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Libyan rebels get weapons through Tunisia

Report

Members of the Libyan diaspora are funding the purchase of small arms to smuggle into Western Libya, according to one Libyan smuggler who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity.

He told the BBC that AK-47s and grenade launchers are being taken across the border by individuals, in small but frequent consignments.

A rebel commander in western Libya said his forces kept a record of each fighter and the serial number of their weapons, so they could be collected when the war was over.

Commander Ahbeel Dody appealed for NATO countries to send more and heavier weapons through Tunisia officially. He said a shortage in the Nafusa mountains, where towns have gained ground in frequent clashes with Colonel Gaddafi's forces, was prolonging the war.

But the fledgling Tunisian government is fearful of giving overt support to the rebels. Colonel Gaddafi's forces are on the border, and shelling often spills over.

Tunisian border guards are under orders to search each car going in to Libya. But the Libyan smuggler speaking to the BBC says that many Tunisians are sympathetic and help get arms in to the rebels.

Pascale Harter, BBC News, Tunisia