police Services via AP)