The Libyan rebel General Khalifa Haftar is recruiting members of gangs and militias accused of genocide, and Russian-backed mercenaries in an attempt to recoup recent battlefield losses against the Turkish-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), state-run Anadolu news agency said on Friday.
It is estimated that the number of mercenaries sent by Russia to Haftar from various provinces in Syria has reached nearly 2,000, Anadolu said.
The Sudanese government also announced on June 28 that 122 mercenaries who were preparing to go to Libya had been arrested in an operation, according to Anadolu.
Turkey stepped up its military support to the United Nations-recognised GNA in December 2019, sending drones and other military hardware to Libya, along with thousands of Syrian mercenaries, many of whom have links to Islamist militant groups.
Ahval