Tribal Clashes Kill 47 in Southern Libyan City of Kufra

Over 100 Others Wounded as Shelling Targets Residential Areas

The southern city of Kufra has had an ongoing tribal war for months now, and it seems to be picking up pace again, with at least 47 killed, and over 100 others wounded in the past three days, according to local medical officials.

The fighting is ongoing between the Zwia tribe and the Tabu tribe in the area, and most of the casualties this time are reportedly among the Tabu, with Zwia militias shelling residential areas in the city.

The Tabu has initially been backed by the NTC, appointing a tribal leader to fight smuggling along the Sudan-Chad border corridor. The leader targeted Zwia smugglers almost exclusively, and eventually the Zwia accused the Tabu of hiring foreign mercenaries. The two sides have been fighting since.

The Tabu tribes make up a significant portion of southern Libya’s population, and have accused ethnic Arab tribes of trying to “cleanse” them from the region. Tabu leader Chief Mansour has been pushing for international intervention for months and has raised the prospect of seceding from Libya.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.