Tawergha(Berber:ⵜⴰⵡⴻⵔⵖⴰ,Arabic:تاورغاء), also transliteratedTawargha,Tawarga,Tauorga,Taworgha,TawurghaorTorghae,is, as of May 2021,[2][3]a formerghost towninLibyathat is under administrative jurisdiction of the city ofMisrata,which is 38 kilometers away. It was the site of intense fighting during theLibyan Civil Warbefore it wascapturedand forcibly evacuated byanti-Gaddafi forcesin August 2011.
Tawergha
تاورغاء | |
|---|---|
Ghost town | |
  Tawergha Location in Libya | |
| Coordinates:31°58′15″N15°03′09″E/ 31.97083°N 15.05250°E | |
| Country |  Libya |
| Region | Tripolitania |
| District | Misrata |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Abulmoola Adouma |
| Population (2006)[1] | |
• Total | 24,223 |
| Time zone | UTC+02:00(EET) |
By the end of the war in October 2011, the town was largely cleared of its population byNTCmilitias.[4]During Libya'spolitical transition period,members of theGeneral National Congressreportedly indicated they would like to see Tawerghan refugees restored to their homes, but expressed concern over their safety. There have been numerous reports of militias acting outside the authority of theTripoli-based government threatening Tawerghans who have attempted to return to Tawergha.[5]
Tawergha means "the green island" in theBerberlanguage.[citation needed]
Economy
editThis city was famous for its palm trees which at one point were considered the true wealth of the city. The city also produced significant amounts ofdates,including the Bersiel date, which is used as a component in ropes and other commodities. In pre-colonial times, tens of thousands of black-skinned slaves worked on plantations, making Tawergha the only town in coastal Libya with a black majority. In the colonial period, these people were nominally emancipated from slavery, but their economic status remained very low. In the Gaddafi period they were treated better; receiving full education and development. Many of its inhabitants achieved high positions in the army and civil service.
One aspect of the city that stood out was its husbandry of cattle and chickens, producing beef, dairy products and in particular eggs following investments made by HVA International from theNetherlands.
History
editRoman Period
editDuringRoman times,Tawergha gained a lot of attention due to its position and the connection that it had to the sand route that connected the city ofSirtealong the coast of theMediterranean SeatoEgypt.Control of Tawergha helped theRomanscoordinate control of Libya.[citation needed]
First Libyan civil war
editTawergha lies on the road fromSirte(Muammar Gaddafi's hometown) to the city of Misrata. As a result, during theLibyan Civil War,Tawergha was used as a centre ofmilitary operationsagainstMisrata,which rose up against the Libyan DictatorMuammar Gaddafiin February 2011. During this time, Misratans accuse Tawerghans of leading the two-monthsiege of Misrata,as well as raping their women and cutting off the penises of their captured men.[6]
When the Libyan army weakened, Tawergha became the first target for NTC Misratan brigades, although individuals suspected of being pro-Gaddafi had been the objective of revenge killings since February 2011. According toAmnesty International,anti-Gaddafi forcesdid not allow the population of Tawerga to flee.[7]On 12 August,anti-Gaddafi forcesclaimed to have captured Tawergha.[8]
BritishjournalistAndrew Gilliganvisited Tawergha in September 2011 and found it virtually emptied of its inhabitants, who numbered around 30,000 before the war. He reported that the Misrata Brigade, a semi-autonomous unit of the anti-GaddafiNational Liberation Army,had engaged in a campaign ofethnic cleansingin response to the town's alleged support of Gaddafi during the siege on their city. Many slogans he saw painted in and around Tawergha, as well as the accounts of anti-Gaddafi fighters and commanders whom he quoted, made reference to thedark pigmentationof many Tawergha citizens, with one sign referring to the Misrata Brigade as "the brigade for purging slaves [and] black skin". His report, published byThe Sunday Telegraphon 11 September, quoted Ibrahim al-Halbous a brigade commander as saying, "Tawergha no longer exists, only Misrata" and another as asserting that the town's former residents will only return "over our dead bodies".[4][9]In February 2012, Amnesty reported that Tawergha was empty and guarded against any returnees, with Misrata militiamen systematically destroying and burning down homes and infrastructure to avoid the return of Tawergha inhabitants. Militias from Misrata continue to hunt down and terrorize the displaced inhabitants of Tawergha across Libya. Hundreds have been illegally arrested and tortured by militiamen in Misrata.[10]In May 2012, theUN Human Rights Council's Commission of Inquiry published a report about the violations conducted by Misratan militias against Tawerghans across Libya including killings, arbitrarily arrests and torture, calling it a war crime.[3]
