2012 Sabha conflict

Last updated

2012 Sabha conflict
Part of the Post-civil war violence in Libya
Date25–31 March 2012
(6 days)
Location
Sabha, Libya
Result

Ceasefire

  • On 31 March Libyan army troops arrive in Sabha to enforce peace between the tribes
Belligerents
Abu Seif tribe Tubu tribe

Flag of Libya.svg Libyan National Army

Commanders and leaders
Flag of Libya.svg Yousef Mangoush
Flag of Libya.svg Col. Wanis Bukhamada
Flag of Libya.svg Abdurrahman Tawil
Flag of Libya.svg Col. Ali Dallah Gaidi
Strength
2,000
Casualties and losses
42 killed [1] [2] [3] 48 killed [3] [4]
Total casualties:163 killed and 445 wounded [5]

The 2012 Sabha conflict started in the aftermath of the Libyan civil war, and involved armed clashes between the Tubu and Abu Seif tribes in Sabha, a city of almost 100,000 [6] in the region of Fezzan, Libya. It happened after February 2012 clashes in Kufra, that involved the Tubu people, too. On 27 March, Jomode Elie Getty charged the clashes as "genocide". A Paris-based Tabu official, Jomode Elie Getty, who was an official with the NTC but resigned on Tuesday, accused the NTC of siding with Arabs in attacks on Tabu tribesmen. He called for U.N. intervention.

Issa Abdel Majit Monsur, the head of the Tubu tribe in Libya, announced the reactivation of the "Toubou Front for the Salvation of Libya", an opposition group that was already active during the rule of Muammar Gaddafi. He also announced the possibility of separatist activities. [7] A ceasefire was announced, and as of 1 April the violence had stopped. [8]

Events

Late on 25 March, clashes erupted in the southern city of Sabha, between Libyan government militia in the city and Tubu tribesman, after a man from the Abu Seif tribe was killed in a dispute over a car by the Tubu. The fighting was, at first, mainly on the city outskirts. However, it then spread to the city's main streets and black plumes of smoke could be seen rising from Sabha's airport on 26 March. Initially seven people were reportedly killed and another seven wounded. However, later reports put the death toll at 20 with another 40 people wounded. The Tubu stated that the Abu Seif attacked their negotiation team outside a government building while they were en route to talk about reconciliation. [9] [10] [11]

On 27 March, the fighting in Sabha continued and the toll was reported to had reached 49 dead, with 15 of the killed being from the Tubu and the rest from Abu Seif. Tubu militiamen had reportedly advanced into the center of the city and their snipers had taken up positions, inflicting a number of casualties. [1]

On 28 March, the fighting briefly eased off with reports of a ceasefire, but quickly escalated again. By the end of the day, the toll had reached more than 70 dead and 150 wounded, 40 of the dead being from the Tubu. [4]

On 30 March, ceasefire was negotiated between the Council of Elders of Libya, Sabha local council and members of the Misrata militia in the southern city. According to it, Tubu tribesmen are to withdraw from all areas and recognize the authority of the national army which would take control of all security operations in the south and on the borders. In return, the Tubu will be returned all property in Libya and there will be an investigation into the conflict. Moreover, local militias would be integrated into either Army or Ministry of Interior forces. [12] However, the fighting re-ignited the next day once again.

On 31 March, the Tubus, after being pushed back south of the city, launched a counter-attack in a bid to re-enter the town. 16 people were killed, eight from each side, and more than 50 wounded. [3] The Libyan health minister announced that 147 people had been killed and 395 wounded, up to the night before, since the start of the fighting in Sabha. [5] Later that day, colonel Wanis Bu Khamadh, commander in charge of army units inside the city, said that despite the clashes, the army was able to extend its area of control throughout most of the city and area south of the Sabha. He also claimed that situation de-escalated and army was making a push in order to take under its direct control the whole Fezzan region. [13]

On 2 April, Libyan Prime Minister Abdurrahim El-Keib has visited area and confirmed that fragile peace was so far holding. Meanwhile, National Transitional Council president Mustafa Abdul Jalil declared southern region encompassing cities Wadi al Shatii, Sabha, Ubari, Ghat, and Murzuq military zone where military commander, under which authority falls all armed forces in the region, was appointed by Ministry of Defence instead of regional military councils. The National Liberation Army and Ministry of Interior forces dispatched 2,000 soldiers and border guards to region with Free Libyan Air Force patrolling over the area. Meanwhile, the National Liberation Army was able to secure all areas of Sabha. [14] El-Keib said "every Libyan is important to us. We're going to take care of them like we do take care of any other Libyan, like our brothers and sisters." [8]

