Niger mercenaries return home from Libya

NIAMEY: Tuareg mercenaries who fought alongside troops loyal to Libyan leader Moamer Qadhafi are beginning to return home to northern Niger after suffering heavy losses, sources told AFP on Sunday.

"It's a debacle, several dozen young Nigerien mercenaries have returned," a local Tuareg official told AFP.

"We noted the return of these young fighters after the fall of Tripoli," a security official in the northern town of Agadez said.

According to this source, thousands of former Tuareg rebels were recruited in Agadez at the start of the Libyan crisis in February to reinforce Qadhafi's troops.

"This massive return is worrying and we are taking security measures to avoid any problems, especially from those returning with their weapons," the security source said.

The fighters have brought home luxury cars and all kinds of furniture, the source said.

The Tuareg rebellion in northern Niger officially ended in 2009 in a truce brokered by Qadhafi and before his downfall, the Libyan strongman enjoyed huge popularity in Touareg regions.

The Tuareg community, composed of some 1.5 million people spread across north Africa, have been fighting governments in the region for more than two decades seeking better integration and more benefits from mining in the area.

More than 210,000 Niger nationals have fled Libya since fighting began in February.

On Friday, Niger recognised the rebel National Transitional Council as the official representative of Libya.

Niamey has expressed worry that the conflict in Libya would have serious security consequences in Niger, a country under constant threat by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2011