The nonprofit groupHuman Rights Watchreported in November 2013 that Tawerghans remain unable to return to their homes due to intimidation and violence by militias, most of which are based in Misrata, it said. The report claimed refugee camps for Tawerghans are often left without security and have been assaulted by small groups of armed men on multiple occasions, including at least twice in November 2013.[11]
Residents of Tawergha were reportedly subjected to rapes and torture for supporting Gaddafi during the first civil war.[12]
It became aghost townafter being ransacked by Misratans. According toHuman Rights Watchabout 40,000 people were displaced from Tawergha.[13]
Resettlement
editTheUnited Nations-backedLibyan governmentannounced on 26 December 2017 that people displaced from the town would be allowed to go back home in February 2018. The deal came after a year of negotiations. The government added that it would also pay compensation to relatives of those killed or detained, as well as those who were wounded or whose homes were destroyed.[13]However, the residents were prevented from returning home by a local militia in February 2018.[14]
In June 2018, after the head of the Tawergha Local Council and the Mayor of Misrata signed a peace treaty that pro-Khalifa Haftarinternally displaced people(IDPs) of Tawergha deemed as propaganda of the Muslim Brotherhood,[15]the IDPs finally started resettling Tawergha without resistance from local militias.[16][17]Despite the deals, most Tawergha IDPs have been unable to return as of January 2019 due to the mostly Misratan militias ravaging the town's infrastructure plus the IDPs feeling insecure according toHuman Rights Watch.[18]The police station of Tawergha was reopened in February 2019.[19]
By August 2022, 45% of IDPs had returned to the town according to Marc-André Franche, Resident Representative of theUnited Nations Development Program(UNDP) in Libya. He also stated that the UNDP had invested over $2 million in its reconstruction.[20]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^Amraja M. el Khajkhaj, "Noumou al Mudon as Sagheera fi Libia", Dar as Saqia, Benghazi-2008, P.119.
- ^"Libya — Intention Survey Of Tawergha IDPs (May 2021) | DTM".dtm.iom.int.Retrieved4 September2021.
- ^abMurray, Rebecca:"One Year Later, Still Suffering for Loyalty to Gaddafi".Inter Press ServiceRetrieved 24 August 2012.
- ^abGilligan, Andrew (11 September 2011)."Gaddafi's ghost town after the loyalists retreat".The Telegraph.Retrieved12 September2011.
- ^Zaroug, Nihal (4 December 2012)."Tawerghans make desperate appeal to Libyan leaders as more families evicted".Retrieved7 December2012.
- ^"When bygones aren't".The Economist.22 June 2013.ISSN0013-0613.Retrieved11 November2019.
- ^https:// amnesty.org.uk/uploads/documents/doc_22353.docpage 28
- ^Stephen, Chris (12 August 2011)."Libyan Rebels Lay Claim to Most of Tawarga After Penetrating Qaddafi Lines".Bloomberg L.P.Retrieved14 September2011.
- ^"Tawergha no longer exists, only Misrata".13 August 2011.Retrieved7 January2011.
- ^https:// amnesty.org.uk/uploads/documents/doc_22353.docpage 26-28
- ^"Libya: Displaced Camp Residents Need Immediate Protection".Human Rights Watch. 19 November 2013.Retrieved18 November2013.
- ^Allegra, Cécile (3 November 2017)."Revealed: male rape used systematically in Libya as instrument of war".The Guardian.ISSN0261-3077.Retrieved11 November2019.
- ^ab"Families chased from Libyan town in 2011 can go home: government".Reuters.
- ^"Libyan militias prevent residents returning home to 'Gaddafi' ghost town".The New Arab.
- ^"Misrata and Tawergha sign peace treaty".Libya Observer.
- ^"Libya ghost town: Residents of Tawergha return home".Al Jazeera.
- ^"Libya's Tawergha residents bring back craft as they return home |".AW.Retrieved4 September2021.
- ^Human Rights Watch says return of Tawergha displaced population in Libya still faces hindrances,Libyan Express
- ^Tawergha reopens city's police station,Libya Observer
- ^45% of Tawergha IDPs returned to their city,Libya Observer