Kufra () is a basinBertarelli (1929), p. 514. and

oasis In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environmentKufra District of southeastern

Cyrenaica Cyrenaica ( ) or Kyrenaika (, , after the city of Cyrene), is the eastern region of Libya. Cyrenaica includes all of the eastern part of Libya between the 16th and 25th meridians east, including the Kufra District. The coastal region, als ...

Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...

. At the end of the 19th century, Kufra became the centre and holy place of the Senussi order. It also played a minor role in the

Western Desert Campaign The Western Desert campaign (Desert War) took place in the Sahara Desert, deserts of Egypt and Libya and was the main Theater (warfare), theatre in the North African campaign of the Second World War. Military operations began in June 1940 with ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. It is located in a particularly isolated area, not only because it is in the middle of the

Sahara Desert The Sahara (, ) is a desert spanning across North Africa. With an area of , it is the largest hot desert in the world and the list of deserts by area, third-largest desert overall, smaller only than the deserts of Antarctica and the northern Ar ...

but also because it is surrounded on three sides by depressions which make it dominate the passage of the east-west land traffic across the desert. For the colonial Italians, it was also important as a station on the north-south air route to Italian East Africa. These factors, along with Kufra's dominance of the southeastern Cyrenaica region of Libya, highlight the strategic importance of the oasis and why it was a point of conflict during World War II.

Etymology

The

folk etymology Folk etymology – also known as (generative) popular etymology, analogical reformation, (morphological) reanalysis and etymological reinterpretation – is a change in a word or phrase resulting from the replacement of an unfamiliar form by a mo ...

associates the word "Kufra" as coming from the

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

''word

kafir ''Kāfir'' (; , , or ; ; or ) is an Arabic-language term used by Muslims to refer to a non-Muslim, more specifically referring to someone who disbelieves in the Islamic God, denies his authority, and rejects the message of Islam as ...

'' (كافر), meaning "disbeliever" or "infidel". The term ''kafir'' originates from the Arabic root K-F-R, which means "to cover" or "to conceal". In Islamic theology, it refers to someone who denies or conceals the truth of Islam, with reference to the Toubou people native to the region.Friedrich Gerhard Rohlfs, ''Kufra: Reise von Tripolis nach der Oase Kufra, ausgeführt im Auftrage der Afrikanischen Gesellschaft in Deutschland'' (Leipzig: F.A. Brockhaus, 1881), 266 and 267. https://archive.org/details/kufrareisevontri00rohl/page/266/mode/2up The association of the term ''Kufra'' stems from the early 19th-century context, marked by Arab-initiated tribal conflict and territorial expansion in southern Cyrenaica. Arab tribes—primarily the Zuwayya and Jawabis—sought to assert control over the region’s most fertile oases, a core area of Toubou settlement.Wahli, S. H. (2022, October 7). ''الواحات التباوية السوداء.. جنوب برقة الليبية- إقليم توزر'' he Black Toubou Oases: Southern Barqa of Libya – The Tozeur Region ''Studies and Research in History, Heritage, and Languages''. https://m.ahewar.org/s.asp?aid=770715&r=0&cid=0&u=&i=10076&q= Contemporary accounts, such as those by the German explorer Friedrich Hornemann (1772–1801), who crossed the Libyan Desert in 1798, document the early invasions into Toubou-controlled territory. Hornemann refers to expeditions launched from

Benghazi Benghazi () () is the List of cities in Libya, second-most-populous city in Libya as well as the largest city in Cyrenaica, with an estimated population of 859,000 in 2023. Located on the Gulf of Sidra in the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean, Ben ...

