Tuareg militias of Ghat are ethnic
Tuareg
The Tuareg people (; also spelled Twareg or Touareg; endonym: ''Imuhaɣ/Imušaɣ/Imašeɣăn/Imajeɣăn'') are a large Berber ethnic group that principally inhabit the Sahara in a vast area stretching from far southwestern Libya to southern Al ...
tribal militias, operating in
South-West Libya desert areas during the
Second Libyan Civil War. The militias rose to prominence in the
district of Ghat, which has a Tuareg majority. Gradually, the Tuareg forces expanded their hold also into neighbouring districts. The Libyan Tuaregs are supported by Tuaregs of Mali and groups like Ahmed al-Ansari, with support from the Misratan Libyan Dawn forces. Tuareg militias often utilize the
Berber flag
The Berber flag (Berber language: Akenyal Amaziɣ, ⴰⴾⴻⵏⵢⴰⵍ ⴰⵎⴰⵣⵉⵗ) or Amazigh flag is a flag that has been adopted by many Berber populations including protestors, cultural and political activists.
The flag was inaugura ...
.
Tuareg militias are one of a number of factions vying for power in southern Libya, which from 2012 onward has suffered from conflict among
Arab
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, No ...
,
Tabu
Tabu may refer to:
Cultural and legal concepts
*Taboo (spelled ''tabu'' in earlier historical records), something that is unacceptable in society
*Tapu (Polynesian culture) (also spelled ''tabu''), a Polynesian cultural concept from which the wor ...
, and Tuareg tribes.
Operations
2014
Clashes between Tuareg and
Tebu tribal militias have repeatedly flared in
Ubari
Ubari or Awbari (Berber language: Ubari or Awbari; ar, أوباري, ‘Awbārī) is a Tuareg Berber–speaking oasis town and the capital of the Wadi al Hayaa District, in the Fezzan region of southwestern Libya. It is in the Idehan Ubari, a ...
at various times during October 2014. The Tebu tribes are affiliated with the Tobruk government in East Libya. On November 5, 2014, a Tuareg militia reportedly seized control of the
El Sharara oil field
The El Sharara oil field is an oil field located in Murzuq Desert. It was discovered in 1980 and developed by Petrom. The oil field is operated and owned by Repsol. The total proven reserves
Proven reserves (also called measured reserves, 1P, an ...
in Fezzan.
2015
In July 2015, clashes between Tuaregs and Tebu tribes reached Sebha, the biggest city in southern Libya, forcing hundreds of families to flee their homes.
[
Efforts to negotiate a truce between Tuaregs and Tebu in September 2015 halted because the ceasefire was violated.][
On 23 November 2015, the Tuareg and Tebu tribal representatives signed a cease fire deal in Doha, Qatar, in the attempt to end the 14 month-long conflict over Obari.][ The ceasefire agreement ended more than a year of violent clashes between the two groups in which more than 300 people had been killed and some 2,000 injured, according to medical sources.][
]
2016
Due to renewed tensions in Ubari, a task force of the Hasawna tribe was dispatched to Ubari in early February 2016 with a mandate to end ongoing clashes between Libya's Tebu and Tuareg ethnic groups.[
]
2017
2018
2019
In February 2019, both the Tuareg and Tubu temporarily united under the GNA and its Tuareg commander Gen. Ali Kanna to defend against advances by the LNA under General Khalifa Haftar
Field Marshal Khalifa Belqasim Haftar ( ar, خليفة بلقاسم حفتر, Ḵalīfa Bilqāsim Ḥaftar; born 7 November 1943) is a Libyan-American politician, military officer, and the commander of the Tobruk-based Libyan National Army (LNA ...
in Fezzan.
References
{{reflist, 2
External links
Vice News - Libya's Quiet War
Berbers in Libya
Guerrilla organizations
Organizations established in 2011
Political movements in Libya
Rebel groups in Libya
Tuareg rebels
Tuareg independence movement
Libyan Crisis (2011–present)
Berberism