Mohamed Jarrari, a 46-year-old livestock trader in Tobruk (200 km east of Benghazi), is worried that Libya’s sheep might soon disappear. Jarrari estimates that as many as 500 sheep are smuggled into Egypt every day through the border city of Musaid (160 km east of Tobruk) – especially during the holy celebration of Eid Al-Adha (September 12 – 15). “It is a horrible figure,” says Jarrari.

Mohamed Jarrari, a 46-year-old livestock trader in Tobruk (200 km east of Benghazi), is worried that Libya’s sheep might soon disappear. Jarrari estimates that as many as 500 sheep are smuggled into Egypt every day through the border city of Musaid (160 km east of Tobruk) – especially during the holy celebration of Eid Al-Adha (September 12 – 15). “It is a horrible figure,” says Jarrari.

Jarrari says that the Egyptian traders pay their Libyan counterparts tempting prices for the smuggled sheep. Although the price of a male sheep in Tobruk runs LYD 550-650 (US$ 400-475), Egyptian traders pay LYD 850-950 (US$ 650-695). Libyan traders therefore are eager to sell “although they know the sheep will be smuggled abroad,” he says.

No law to stop the sales

Colonel Omar Abrid, Director of National Security in Musaid says they know the sheep are brought to the city to be smuggled, but they cannot do anything about it as there are no laws criminalizing sheep sales in the city’s squares. “All traders say they are in the square to sell our sheep at the local market.”

The animals, according to Abrid, are smuggled through the barbed wire separating the two countries, usually at night by people familiar with the area. He explains that like the other Libyan security entities, the Tobruk Security Directorate lacks capabilities, headquarters and equipped vehicles needed to combat smuggling. “Our work is limited to our own efforts within Musaid, depending on the available resources,” he says.

To complicate matter further, Abrid explains that the sheep need to be fed and if one dies, the Security Directorate must compensate the trader.

Money talks

A smuggler in his forties, who spoke on condition of anonymity, claims that the economic collapse in Libya made him sell his sheep to an Egyptian smuggler. He also cited the lack of liquidity in Libyan banks, the sheep trade slump and the continuous need to buy feed, despite its high prices, were factors that “outweighed his patriotism.”

Abrid says smuggling is at its highest when the Libyan dinar depreciates against the Egyptian pound. The Libyan-Egyptian borders witnessed an unprecedented smuggling wave after the price of the Libyan dinar reached three Egyptian pounds.

Sheep are not always smuggled into Egypt. The smuggling direction, says Abrid, is reversed when the Libyan dinar gains value. The same Libyan sheep are smuggled back home when the Libyan dinar equals more than three Egyptian pounds. The dinar’s highest price reached EYP 5.5 before the dollar price rose in the black market at the start of 2014.

Numerous ways to smuggle

The aforementioned smuggler reveals many smuggling methods. Sometimes sheep are smuggled in broad daylight near the land border crossing. However, most operations happen at night and the Egyptian traders, mostly members of the Awlad Ali Tribe, transfer their goods via desert or via vessels sailing to the Egyptian lands and beaches.

He explains that the sheep prices rise after they are smuggled. The unit price exceeds LYD 1,200 (US$ 875) inside Egypt, yet most Libyan smugglers prefer selling at the last point before the smuggling areas. “This is comfortable to us,” says the smuggler.  

Colonel Safi Abdul Nabi, Head of Reconnaissance at the Military Area Leadership in Tobruk, says they are increasing patrols around those near-border points and the Egyptian authorities are often informed about security breaches.

He adds that a Security Directorate patrol in Tobruk recently stopped a truck containing 200 sheep heading to the smuggling area, and the driver and his assistant were charged. He says that the security forces have recently increased their patrols based on the instructions of the Ministry of Interior in the Libyan interim government in Al Bayda’.

Female sheep in demand

Egyptian smugglers, says Jarrari, prefer the Libyan, female sheep. He maintains that the demand on the female sheep has been on the rise as Egyptian traders use them for breeding. Abrid says the same females return to Libya as soon as the dinar appreciates. He claims that the female sheep return with diseases like aphtha febrile (hoof and mouth disease), which was not existent in eastern Libya.

Ibrahim Jarrari, Head of the Libyan-Egyptian Joint Commerce Chamber claims the Egyptian authorities know what is going on but merely answer by saying “we will do what we can.”

He adds that the sheep are often smuggled through the deserts from the town of Jaghboub where it is difficult to track trucks due to the sand dunes.