Despite the deployment of 2,000 soldiers under the command of Wanis Bukhamada in March, violence has continued, with Bukhamada's home in Benghazi even coming under attack in early September. On 14 September further clashes between the Tebu and a local Arab tribe left 2 head, and on 17 September there was an attempted assassination against Col. Ali Dallah Gaidi, the Head of Sebha Military Council. Gaidi's wife was killed in the attack. [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Libya</span>

Libya's history involves its rich mix of ethnic groups, including the indigenous Berbers/Amazigh people. Amazigh have been present throughout the entire history of the country. For most of its history, Libya has been subjected to varying degrees of foreign control, from Europe, Asia, and Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sabha, Libya</span> City in Fezzan, Libya

Sabha or Sebha is an oasis city in southwestern Libya, approximately 640 kilometres (400 mi) south of Tripoli. It was historically the capital of the Fezzan region and the Fezzan-Ghadames Military Territory and is the capital of the Sabha District. Sabha Air Base, south of the city, is a Libyan Air Force installation that is home to multiple MiG-25 aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murzuk</span> Town in Fezzan, Libya

Murzuk, Murzuq, Murzug or Merzug is an oasis town and the capital of the Murzuq District in the Fezzan region of southwest Libya. It lies on the northern edge of the Murzuq Desert, an extremely arid region of ergs or great sand dunes which is part of the greater Sahara Desert.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toubou people</span> Ethnic group in the central Sahara

The Toubou or Tubu are an ethnic group native to the Tibesti Mountains that inhabit the central Sahara in northern Chad, southern Libya, northeastern Niger, and northwestern Sudan. They live either as herders and nomads or as farmers near oases. Their society is clan-based, with each clan having certain oases, pastures and wells.

The Fezzan campaign was a military campaign conducted by the National Liberation Army to take control of southwestern Libya during the Libyan Civil War. During April to June 2011, anti-Gaddafi forces gained control of most of the eastern part of the southern desert region during the Cyrenaican desert campaign. In July, Qatrun changed to anti-Gaddafi control on 17 July and back to pro-Gaddafi control on 23 July. In late August, anti- and pro-Gaddafi forces struggled for control of Sabha.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Factional violence in Libya (2011–2014)</span> Period of violence in Libya following the overthrow of Gaddafi

Following the end of the First Libyan Civil War, which overthrew Muammar Gaddafi, there was violence involving various militias and the new state security forces. This violence has escalated into the Second Libyan Civil War (2014–2020).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Kufra conflict</span>

The 2012 Kufra conflict started in the aftermath of the Libyan civil war, and involved armed clashes between the Tobu and Zuwayya tribes in the Kufra area of Cyrenaica, Libya.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toubou Front for the Salvation of Libya</span>

The Toubou Front for the Salvation of Libya is a group created in mid-2007 to defend the rights and interests of the Toubou people in Libya. It is led by Issa Abdel Majid Mansur, a Libyan Toubou tribal leader, and has its headquarters in Oslo, Norway. The group, which had participated in the Libyan Civil War on the NTC side, was disbanded in August 2011, with the fall of Tripoli. Despite that, the group was revitalized in March 2012, with the aim of "protecting the Toubou from ethnic cleansing", following early 2012 deadly clashes between Toubou and Arab militias in southern Libya, which caused the loss of hundreds of lives.

Bashir Saleh Bashir is a former aide of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. He was head of the Libyan African Portfolio, a sovereign wealth fund that invested Libya's oil wealth mostly in sub-Saharan Africa, and served as an intermediary between Libya, Africa and France. Bashir was captured after the Battle of Tripoli during the Libyan Civil War, but later escaped. Libya demanded that he be extradited because it was believed he was in France. Bashir spent Libya's oil money solely for the Gaddafi family, buying up hotels, mineral resources and shares in companies, eventually becoming what some Libyan officials and financial experts describe as one of the largest single investors in Africa. Libyan authorities believe that finding him is the key to finding a missing $7 billion in Libyan funds. He is a close associate of French businessman Jean-Yves Ollivier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Bani Walid (2012)</span>

The Siege of Bani Walid was a military conflict in Libya.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gaddafi loyalism</span> Sympathetic sentiment towards the overthrown government of Muammar Gaddafi

Gaddafi loyalism, in a wider political and social sense also known as the Green resistance, consists of sympathetic sentiment towards the overthrown government of Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed in October 2011, and his Third International Theory. Despite Muammar Gaddafi's death, his legacy and Jamahiriya ideology still maintains a popular appeal both inside and outside Libya into the present day. Regardless, the Western sentiment has largely been that this continued support may contribute to some of the ongoing violence in Libya.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tuareg militias of Ghat</span>

Tuareg militias of Ghat (TMG) are ethnic Tuareg 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.

