photo - Mohamed Messara epa that most of the European mercenaries come from Eastern Europe or the Balkans, including Belarusians, Serbians and Ukrainians, all working for several thousand US dollars a day.
Previously it had been reported by rebel fighters in Libya that Gaddafi was supplementing his security forces with mercenaries from Africa, particularly Chad, Mali and other central African states.
But Greek organised crime expert Michel Koutouzis, who spent a couple of months in Libya earlier this year, says Europeans are also involved.
"In Libyan society, there is a taboo against killing people from your own tribal group. This is one reason why Gaddafi needs foreign fighters," he told EUobserver.
Janusz Sejmej, spokesman at Poland’s Defence Ministry would not be drawn on the reports. “It‘s difficult to respond to a report [without specifics],” he told the
TVN24 news station. When he did have more information he would make a statement, he added.
Earlier this month, the Russian
Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper reported that Belarusians were working as advisers to the regime in Tripoli.
And in February, the Serbian
Alo tabloid claimed that Serbian mercenaries were in Libya.
“Serbian mercenaries earn tens of thousands dollars for the job… They come from Serbia, but Bosnian and Croatian agencies are involved in recruiting for this kind of work,” the paper reported.
Peter Bouckaert, however, from Human Rights Watch in Libya is sceptical of the reports.
He told Euroobserver that his South African mercenary contacts "have not heard of any Europeans, South Africans or Zimbabweans going to fight for Gaddafi…”
(pg)