Libya's Quiet War: The Tuareg of South Libya

a piece was less for 120 years has been broken l Lila Lila is freedom leader may jump if there is any superpower on any even reasonable who has any wish to control the house they should make a war between two Anakin - it's been five years since the start of the revolution that toppled former dictator Muammar Gaddafi and Libyans are desperately trying to get their country back intro Libya currently has two rival government's one based in the West the other in the east each with their own armed groups battling each other across the country for wealth and power violence has destroyed much of Libya's infrastructure disrupting its oil production and draining the government coffers militias have multiplied cross-border smuggling has skyrocketed and the Islamic state has gained a foothold in the chaos much of this turmoil is happening in the north where most of Libya's people live but far from the capital Tripoli in the southwest corner of the Sahara a quiet war is being waged in an oasis town called uber boo bari is surrounded by large oil fields and lucrative smuggling routes it's here where live is indigenous and loam addict Warrick and Tara tribes find themselves pitted against each other for the first time in more than a hundred years facing the demise of their traditional desert culture they're fighting something of a proxy war backed by Libya's juley governments and their foreign backers to divide and rule the mineral-rich land this story is about the Tuareg for them this fight is about staying on their land protecting their heritage and obtaining the rights that were promised never delivered by Gaddafi but you know the symptom of an oilfield many companies come to body for their daily needs abu bakr al cathy is at work elder and peace mediator from rhubari well traversed by commanders and they are containing audited trans our retreat we feel that we are one will no family one nation where we have various close ties between and between us we have we share one culture one language before they had toyota pickup trucks the Touareg led camel caravans through the sahara borders were invisible to them but today the region that they call home is divided by the borders of several North African countries in the 1970s and 80s Gaddafi welcomed those Tuareg who fled discrimination and drought in neighboring countries they were recruited as foot soldiers in the Libyan army to fight his regional wars in spite of this both indigenous Tuareg and taboo were treated like second-class citizens under Gaddafi's rule unlike Libya's Arabs threatened by their command of the Sahara with its oil and mineral wealth the dictator gave the tribe few opportunities for education all work but when the Revolution erupted in 2011 Gaddafi needed allies he promised the Tuareg everything from citizenship to cash to join him while most Tuareg soldiers responded to Gaddafi's call to action some didn't trust the dictator and chose to side with the revolution instead this is hassan essa and you served among best friends from childhood they are Tuareg who joined the revolution against Gaddafi after revolution I have many gun but not have any idea what you what you work not have money not have anything everybody for Tuareg working in army I have guns but not have college not have a good job this is big problem for 24 decades Gaddafi's support for international rebel groups and terrorism closed Libya off from much of the world only in the early 2000s when Libya made efforts to restore diplomatic ties with the West did the country start to open up foreign visitors brought in some of the first tourism dollars Libya had seen in years but in 2011 Libya's revolution and continuing instability has driven away foreign income groups again situation for my family like situation for all families in God or in obody not have anything in God but how good job is road is cut not how food is suffering gut lies near Algeria but the border crossing remains closed many of the Tuareg care have been dismissed from their jobs in the army or can no longer find work as tourist guides young people leave school and scratch out a living driving taxis smuggling oil and drugs or literally digging for gold in the desert but equator she did diver with gas stations closed throughout most of the south this former soldier smuggles and sells fuel on the black market to make ends meet but all of us in the world we humbly died why didn't I study initially for years or assisted in Malaysia when correct me chakra Dada Dada and word is yeah he this is universe you hadn't occurred to Oberon Niko's Roman at lunch sure I agree a little bit roll the darted over to her hmm Hina Posner najara Tamala under Gaddafi's rule border security was tight and only a chosen few benefited from smuggling today armed groups from Arab Tuareg and Tabo tribes jostle for control of smuggling routes across the desert frontier profiting from the illicit trade of gasoline weapons drugs and people state money for border security as evaporated and jails are now closed the Border Patrol here has only a few vehicles to cover hundreds of miles with no gas to fuel them they predict the border from josma you know the people who's working in smuggling but they can't do