Tawarga

The city is known for the abundance of palm trees, which constitute one of the main sources of income. During the harvest season, the local population collects dates, and from palm leaves and branches they make a mat, rope, baskets and other handicrafts ^[2] . The population was mostly poor, they were under the auspices of the government of Muammar Gaddafi and were his supporters.

Civil War

Tavarga is located on the road between the cities of Sirte and Misurata . During the Battle of Misurata (February 18 - May 15, 2011), when government forces besieged the city, Tavarga was constantly subjected to rocket and mortar attacks from NATO. From March to August, loyal Gaddafi forces used Tawargu as a stronghold for operations against Misurata.

From 10 to 13 August, the bombing of the city by NATO continued to help the rebels. The Misurata militia managed to defend the city and, with the support of NATO aviation, they launched an offensive. And already on August 15, the opposition troops completely captured Tawarga.

Genocide

Armed rebels forcibly expelled the population of the city, looted and burned their houses. Residents were subjected to brutal murder, torture and violence. Within a few days, the 30,000th city was completely empty. Many residents were illegally arrested by rebel fighters. The militia commanders from Misrata said they would not allow anyone to return. Tavarga turned into a ghost town, the local population was afraid to return to their homes out of fear of genocide.

Human rights organizations immediately responded to the actions of the armed rebels. Human Rights Watch reported that there should be no mob lodging in the new Libya and “any manifestations of unauthorized treatment and obstruction of the return of residents should be prosecuted” ^[3] .

A UN report of November 2011 refers to ongoing human rights violations in Tawarga. The report reads about the unlawful arrest of city residents: “Black Africans, sometimes accused or suspected of being mercenaries, make up the majority of prisoners. Some prisoners were reportedly tortured and ill-treated. There were reports that people were exposed to all this because of the color of their skin ” ^[4] .

The document further states: “Tawarga was murdered for revenge or abducted by armed people from their homes, checkpoints and hospitals, and some, according to unverified information, were later abused or executed in prison. Members of the community fled to various Libyan cities. ” However, no action was taken to protect the city’s population by human rights defenders. Those who fled the city are now scattered throughout the country. 15,000 people are in the Hun, in central Libya. Some moved to Sebhu and Benghazi , and more than one thousand are in a refugee camp in Tripoli ^[5] . The Tawarga tribe was in the position of refugees in their own country.

Amnesty International demanded that the Libyan authorities immediately prepare a long-term solution to the problem of tens of thousands of displaced people from the city of Tawarga and other cities that had to leave their homes during the 2011 armed conflict ^[6] .

There are disagreements over whether the actions of the rebels were a revenge for the support of the previous government or the genocide of the black population of the city. Article II of the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide includes the following actions that can be considered genocide “with the intention of destroying, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group as such:

a) the murder of members of such a group; b) causing serious bodily harm or mental impairment to members of such a group; c) the deliberate creation for any group of such living conditions, which are designed for its full or partial physical destruction; (d) Measures designed to prevent childbirth in the environment of such a group; (e) Forced transfer of children from one human group to another ” ^[7] .

The slogans that the rebels put forward were clearly racist. On the road between the cities of Misurata and Tavarga, one can see such slogans as: “the brigade is designed to clear the city of black slaves” ^[8] . The captive rebels humiliatingly called: "You are black, you are animals." One of the rebel commanders said: "Tawarga no longer exists." ^[9] The rebels crossed out the name of the city on the plates at the entrance and replaced it with “Novaya Misrata”. This is only a few evidence in favor of the fact that there was a genocide on the basis of race. According to Amnesty International, more than 1,300 residents of Tavarga are reported missing and arrested or have been forcibly disappeared (mainly in Misrata). Most of them captured the militiamen and subjected them to torture and ill-treatment, including using electric shocks, beating them with metal rods, metal rods and hoses ^[6] .

Mahmoud Jibril , Prime Minister of the PNS of Libya , commented on the actions in Tavargh: "In my opinion, no one has the right to interfere in this matter except the people of Misurata." “This issue cannot be resolved in favor of national reconciliation as it was in South Africa, Ireland and Eastern Europe” ^[8] .

The fall of the city of Tawarga is inextricably linked to the NATO bombing, and in this regard, the British Foreign Office denies the fact of genocide, thus justifying itself. Officials say the Royal Air Force carried out the operation in accordance with international humanitarian law and was not involved in any ethnic cleansing of the population ^[10] . What happened, in their opinion, can be described as a crime against humanity.

At present, there is an acute problem of the return of the tribe to its hometown. The new government of Libya cannot ensure the safe return of the tribe and, moreover, does nothing for this, therefore the return is constantly postponed due to security concerns ^[11] . The Misuratovists promised to thwart any attempts by the inhabitants of Tavarga to return and continue to threaten them and attack their camps.

“Two years after the conflict, the inhabitants of Tavarga and other displaced people are still waiting for justice to be restored and the harm caused by the abuses they have suffered will be effectively repaired. Many continue to face discrimination, live in unsuitable camps for the camps that are not adapted for this, ”said Hassiba Haj Sahraui, Amnesty International’s deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa ^[6] .