The Brigade 444, a unit serving under the Ministry of Defense, scored new hits against human traffickers in West Libya. The unit targeted three illegal centres, arresting several smuggles and liberating almost 400 migrants. As Bakayoko, one of the migrant freed, said “we were in a nightmare, some of us have stayed in the centre for 8 moths, some of us were getting mad!”
Great results against human traffickers
Brigade 444 is a unit operating under the Libyan Ministry of Defense, precisely under the Military District of Tripoli. In March 2021, Brigade 444 targeted four illegal detention centres in Bani Walid and in Nasmah, liberating 345 migrants and arresting 25 smugglers. Moreover, during these operations, three soldiers belonging to the Brigade 444 were severely injured. It is known that smugglers detain migrants, beat them, and than send videos to their families asking for money in exchange of freedom. However, once received that money, smugglers rarely free the migrants and ask for more and more money. Therefore, the living conditions in those centers are inhuman and unbearable.
Moussa, one of the migrants freed, said “My mum must be very worried. I have not been in touch with her for months and that the smugglers sent the video where they beat me hard….I imagine how she would feel knowing about my conditions. I could not escape. I was trapped.”
I could not escape. I was trapped
Nagash, a pseudonym to protect her safety, said that “while travelling on a vehicle, armed men stopped us in the middle of the Libyan desert. They bought me in camp and said it was in a United Nations camp. In reality it was a detention centre. I do not want to tell the awful things happened to me.”
I do not want to tell the awful things happened to me
Brigade 444: an effective unit
The Brigade 444 was created from “Rada 20-20”, a unit belonging to the Rada Force. Although some sources would link Brigade 444 to Turkey, which would have provided training and equipment, it must be said that Rada 20-20 was formed and trained well before the Turkish involvement in Libya and was considered one of the most reliable post-2011 special operations units.
Brigade 444 carried out operations that seem to be well planned and executed. Its soldiers were able to arrest several smugglers, four of them not of Libyan nationality, sizing weapons and ammunition. Even if three of the soldiers were injured, the negative outcomes of the raids could have been worse. In fact, the facilities raided were heavily defended and the smugglers used small arms and anti-tank weapons against the Libyan soldiers.
Soldiers belonging to the Brigade 444 during a raid.
The Brigade 444 is not new in scoring hits against human traffickers and smugglers. In the last February, it deployed soldiers in Tripoli, Tarunah, Bani Walid, Arban and in other areas south of the capital and carried out operations against weapons, drug, fuel smugglers and other criminals.
Nowadays, it seems the Brigade 444 wants to increase the number of its operations looking for even more big hits.
