Hundreds of young Malians and Nigeriens from the nomadic Touareg community, including former rebels, are being recruited by Libyan leader Gaddafi to fight the popular uprising in his country. "We are worried in many respects," said an official of the Regional Assembly of Kidal in Northern Mali. These young people "are going in masses to Libya. It's very dangerous for us because there will be an impact for our region."
He said regional authorities are trying to convince them not to leave, particularly ex-rebels. But this was not easy as there were "dollars and weapons" waiting for them.
Assalat said an entire network was in place to organise the trip to Libya. "Gaddafi's reach stretches to us. He knows who to call, they make group trips. There seems to be an air link from Chad. Others go by road to southern Libya. All of that scares me, really, because one day they will come back with the same arms to destabilise the Sahel," said the official. Radio Netherlands Worldwide
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