Battle of Sabha
| Battle of Sabha | |||||||
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| Part of Fezzan campaign of the Libyan Civil War | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 NATO command
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 Bashir Ahwaz |
 Massoud Abdelhafid
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| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | 300 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 18 killed | 19 killed, 150 captured | ||||||
Armed forces of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
The Battle of Sabha was a battle between forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and rebel anti-Gaddafi forces for control of the desert oasis city of Sabha and a part of the Libyan Civil War. It was the second conflict in the city since the start of the war after the 2011 Sabha clashes.
Sabha is located by an oasis in the Libyan Desert and is home to an important military base. Much of its population are migrants from Chad, Niger, and Sudan. These migrants had been brought to Libya by Gaddafi in the 1980s and given employment and stipends by the regime to ensure their support. In addition, the city is home to a large number of members of the Qadhadhfa tribe, to which Gaddafi belongs. As a result, the city was regarded as a stronghold of pro-Gaddafi sentiment as the anti-regime protests that began across Libya in February 2011 turned into civil war. As the conflict progressed, however, many of the migrants went north to fight against the rebels, draining Gaddafi's major base of support in the city. Those who remained behind were mostly armed young locals and members of the Awlad Suleiman tribe. The Awlad Suleiman bear strong resentment against the regime. Shortly after Gaddafi seized power, members of the tribe were accused of plotting to overthrow him. Many tribesmen were executed and imprisoned as a result.
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