and Awjila, which was a repeated pattern of invasions towards the area he identified as ''Febabo''—modern-day ''Kufra'' (also known as al-Jawf). The first Arab invasions, carried out by the Jawazi tribes from northern Cyrenaica in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, were met with local resistance and ultimately repelled.Hornemann, Frederick. ''The Journal of Frederick Hornemann's Travels from Cairo to Mourzouk... in the Years 1797–8''. London: W. Bulmer and Co., 1802. line 118 https://www.gutenberg.org/files/71426/71426-h/71426-h.htm. A pivotal moment occurred in 1808, during the rule of Yusuf Karamanli, Pasha of Tripoli. After facing strong local resistance, Arab tribes sought military aid from the Ottoman authorities. In response, they were supplied with firearms and troops, leading to the occupation of the Kufra region—one of the Toubou's strongholds—by the Zuwayya and their allies. These military campaigns reportedly resulted in significant casualties among the native ''Toubou (Goran)'' and ''Zaghawa'' populations and many were forced migrate from the region. However, Kufra never fully came under the dominion of either the Arabs or the Ottomans. During this period, Arab forces referred to the Toubou as ''kuffar'' (the plural of ''kafir'', meaning "disbelievers"), a term employed in military rhetoric and campaign slogans. Thus, it became associated with the region itself, ultimately giving rise to the toponym ''Kufra''. The broader region came to be known as Kufra, with al-Jawf frequently referred to by the same name, serving as both its administrative and geographic center. Historically, southern Cyrenaica was known in prehistoric times for its fertility and verdant landscape. In the Toubou language, it was called ''Tazer'', meaning "greenland", a term also applied specifically to al-Jawf (Kufra). Over time, the toponym ''Febabo'' came into use for the al-Jawf oasis, meaning "the one with the grand pits" in the Toubou language. The region was also referenced by Friedrich Gerhard Rohlfs (1831–1896) in 1879, who referred to the site as ''Kebabo''. Rohlfs speculated that Hornemann had misspelled the name and incorrectly assumed it was derived from the Arabic ''Kufra''. This was inaccurate. The name ''Febabo'' appears in several historical cartographic records as ''Kebabo'', which is also incorrect. However, it has been misspelled even by the native scholars, despite its accurate meaning having been properly explained—leading to the continued use of ''Kebabo'' instead of the original ''Febabo''. Rohlfs further observed that the area was part of the ancient ancestral seat of the Garamantes. He noted, however, that he did not have the opportunity to consult directly with Toubou regarding the deeper historical context of the region. Furthermore, he reported that the Zuwayya were reluctant to disclose information about the earlier history of the Toubou in Kufra and kept it as very secretive. Because he did not ask the Toubou, he did not know the meaning of ''Febabo'', despite it being a relatively simple and straightforward word. According to local accounts, the Zuwayya destroyed ancient Toubou sites in an attempt to erase their historical presence from the region—an action that further corresponds with Rohlfs' observations. Similarly, Hornemann recorded accounts from the people of Awjila—primarily Berbers—who described ''Febabou'' ''(Kufra)'' as a ten-day journey from their settlement. These are the same people, from the same place who are the Nasamones, who clearly provided geographic descriptions and oral accounts to the Greek historian

Herodotus Herodotus (; BC) was a Greek historian and geographer from the Greek city of Halicarnassus (now Bodrum, Turkey), under Persian control in the 5th century BC, and a later citizen of Thurii in modern Calabria, Italy. He wrote the '' Histori ...

. (c. 484–425 BCE), offering early insights into the region's geography, which has led many travelers to become confused. Concerning the Garamantes, Herodotus' descriptions are contradictory, raising critical questions about the reliability of his ethnographic accounts. These inconsistencies in Herodotus's portrayal of the Garamantes challenge the accuracy of his claims and suggest a need for further investigation into the region's true historical context. The term ''Garama–ntes'', recorded by

