The Firjan is an Arab tribe of north-eastern 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....

, with large populations in the Sirte, Ajdabiya and 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...

 districts.

2011 uprising

While many Firjani have joined the revolt against Muammar Gaddafi

Muammar Gaddafi

Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar Gaddafi or "September 1942" 20 October 2011), commonly known as Muammar Gaddafi or Colonel Gaddafi, was the official ruler of the Libyan Arab Republic from 1969 to 1977 and then the "Brother Leader" of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya from 1977 to 2011.He seized power in a...

 (most notably in Ajdabiya and Benghazi) the status of others such as those in Sirte is uncertain. Khalifa Belqasim Haftar

Khalifa Belqasim Haftar

Khalifa Belqasim Haftar is a senior military officer in Libya. In April 2011, he was reported as holding the rank of lieutenant general....

, the current commander of the rebel army is Firjani. His brother is the chief of the Firjan community in Benghazi.