2012 Kufra conflict
| 2012 Kufra conflict | ||||||||
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| Part of the Post-civil war violence in Libya | ||||||||
 Map of Libya with Kufra district highlighted |
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| Belligerents | ||||||||
| Zuwayya tribe |
 Libyan National Army
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| Commanders and leaders | ||||||||
| Unknown |
Maj. Gen. Yousef Mangoush Wissam Bin Hamid |
Abdul Majid Essa | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | ||||||||
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February fighting 23–27 killed,* 53 wounded June fighting 15 killed |
6 killed |
February fighting 113 killed,* 241 wounded April fighting 12 killed, 35 wounded June fighting 55 killed* |
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*50+ civilians among those killed in the February fighting, at least 5 civilians among those killed in the June fighting |
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Ceasefire
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.
On 12 and 13 February, 17 people were killed and 22 wounded in fighting between the Tobu and Zuwayya tribes in Kufra. Nine were from the Zuwayya and eight were from the Tobu. Initially, only small-arms fire was used in the clashes, but on the second day the situation escalated, with RPGs and anti-aircraft guns being used. According to the Zuwayya, the fighting started when a young man from their tribe was killed three days before by three Tobu members. A head of the local National Transitional Council (NTC) militia reported that the Zuwayya man was a smuggler and was killed after he opened fire on a Tobu militia, which was charged with combating illegal trafficking, killing five of the militiamen. The Tobu, on their part, stated that they were being attacked by the Zuwayya, who were supported by the NTC, with the intention of exterminating them. The Tobu claimed discrimination by the Zuwayya, due to them being dark-skinned, on an even higher level than during the Gaddafi-era. Farhat Abdel Karim Bu Hareg, the coordinator of social affairs in the local Kufra government said that they will have to declare independence of the region if the NTC does not act against attacks by mercenaries, referring to Tobu fighters.
The region already experienced unrest during the rule of Muammar Gaddafi. In 2009, an uprising was suppressed by the Libyan army using helicopter gunships.
On 14 February, clashes continued around Kufra, with the NTC sending reinforcement to help the Zuwayya tribe. Tobu spokesmen said that they were besieged and were being heavily shelled by the Zuwayya, and added that it was an attempt to exterminate the Tobu tribe with government participation. An NTC spokesman stated that it was a low-level fight between revolutionaries and weapons smugglers backed by foreign elements. A Tobu member claimed five of his comrades were killed in the new round of fighting, while another stated that there were no deaths, only injuries. The fighting continued, and on 15 and 16 February, another 15 Zuwayya were killed and 45 wounded. The Tobu reported that since the start of the clashes 55 of their members had been killed and 117 wounded, with the wounded not being able to be evacuated via the airport due to it being controlled by the Zuwayya.
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Wikipedia