, has meaning and it is deep rooted in ''Toubou'' which means literally "the sons of the speakers of the Ga language", with ''Ga'' being as a unifying designation for the Toubou language (''Dazaga-Tedaga''). The Toubou people continue to refer to themselves as Ga people and to their language as Ga, reflecting a longstanding linguistic and cultural identity that underscores their cohesion as a single people. The Toubou are also known as ''Goran'', a name that is still in use today particularly in Sudan. In fact, these names are used interchangeably in the Tubu world, just like the ancient names Tehenu and Temehu, which the ancient Egyptians used to refer to the same people. It is attributed to them through their ancestors, the ''Garamantes''—''Garama–nte''—Herodotus derived their name from their city of Garama, (also known as Germa but locally pronounced as Jarma). Over time, the term was distorted by Arabic speakers, who altered the original ''-ma'' ending to ''-an''. In the Toubou language, ''ma'' means "sons". The ''Garamantes'' forebears are the ''Tehenu'' and ''Temehu'', the ancient Libyan groups mentioned in early Egyptian records. In the Toubou language, the names ''Tehenu'' and ''Temehu'' literally mean "people of the southern land" and "people of the eastern land", respectively. The correct pronunciation of ''Tehenu'' ''as Tuhunu'' is derived from ''Tu'' meaning "land" and ''hunu'' derived from ''anou'' meaning "south", while ''Temehu'' as ''Tumuhu'' combines ''Tu'' meaning "land" and ''muhu'' meaning "east". Wherever the Toubou (Goran) originated, the ''Zaghawa'' also came from the same place. Since the dawn of history, people have lived in groups, and the Zaghawa lived alongside the Toubou, sharing many common origins. The name ''Toubou'' is constructed similarly to that of their ancestors, with ''Tu'' meaning "land" and ''Bu'' meaning "grand", "great", or simply "big". Together, the name means "Grand Land", referring to their entire homeland that includes Libya, Chad, Sudan, Niger and beyond—essentially meaning "people of the great land" or "people of the grand homeland". The history of Black people in North Africa from Egypt to Morocco has frequently been manipulated. Similarly to ancient Egypt, the histories of Black people in Libya have been systematically distorted, marginalized, or erased—especially the history of the Toubou people and their ancestors. Their heritage has often been misrepresented by Western writers, and the Barbarians have also exploited biased narratives around the identities of the Tehenu (Temehu) and Garamantes.

Geography

Kufra is an elliptic shaped basin, oriented northeast-southwest. The major axis is , the minor long. It is bordered by hills which are at most 100 m high. The soil consists of red

marl Marl is an earthy material rich in carbonate minerals, Clay minerals, clays, and silt. When Lithification, hardened into rock, this becomes marlstone. It is formed in marine or freshwater environments, often through the activities of algae. M ...

or sand and in the lowest parts there are salt lakes or dried salines. In the basin lie the following oases: *'' Al Jawf'' ("Center"), the largest, situated at the northeast end of the basin, long and wide. It is rich with palms and gardens. * ''Buma'' and ''Buema'', both small and situated to the east of Al Jawf. Gerhard Rohlfs set his camp north of Buema, and since then the locality is known as "Garet-en- Nasrani" ("Field of the Christian" in Arabic). Kufra Airport is located in Buma. *''Ez-Zurgh'', situated to the south of Al Jawf. It consists of a line of Palm trees. Until the Italian occupation it was inhabited only by slaves. *''Et-Tleilíb'' and ''Et-Talláb'', both situated to the southwest of Al Jawf. The latter is the farthest from Al Jawf, lying away. On the north edge of the basin, there is the village of El Tag, which means crown in Arabic, which does not contain an oasis.Bertarelli (1929), p. 515. It was founded by Sayyid Muhammad al-Mahdi as-Senussi, the son of the founder of the Senussi order, when he moved to Kufra and is considered the holy place of Senussi.

Climate

Kufra has a

hot desert climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk'') is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

: ''BWh'').

History

Early history

Claudius Ptolemy wrote that around 90 AD Julius Maternus (or Matiernus) carried out a mainly commercial expedition. From the Sirte gulf he reached the Oasis of Cufra and the Oasis of Archei, then arrived, after 4 months travelling with the king of the Garamantes, to the river Bahr Salamat and Bahr Aouk, near modern-day Central African Republic in a region then called Agisymba. In 1154 al-Idrisi described a place identified by Lewicki as the oasis of Kufra. Al Idrisi writes that the place was once flourishing and peopled, but was by that point in ruin, its wells dry, its herds returned to the wild. In the late 15th century, Leo Africanus reported an oasis in the land of the ''Berdoa'', visited by a caravan coming from Awjila. It is possible that this oasis was identical with either the Al Jawf (Kufra) or the Tazirbu oasis, and on early modern maps, the Al Kufra region was often labelled as ''Berdoa'' based on this report. ''Berdoa'' possibly corresponded to the Toubou, a

Nilo-Saharan The Nilo-Saharan languages are a proposed family of around 210 African languages spoken by somewhere around 70 million speakers, mainly in the upper parts of the Chari and Nile rivers, including historic Nubia, north of where the two tributari ...

speaking tribal people indigenous to the region.

