Fezzan campaign
Encyclopedia
The Fezzan campaign was a military campaign conducted by the National Liberation Army to take control of southwestern Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
during the 2011 Libyan civil war
2011 Libyan civil war
The 2011 Libyan civil war was an armed conflict in the North African state of Libya, fought between forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and those seeking to oust his government. The war was preceded by protests in Benghazi beginning on 15 February 2011, which led to clashes with security...
. During April to June 2011, anti-Gaddafi forces gained control of most of the eastern part of the southern desert region (i.e. the southern part of Cyrenaica
Cyrenaica
Cyrenaica is the eastern coastal region of Libya.Also known as Pentapolis in antiquity, it was part of the Creta et Cyrenaica province during the Roman period, later divided in Libia Pentapolis and Libia Sicca...
) 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.
Background
Before the war, parts of southern Libya were known for being almost lawless, and travel was often restricted in some areas due to the presence of bands of militants and bandits (often filtering across the border from AlgeriaAlgeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
) roaming the desert between towns. Clashes between Islamic militants linked to Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
and Libyan security forces occurred several times near the town of Ghat in the years leading up to the conflict. Further south, near the border with Chad
Chad
Chad , officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west...
, the terrain is made hazardous by landmines in the desert left over from the Chadian-Libyan conflict, which lasted from 1978 to 1987. The far south also lacks paved roads and functioning mobile phone services, making communication difficult even in peacetime.
Preceding events
Following the Cyrenaican desert campaign mounted by loyalist forces, focus shifted to the southern part of the Libyan DesertLibyan Desert
The Libyan Desert covers an area of approximately 1,100,000 km2, it extends approximately 1100 km from east to west, and 1,000 km from north to south, in about the shape of a rectangle...
. By mid-June 2011, the Eastern Desert was under the control of forces answering to the National Transitional Council
National Transitional Council
The National Transitional Council of Libya , sometimes known as the Transitional National Council, the Interim National Council, or the Libyan National Council,...
in Benghazi
Benghazi
Benghazi is the second largest city in Libya, the main city of the Cyrenaica region , and the former provisional capital of the National Transitional Council. The wider metropolitan area is also a district of Libya...
. Clashes
2011 Sabha clashes
The 2011 Sabha clashes were a series of clashes 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 2011 Libyan civil war, especially during June 2011....
in Sabha, the largest city in the Fezzan
Fezzan
Fezzan is a south western region of modern Libya. It is largely desert but broken by mountains, uplands, and dry river valleys in the north, where oases enable ancient towns and villages to survive deep in the otherwise inhospitable Sahara.-Name:...
, in mid-June suggested previously unknown vulnerabilities in a settlement thought to be a loyalist stronghold. Although anti-Gaddafi activists and fighters in Sabha were successfully suppressed, the NTC suggested that the bold attempt at uprising was indicative of cracks in Gaddafi's support base in the oasis city.
The campaign
Moving out of KufraKufra
Kufra is a basin and oasis group in Al Kufrah District, southeastern Cyrenaica in Libya. Kufra is historically important above all because at the end of nineteenth century it became the center and holy place of the Senussi order...
, a population center in the southeastern desert, rebel forces moved through Murzuq District along the international border with Chad
Chad
Chad , officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west...
and Niger
Niger
Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
in mid-July 2011. They secured the Tumu
Tumu, Libya
Tumu is a border checkpoint in Libya at the Libya–Niger border in the Murzuq District. It is 310 kilometres south of Qatrun, the closest Libyan settlement on the desert road. Tumu consists of little more than a few government shacks, and the border checkpoint is frequently closed, which requires...
border crossing and took Qatrun on 17 July, without a shot, also capturing a military airfield and outpost at Al Wigh
Al Wigh
Al Wigh is a small Saharan desert oasis airfield and army outpost in the Fezzan region of southwest Libya. It is about 975 kilometres south of the country's capital, Tripoli....
near the Niger border. Pro-Gaddafi forces were believed to have withdrawn to Traghan
Traghan
Traghan or Traghen is a small town in the Murzuk Desert in Murzuq District in southwest Libya. It is located east of Murzuk and Zizau. A good high road is said to link Traghan to Zizau in the west, with frequent incrustations of salt.-History:...
in order to block a suspected rebel advance on Sabha, but rebel forces bypassed Traghan in their northward press in order to capture the village of Umm Al Aranib as a forward base.
Loyalist forces attacked Qatrun three times before finally recapturing it on 23 July. Toubou tribesmen, who declared support to the National Transitional Council
National Transitional Council
The National Transitional Council of Libya , sometimes known as the Transitional National Council, the Interim National Council, or the Libyan National Council,...
, retreated to the south of the town, leaving about 20,000 civilians trapped between them and the army. At least two people are thought to had been killed and eight wounded in the final attack to retake the town.
On 5 August, Alain Juppé
Alain Juppé
Alain Marie Juppé is a French politician currently serving as the Minister of Foreign Affairs. He also served as Prime Minister of France from 1995 to 1997 under President Jacques Chirac and the Minister of Defence and Veterans Affairs from 2010 to 2011...
, the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
foreign minister, claimed that the southern regions of Libya are "practically under the NTC's control". There was no confirmation of the claim by either independent media, the loyalists or the rebels.
