Libya and Chad seize heavy weapons in border sweep

Chadian media sources monitored by Libyan Express have reported that units from the joint Libyan–Chadian force carried out a sweeping security operation in the extreme north, near the shared frontier with Libya.

The operation resulted in the discovery and confiscation of a substantial cache of weapons of various calibres, including heavy armaments such as surface-to-air missiles, in addition to large quantities of ammunition.

According to the Chadian newspaper Al-Wahda, the operation was conducted on the night of 20 February. The following day, the commander of Libya’s southern military region, Major General Mabrouk Sahban, held an official meeting at Point 35. The talks were attended by the commander of the joint force, Brigadier General Abdel Fattah Bouzayan, along with several Chadian military officials.

The meeting concluded with an agreement on a joint operational mechanism aimed at launching coordinated measures to secure and protect the shared border. A joint operations room was subsequently established between Libyan and Chadian forces, supported by air cover and placed under the direct supervision of the Libyan Ground Forces Command. The move is intended to facilitate systematic patrols and clearance operations along the frontier.

Aircraft crash at Ma’ten al-Sarra air base

The stepped-up security efforts come against the backdrop of heightened tensions in Libya’s southern region.

Ma’ten al-Sarra air base, located in the far south of the country, witnessed a helicopter crash in mid-February while carrying out a medical evacuation mission. The incident once again highlighted the base’s strategic role as a logistical hub in the southern desert.

Security concerns had already intensified in late January, when an armed group from the Tebu community seized control of the Tumu border crossing with Niger. Forces aligned with the so-called General Command later announced that they had regained control of the crossing.

The latest joint operation with Chad signals a renewed effort by Libyan authorities and their regional partners to tighten control over porous southern borders long viewed as vulnerable to arms trafficking and cross-border militant activity.