Ramadan Sewehli, also spelt as Ramadan al-Suwayhili, ( ar, رمضان السويحلي ''Ramaḍān as-Swīḥlī'') (c. 1879 – 1920) was a prominent Tripolitanian nationalist at the outset of the Italian occupation in 1911 and one of the founders of the

Tripolitanian Republic Tripolitanian Republic (Arabic: , ''al-Jumhuriyat at-Trabulsiya''), was an Arab republic that declared the independence of Tripolitania from Italian Libya after World War I. Background Tripolitania had been an Ottoman possession since the 16th ce ...

. He fought for the Ottoman cause against the Italians did during the

Italo-Turkish War The Italo-Turkish or Turco-Italian War ( tr, Trablusgarp Savaşı, "Tripolitanian War", it, Guerra di Libia, "War of Libya") was fought between the Kingdom of Italy and the Ottoman Empire from 29 September 1911, to 18 October 1912. As a result o ...

, but after the conclusion of the 1912 peace treaty, he led a revolt against an Italian column at Sirte. With outbreak of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, the Italians withdrew from Misrata. Seeing the advantage, he later took part in the

battle of Gasr Bu Hadi The Battle of Gasr Bu Hadi occurred during the Italian colonization of Libya. It was the worst Italian defeat since the Battle of Adwa.''A History of Libya'', John Wright, page 119, 2012 The battle On afternoon of 28 April 1915, Colonel Miani ma ...

against the Italians. For several years, he succeeded of strengthening the town of Misrata as a safe haven for Ottoman forces and an autonomous political district. In 1916, his troops clashed with

Senussi The Senusiyya, Senussi or Sanusi ( ar, السنوسية ''as-Sanūssiyya'') are a Muslim political-religious tariqa (Sufi order) and clan in colonial Libya and the Sudan region founded in Mecca in 1837 by the Grand Senussi ( ar, السنوسي ...

forces sent to Sirte to collect taxes from the local population. He is an ancestor of

Abdulrahman Sewehli Abdulrahman Sewehli, also spelt as Abdel Rahman al-Suwayhili, ( ar, عبد الرحمن السويحلي) is a Libyan politician and the leader of the Union for the Homeland party. He was elected as chairman of the High Council of State on 6 A ...

References

Libyan Muslims Libyan people of Turkish descent People from Misrata {{Libya-bio-stub