Early Western contact and the Senussi

The territory of Kufra was first explored by Westerners beginning with the 1873/74 expedition by German Gerhard Rohlfs. Rohlfs reportedly first reached the oasis from the north in 1879. Kufra was an important trade and travelling route for various nomadic desert people. In 1895 seeking greater independence the Senussi relocated from Jaghbub, making the oasis their main centre.Bertarelli (1929), p. 419. However, the Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid II twice sent his aide-de-camp Azmzade Sadik El Mueyyed to meet Sheikh Senussi to cultivate positive relations and counter the West European scramble for Africa (see Azmzade 2021). After that, Westerners could no longer visit it until the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, when several soldiers of the Entente were held prisoner there. In 1929, the Sanusi center of Kufra in the Sahara was pointed out as a center of the

Trans-Saharan slave trade The trans-Saharan slave trade, also known as the Arab slave trade, was a Slavery, slave trade in which slaves Trans-Saharan trade, were mainly transported across the Sahara. Most were moved from sub-Saharan Africa to North Africa to be sold to ...

. In 1931, during the campaign of Cyrenaica, General

Rodolfo Graziani Rodolfo Graziani, 1st Marquis of Neghelli ( , ; 11 August 1882 – 11 January 1955), was an Italian military officer in the Kingdom of Italy's Royal Italian Army, Royal Army, primarily noted for his campaigns in Africa before and during World Wa ...

easily conquered Kufra, considered a strategic region, leading about 3,000 soldiers from infantry and artillery, supported by about twenty bombers. Many refugees fled the Italian conquest eastwards via Uweinat into Egypt. The British explorer

Pat Clayton Pat or PAT may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional characters * Pat (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland), Pat (''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''), a gardener * Pat (Saturday Night Live), Pat (''Saturday Night Live''), an androgynous ...

, engaged in mapping areas of previously unmapped desert, encountered the Kufra refugees when running triangulation from

Wadi Halfa (, , ":wikt:esparto, Esparto Valley") is a city in the Northern (state), Northern state of Sudan on the shores of Lake Nasser, Lake Nubia near the Egypt–Sudan border, border with Egypt. It is the terminus of a rail transport in Sudan, rail lin ...

to Uweinat, and helped save many from death in the arid desert.

Italian takeover of Kufra

The '' Frankfurter Zeitung'' reporter and author

Muhammad Asad Muhammad Asad (born Leopold Weiss; 2 July 1900 – 20 February 1992) was an Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian Muslim polymath, born in modern day Ukraine. He worked as a journalist, traveler, writer, List of political theorists, political theori ...

interviewed a man from Kufra after its seizure by the Italians in his book '' The Road to Mecca''. According to Asad's source, the Italians attacked from three sides, with armored cars, artillery, and aircraft. The defenders, a few hundred men with only small arms unable to penetrate the Italian armor, defended the place house-to-house but were overwhelmed. The Italians (and their Eritrean auxiliaries) then raped the women, tore up a Koran and cast it on the ground, cut down the palm trees, burnt Sayyid Ahmad's library, and took some of the elders and scholars and hurled them to their death from airplanes.