Toubou fighters seized Murzuk
Murzuk
Murzuk is an oasis town and the capital of the Murzuq District in the Fezzan region of southwest Libya. Murzuk lies on the northern edge of the Murzuq Desert, a desert of ergs or great sand dunes, and section of the Sahara Desert.-History:...
along with its military base after an hour of intense fighting on 17 August, a commander reported in Benghazi
Benghazi
Benghazi is the second largest city in Libya, the main city of the Cyrenaica region , and the former provisional capital of the National Transitional Council. The wider metropolitan area is also a district of Libya...
two days later. 12 government soldiers were killed, as well as one rebel, and the opposition fighters also seized supplies and weapons.
Jufra
At least one NTC official has suggested that the Jufra District, including Hun, Waddan, and neighbouring towns, as well as the Al Jufra Air BaseAl Jufra Air Base
Al Jufra Air Base is a Libyan Air Force base located near Jufra.-Combat aircraft types:Prior to the 2011 Libyan civil war TU-22, MiG-25, G.222 and An-26 were based at Jufra, parked on open pavement, sand berm shielded pads and in aircraft shelters...
, is a key target, more valuable than Bani Walid or Sirte. On 19 September, NTC forces took over Zella, an oasis town near the Jufra area, Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera is an independent broadcaster owned by the state of Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation and headquartered in Doha, Qatar...
reported. On 21 September pro-Gaddafi forces shelled town Hun which, according to AFP witness, was already taken by NTC forces. On the same day NTC announced that they have taken control over town Jufra and surrounding area. This was later confirmed on NATO press conference by Lieutenant General Charles Bouchard.
Sabha
Several months after clashes occurred2011 Sabha clashes
The 2011 Sabha clashes were a series of clashes 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 2011 Libyan civil war, especially during June 2011....
in the southern Libyan city of Sabha in June, Libyan opposition forces reported fierce fighting
Battle of Sabha
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 2011 Libyan civil war...
between revolutionary fighters and forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi on 23 August. Several days later, on 25 August, rebels claimed to have again captured the outpost of Al Wigh
Al Wigh
Al Wigh is a small Saharan desert oasis airfield and army outpost in the Fezzan region of southwest Libya. It is about 975 kilometres south of the country's capital, Tripoli....
, several hundred kilometres south of Sabha, towards the Libya/Chad/Niger tripoint
Tripoint
A tripoint, or trijunction , is a geographical point at which the borders of three countries or subnational entities meet....
.
On 28 August, three NLA soldiers were killed in the city of Sabha after they ran out of ammunition. Pro-Gaddafi brigades were joined by reinforcements from other towns. On the same day, Colonel Bani of the NLA forces said that they would "advance on" Sabha after taking control of Sirte on the coast.
On 4 September, NLA forces claimed that they had surrounded Sabha. The city would receive humanitarian aid but has one week to surrender.
On 19 September, spokesman for NTC Ministry of Defence, Col. Ahmed Bani
Ahmed Omar Bani
Ahmed Omar Bani is a Libyan Air Force colonel who defected to the military of the rebel Libyan Republic. He is the current spokesman for the Libyan Ministry of Defence, taking over the position from Khaled al-Sayeh.-References:...
, announced at a press conference that NTC fighters managed to capture Sabha airport and fort. There was no immediate independent verification of his claims.
On 20 September, NTC forces entered the city of Sabha, taking the city center with little resistance. A CNN reporter accompanied NTC forces, confirming the reports. An NTC military spokesman in Benghazi said Sabha Airport
Sabha Airport
Sabha Airport is an airport in Sabha, southern Libya - .-Future plans:A LD600 million contract has been signed with a joint venture comprising Lebanon's CCC and a new Libyan investment and development company for a new passenger terminal at Sabha Airport...
was under the control of anti-Gaddafi fighters, but fighting was continuing in some quarters of the city proper.
Brak
On 14 September, an NTC Commander said an anti-Gaddafi column 500 strong (coming from the north/Mizda region) had captured the military air-base at Brak in south-central Libya, some 50 kilometres north of Sabha. The NTC commander (Ahamda Almagri) also said two Gaddafi loyalists were arrested, while 70 loyalists fled the air-base, the second-largest in the south of Libya. On the morning of 15 September, anti-Gaddafi forces entered the city itself where fighting erupted.On 16 September, anti-Gaddafi forces had taken control over the towns of Brak and Gira, just 50 kilometers north of Sabha. During the fighting, incoming rocket fire struck the airbase, that the rebels captured the day before, which ignited the underground ammunition stores that held thousands of artillery rounds causing massive explosions. A day later, on 17 September, the rest of the towns in Wadi al Shatii District
Wadi Al Shatii District
Wadi al Shatii , sometimes referred to as Ash Shati , is one of the districts of Libya in the central-west part of the country. Its capital is Brak. The area is mostly desert.To the west, Wadi al Shatii borders the Illizi Province of Algeria...
were peacefully taken by NTC forces.
Murzuq
On 21 September, after NTC forces have taken control of Sabha, Desert Shield Brigade spokesman in Benghazi said that NTC forces moved from Sabha south and engaged pro-Gaddafi loyalists in town Traghan, between Umm al-Aranib and capital city of district Murzuq.Ubari
On 22 September, an NTC commander in Sabha told CNN correspondent Ben Wedeman that his forces have taken control over the town of UbariUbari
Ubari is an oasis town and the capital of the Wadi al Hayaa District, in the Fezzan region of southwestern Libya. It is in the Libyan section of the Sahara Desert...
, the capital of the Wadi al Hayaa District.
