1980 Gafsa Uprising

Gafsa events
Part of the Cold War and the Arab Cold War
Date 26 – 27 January 1980 Location Gafsa, Tunisia Result Tunisian governmental victory
Belligerents
Tunisia Supported by: United States Sixth Fleet [1] France Morocco	Arab Nationalist Rebels Supported by: Libya Algeria [2]
Commanders and leaders
Habib Bourguiba	Ezzedine Chérif Ahmed al-Marghani Muammar Gaddafi Slimane Hoffman
Strength
~300	60 militants
Casualties and losses
59 killed 90+ wounded	3 killed 42 detained 11 executed

The Gafsa events refer to an armed operation conducted by Libyan-backed Tunisian nationalists in January 1980, during which they infiltrated the Tunisian city of Gafsa via Tebessa in Algeria. ^[3] The attackers gained control of most city centers, but their attempts to incite a revolt among the residents failed. Tunisian security and military forces eventually recaptured the city and apprehended the attackers, ^[4] including their leader Ezzedine Chérif. ^[5] The operation significantly strained relations between Tunisia and Libya and negatively impacted the Tunisian regime's relationship with the Algerian government, which had been tense since the early 1980s.

References

1. Les trois décennies Bourguiba : témoignage
2. اليوم ذكرى أحداث قفصة (27 جانفي 1980):هل حاول «القذافي» «الثأر» ل«الوحدة الموؤودة» ؟ Archived 2021-11-16 at the Wayback Machine
3. St John, Ronald Bruce (2013). Libya and the United States, Two Centuries of Strife. University of Pennsylvania Press, Incorporated. ISBN   9780812203219 . Retrieved 9 October 2022.
4. Koven, Ronald (29 January 1980). "Tunisia Puts Down Assault by 300 On Southern City". The Washington Post. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
5. "رشيد خشانة: أربعون عاما على عملية قفصة لتي أضاعت علينا فرصا كبرى". ar.leaders.com.tn. Archived from the original on 4 November 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2022.