This is a detailed timeline of the Libyan civil war (2014–2020) which lasted from 2014 to 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Benghazi (2014–2017)</span> Battle during the Second Libyan Civil War

The Battle of Benghazi (2014–2017) was a major battle of the Second Libyan Civil War that raged from October 2014 to December 2017, between the Shura Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Libya, and the Libyan National Army (LNA), and paramilitaries supporting the Libyan National Army in the city. The battle was a direct consequence of the failed Benina Airport Offensive by the Benghazi Revolutionaries and their Allies, which allowed LNA Forces to regroup and attack deep into Benghazi.

Clashes occurred in western Libya since 14 October 2016, when a coup d'état attempt was conducted by the former head of the National Salvation Government (GNS), Khalifa al-Ghawil, against Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, the head of Libya's Government of National Accord (GNA). This evolved into fighting between the GNA and GNS for control of Tripoli and parts of western Libya, while pro-GNA militias also attacked other militias for control of the region.

On 18 May 2017, an attack was launched by militia men of the town of Misrata and Benghazi Defense Brigades against the Brak al-Shati Airbase controlled by LNA forces. LNA sources claimed 141 people, including 103 soldiers and numerous civilians were killed as a result of the raid. The base was completely overrun and partially destroyed along with numerous aircraft in the base. Accusations of executions of surrendering forces led to international condemnation of GNA forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Libya offensive</span>

In late January 2019, the Libyan National Army (LNA) led by Marshal Khalifa Haftar launched an offensive to take control of the city of Sabha and the rest of southern Libya from the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) and local factions. Officially, the LNA announced that the reason for the operation was to remove terrorists, Chadian rebel groups, and to secure the border, but it has expanded Haftar's territorial control and acquired him oil fields near Sabha. It has also restarted some interethnic conflicts as the LNA has allied with local Arab tribes, while the Tuareg and Toubou tribal militias are loyal to the GNA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Sabha (2019)</span>

The Battle of Sabha was a military confrontation in Sabha from 15 January to 4 February 2019 between the Libyan National Army (LNA) and the Government of National Accord (GNA) during the Southern Libya offensive of the Second Libyan Civil War.

The Ubari conflict was a territorial dispute between the Tuareg and Tubu tribes over control of the town of Ubari, located near the oasis town of Sabha, Libya.

Ali Kanna Sulayman is a Libyan lieutenant general of Tuareg origin. He was the commander of Muammar Gaddafi's southern forces in the First Libyan Civil War. After the end of the Fezzan campaign, he fled to Agadez and helped other Gaddafi loyalists, most notably air force commander Ali Sharif Al-Rifi, escape to Niger.

References

  1. 1 2 Zargoun, Taha (27 March 2012). "Militia clashes in southern Libya kill 50". In.reuters.com. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
  2. ↑ "Tribal clashes in south Libya kill 20". Dailystar.com.lb. 27 March 2012. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 "Tribal clashes in Libya's Sabha kill 16". Thehimalayantimes.com. Archived from the original on 31 March 2012. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
  4. 1 2 "70 killed in three days in Libya". The Daily Telegraph. 28 March 2012. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
  5. 1 2 "Libya announces truce to end clashes that have killed over 150". Thestarphoenix.com. 29 March 2012. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
  6. ↑ World Gazetteer. "Libya: largest cities and towns and statistics of their population". Archived from the original on 4 December 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  7. ↑ "Libya's Toubou tribal leader raises separatist bid". Al Arabiya. 27 March 2012. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
  8. 1 2 "UPDATE 2-Libyan PM visits scene of tribal clashes in desert". Reuters. 1 April 2012.
  9. ↑ Shalchi, Hadeel Al (27 March 2012). "Tribal clashes in southern Libya kill 7". Reuters. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
  10. ↑ "AP Interview: Libya's leader admits instability". Google News. Associated Press. 27 March 2012. Archived from the original on 27 March 2012. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
  11. ↑ "More than 10 people killed in tribal clashes in Libya's south". Al Arabiya. 26 March 2012. Archived from the original on 1 April 2012. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
  12. ↑ "Fresh Sebha ceasefire agreement". Libya Herald. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
  13. ↑ "Sebha now safe but 147 killed during clashes says government". Libya Herald. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
  14. ↑ "Al-Kib visits Sebha". Libya Herald. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
  15. ↑ "Sebha GNC member wants local military commanders sacked". Libya Herald. 20 September 2012. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.