The mayor of Sabha, Hamid Khayali, confirmed the presence of several foreign gangs within the oasis city in southwestern Libya.

Khayali added that those gangs are outlaws who are out of control and their presence cannot be prevented as long as security forces and prison services are absent.

He explained that the militant gangs that are present in the city are from Africa and other foreign countries who "found a country without its people", as he put it, pointing out that the price of a liter of fuel in the city has increased dramatically as a result of fuel smuggling and poor security conditions.

Crimes