On 16 September, The Guardian reported that a Libyan militia detained hundreds of Chadians after suspected Libyan poachers were arrested in Chad. Journalist Zeinab Mohammed Salih wrote that over the last nine days at least 400 Chadians have been rounded up and detained in Ajdabiya, northeastern Libya. The article reports the Ajdabiya brigade, which is led by Khalifa Haftar's son-in-law Ayoub Issa al-Ferjani, has been making the arrests. Salih suggests these arrests are in retaliation to the Chad government's arrest of four Libyan men suspected to be poaching endangered species. A security source in Libya told The Guardian that the Libyan arrest campaign is ongoing, suggesting that Libya will likely cut ties with Chad if the four arrested Libyans are harmed. The source also said the Chadians who were arrested will likely be sent back to Chad for not having the right papers to work in Libya and for carrying 'infectious diseases'. Salih reported that Libya's foreign ministry is starting negotiations with Chad and maintains the four Libyans entered Chad 'mistakenly', while the Chadian authorities have not commented on the situation.
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