Italian rule and World War II

In the following years the Italians built an airfield (now Kufra Airport) in Buma oasis and a fort in El Tag, which dominated the area. Buma airport was equipped with a radio-centre for flight assistance and was often used as a stop for routes toward

Asmara Asmara ( ), or Asmera (), is the capital and most populous city of Eritrea, in the country's Central Region (Eritrea), Central Region. It sits at an elevation of , making it the List of capital cities by altitude, sixth highest capital in the wo ...

and Italian East Africa. The fort was also used as a radio post to guide in Italian aircraft as well as to maintain communication with Italian East Africa. Kufra grew in importance when the Second World War started and, after the

Suez Canal The Suez Canal (; , ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, Indo-Mediterranean, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia (and by extension, the Sinai Peninsula from the rest ...

was closed to Italian shipping, connections with Italian East Africa became mainly aerial, using Kufra and its strategic location. Kufra, due to its key role for the Italian Royal Army, soon became a target for the Allies, with

Free France Free France () was a resistance government claiming to be the legitimate government of France following the dissolution of the Third French Republic, Third Republic during World War II. Led by General , Free France was established as a gover ...

and British desert troops beginning a long battle for its conquest. On 31 January 1941

, an explorer recruited by British Intelligence, was captured by the Italian Auto-Saharan Company near Jebel Sherif, when leading "T" Patrol in reconnaissance of the planned attack on Kufra. The Free French from

Chad Chad, officially the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North Africa, North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to Chad–Libya border, the north, Sudan to Chad–Sudan border, the east, the Central Afric ...

, with General Leclerc leading a combined force of Free French and Chadian native troops, attacked and took Kufra in the Battle of Kufra. In later stages of the

, Kufra was used as a staging post for Allied units such as the Long Range Desert Group and the

Special Air Service The Special Air Service (SAS) is a special forces unit of the British Army. It was founded as a regiment in 1941 by David Stirling, and in 1950 it was reconstituted as a corps. The unit specialises in a number of roles including counter-terr ...

. In May 1942 it was a location of the Tragedy at Kufra, where three

South African Air Force The South African Air Force (SAAF) is the air warfare branch of South African National Defence Force, with its headquarters in Pretoria. The South African Air Force was established on 1 February 1920. The Air Force saw service in World War II a ...

Bristol Blenheim The Bristol Blenheim is a British light bomber designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company, which was used extensively in the first two years of the Second World War, with examples still being used as trainers until the end of the war. ...

aircraft became lost and after landing safely the crews subsequently died due to lack of water.

After the war

After the Axis were expelled from North Africa, and when after the war it became part of independent

, the Buma airfield at Kufra was used little and fell into disrepair. The town surrounding the oasis is still dominated by the old fort of El Tag, built by the Italians in the mid-1930s. On 26 August 2008, a hijacked

Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...

ese

Boeing 737 The Boeing 737 is an American narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Boeing Renton Factory, Renton factory in Washington (state), Washington. Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the t ...

landed at Kufra Airport after having departed from Nyala Airport,

Darfur Darfur ( ; ) is a region of western Sudan. ''Dār'' is an Arabic word meaning "home f – the region was named Dardaju () while ruled by the Daju, who migrated from Meroë , and it was renamed Dartunjur () when the Tunjur ruled the area. ...

, for

Khartoum Khartoum or Khartum is the capital city of Sudan as well as Khartoum State. With an estimated population of 7.1 million people, Greater Khartoum is the largest urban area in Sudan. Khartoum is located at the confluence of the White Nile – flo ...

. Earlier,

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

ian authorities had refused to allow the plane to land in their national capital,

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

. In recent decades, Kufra has become a major point on the route of African migrants who try to reach Europe by various routes, and some of whom get incarcerated in Kufra's notorious prison. During the

2011 Libyan Civil War The Libyan civil war, also known as the First Libyan Civil War and Libyan Revolution, was an armed conflict in 2011 in the North African country of Libya that was fought between forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and rebel groups that were ...

, the area was reported to be under control of anti-Gaddafi forces and not the government of

Muammar Gaddafi Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi (20 October 2011) was a Libyan military officer, revolutionary, politician and political theorist who ruled Libya from 1969 until Killing of Muammar Gaddafi, his assassination by Libyan Anti-Gaddafi ...

on 2 April 2011. On 28 April 2011, loyalist forces reportedly re-captured Kufra. There were no reports of casualties in the fighting for the town after the rebels put up only light resistance. By 6 May 2011 the town had been retaken by the Libyan rebels. In February 2012, fighting between the Tobu and Zuwayya tribes killed over a hundred people and the town became a focal point for mass human rights violations of refugees and migrants.

