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Libya, Chad, Sudan, Egypt must cooperate to protect borders: Sudanese editor 

Libya, Chad, Sudan, and Egypt must cooperate to protect their common borders and to perpetuate stability in the southern region, Osman Mirghani, editor-in-chief of Sudanese newspaper El-Tayar said Sunday.

During his interview with LIVE show on NEWS218 channel, Mirghani highlighted the lack of security due to the spread of militants on Libyan borders, particularly in the southern region.

He said Sudanese areas near the Libyan borders are “so rugged that no one can cross them,” adding that Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) combated the Sudanese Movement fighters in Libya and arrested elements carrying ammunition and armed vehicles in areas near gold mines.

Additionally, Egyptian journalist of “Al-Watan” newspaper Mohamed Ammar said Egypt has tightened security at Egyptian-Libyan borders.

He added that Libya’s southern borders, which are controlled by the government of the National Accord, lack security as arms trafficking is rampant in that region, posing threats to both Libya and Egypt.

Meanwhile, Atef al-Hassia, a member at Civil Democratic Assembly, said Libyan politicians attend several meetings in neighboring countries to resolve the borders’ problems. However coordinating with these politicians to put the meetings’ outcomes into effect is difficult due to the absence of a strong Libyan partner.

Hassia stressed that the real problem is posed by the absence of plans to develop the southern region through creating more job opportunities for its citizens, signing economic partnerships between Libya and the neighboring countries to protect this region for their own economic interests.

Southern Libya has suffered from continuous instability and inequitable distribution of economic resources due to the collapse of state institutions since the eruption of the 2011 uprising which ousted and killed longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

Further, there is an armed conflict among Arab, Tabu, and Tuareg tribes over smuggling routes and oil fields.

On Oct. 14 and 15, several clashes took place near the southern town of Um Al-Araneb, some 950 kilometers south of the capital Tripoli, between local security and Chadian opposition militants, killing four security personnel.

On Oct. 19, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) condemned the absence of security in the southern region, expressing its concern about the rise of crime, abductions, and vandalism on government water supply infrastructure.

At a focal point in the Eastern Sahara where the borders of Sudan, Libya and Egypt meet, lies a 2,000-meter large rocky outcrop known as Jebel Uweinat, which has been neglected and subjected to looting since Libya’s 2011 revolution.

More than 60 percent of the mountain range lie in Libyans territories, while 40 percent are located on Egyptian-Sudanese borders.

In the past few years, illegal gold mining boomed at the foothills of Uweinat by Libyan armed groups and gangs coming from Sudan and Chad due to the insecurity that Libya has witnessed.

The instability in Libya backed by the easy extraction process of the gold, which does not require deep excavation, attracts many thieves to the region.

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