Tourism

Kufra is situated in the middle of the Sahara for its pristine desert beauty, so that tours to the oasis are organized by local tour operators.

Kufra in migrants' routes and human trafficking

Migrants coming from the East African coast and the

Near East The Near East () is a transcontinental region around the Eastern Mediterranean encompassing the historical Fertile Crescent, the Levant, Anatolia, Egypt, Mesopotamia, and coastal areas of the Arabian Peninsula. The term was invented in the 20th ...

pass through and compulsorily stop in Kufra. It is a little village of transit along the traditional route between

and the coastal Libyan towns, which has lately turned to be a spot gathering Libyan-Sudanese criminal organizations involved in the illegal transport of immigrants, police officers controlling the boundaries and the need of people working in local productive activities. The village of Kufra has long been suspected and accused by European Parliamentary delegations as being criminally instrumental in assisting migrants. In 2007, they defined Kufra as "a free zone, a sort of starting Centre of Temporary Permanence CPT against the law... These gathering centres are places, in which the first contacts with the criminal organizations occur. Such organizations promote the "journey of hope", with a flexible handling of the Migrants' African routes according to the restriction policies adopted by the various governments. The minds of the criminal organizations act accordingly to what happens in each country: if

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

stresses its restrain policies, the routes move towards the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...

, if the controls in Libya increase, the streams are diverted towards

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

. When the migratory stream is over, the routes are back on

and

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

.""Limes" 4, 2007: 158. Original quote in Italian: The route towards the coastal Libyan towns is done at night on covered trucks. Such journey conditions are described as "hellish". People are often stopped by the police and therefore the route is covered many times in both directions. Once the migrants arrive, or are brought back, in Kufra, the only way to escape this situation is to pay people traders, which are often colluded with the police officers. People brought back to the Sudanese border may reverse the course just with cash money. Hence the occurrence of continuous exploitation, enlistment in the work and

prostitution Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, no ...

black market, painful waiting for a money order urged by relatives and friends through

mobile phone A mobile phone or cell phone is a portable telephone that allows users to make and receive calls over a radio frequency link while moving within a designated telephone service area, unlike fixed-location phones ( landline phones). This rad ...

communications, which are allowed only for this aim. In 2005 Italy allocated funds for the creation of a detention camp at Kufra.

Inhuman conditions of detention

Kufra jail is defined by Ethiopian and Eritrean migrants, who stayed there, as:

Agricultural project

At the beginning of the 1970s, Libya launched a great cultivation project in Kufra aimed at developing agriculture in the desert. LEPA irrigation is provided by

fossil water Fossil water, fossil groundwater, or paleowater is an ancient body of water that has been contained in some undisturbed space, typically groundwater in an aquifer, for millennia. Other types of fossil water can include subglacial lakes, such as An ...

beneath the ground surface, the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System, a non-renewable source and the only accessible water resource in the area. Rotors (high sprinkler that rotates) provide irrigation and the obtained circles have a diameter of about 1 km and can be observed from space. This is one of Libya's largest

agricultural Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created f ...

projects. Because only about two percent of Libya's land receives enough rainfall to be cultivated, this project uses the underground

aquifer An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing material, consisting of permeability (Earth sciences), permeable or fractured rock, or of unconsolidated materials (gravel, sand, or silt). Aquifers vary greatly in their characteristics. The s ...

. The green circles in the desert frequently indicate tracts of agriculture supported by center-pivot irrigation. The agricultural project is an easy-to-recognize landmark for orbiting astronauts aboard the International Space Station. The Libyan government also has a project called the Great Manmade River to pump and transport these groundwater reserves to the coast to support Libya's growing population and industrial development. As of December 2011, the excessive exploitation of the aquifer has provoked the complete drying up of the lake in the oasis.

References

Sources

* *

External links

* Information abou
the Battle for Kufra
* (DE
Kufra Project
* (DE
Green Desert, Kufra Project
{{Authority control Populated places in Kufra District Oases of Libya Cyrenaica Protected areas of Libya Baladiyat of Libya Libya in World War II