anything with the people cause there's no food if you catch any anyone and you know half the the food you know to give him water you need medicine blankets and mattresses this is big cost if the government will give you anything you can't let them in a jail so we let let them go in spite of the futility of their efforts guards at this lonely Libyan border post still take their job seriously holiday ham idea oh no how do I mean it abortion smell of amber ogia whose yeah her nagisa nagisa no down now with my dance alert husband the nomadic Tuareg don't have much trouble crossing into Libya however crossing back into neighboring Algeria and each Air has become quite difficult with each of those countries increasing their own border security people in this corner of the Libyan Sahara now find themselves hemmed in after the fall of Gaddafi to Arak soldiers spirited weapons away to fight for at work homeland in Mali but when the Tuareg cause was hijacked by Islamist groups they returned to Libya in defeat and were branded terrorists with the borders shut and a single road to the rest of Libya blocked by the fighting in Newberry Tuareg youth in gat spent most of their days just trying to pass the time I'm article we don't have many choices we have a limited to do here this is our life here the next morning Hassan and Yusuf set out to visit family and friends near the kobbari frontline the Tuareg and taboo battle in the strategic town has lasted over a year and reduced much of it to ruin one of Libya's largest oil fields and desert smuggling routes are nearby getting there means a five-hour drive through the remote sahara along a quiet road often under threat by bandits this mountain project our our city from the smuggling you have to go around where is the there's checkpoint this is the route to to Salford or a ninja this is the road of smuggler and everyone want to go to WA Tunisia or Algeria this is the route before the fighting uber ease population was a coexistent mix of Tuareg taboo and Arab tribes Yusef and Hassan are noticeably more nervous as they near the embattled town house and Don's his Tuareg headscarf this historic what is it this quarter the Battle of rhubari was triggered by a petty dispute in September of 2014 between local Tareq and taboo smugglers it started over there hold on cross-border routes but control over Libya's second largest oil field nearby was soon disputed to Tuareg guards and forces down from the northern town of Misrata now control the oil field but in another blow to Libya's economy its oil pipeline is shut due to fighting tribal elders are desperately trying to forge a peace in bari as hundreds have been killed or wounded on both sides and most residents have fled Hassan and Youssef meet up with Ali isa a Tuareg fighter stationed in hibari since the beginning of the conflict not clean a flood relief for gaining Roger cause the lip off oh damn actor nuns but little fat Isabel Shabaab saw a good benefit Ullman home stash and sent a team out of a posh little for 4 kg Bellomo an affair I know if you had did kill him be some woman laughs you had disabled him higuma land rally I'm out of it because the litter that will smell Jenna gunam Jamaat okiya lead over me a little horrible with cost of lipet margin I had Murphy had from Atwood hell is dead of course this one and the media wind quickly let certain commodity immediately then we almost named it for flow yeah unda me why Anna's harbor of up in me doing a compare of Kamiya what other kiddin me never send me an e out of Havana Mia what are the Ridgid n' getting me one a la work but a lot but at latino before this twerk and turbo tribes did not fight each other even when they were on opposing sides during the revolution a peace treaty nicknamed the MIDI MIDI was signed between them over a century ago this deal has kept the peace until about a year ago Ali Dodgers snipers as he drives up 10d Mountain whoever controls the mountain controls the town and right now the Tuareg habit backing down hellokitty benezia what the man how he thought was that you do I do my home absurd thing like that I can table here ton of stuff did you ever look for that a good not many I'm doctor yeah my saying about you how about it Oh Lavar like that's how I get so that's how I origin local oh you know that love Ellen I talk tomorrow yeah my daddy a hug not that letter which does nothing with cannabis and it NASA but nothing will spin nah no money book Marrakesh etiquette rinoa jje Tabu godi Utama returned yet Subin yet Chappell Ateneo night I didn't take is a iki nieta logic a didn't I don't forget no matter god yes Dragan deter noggin I'm scared not so many person is Iran Iranian buddy a piece was less for 120 years has been broken now oil fields are all in this municipalities words of antibody so I think if there is any superpower or any even original power who has any money we will wish to control this house they should they should make a war between florican to with Ari Molly's good driver and he is good driver I'm fine the Tuareg activity never fight during fear defeat I never to go and work we make a line me 20 me we have one course we have one problem we were discriminated in Qadhafi time and we are minorities and we want to go fight for us for our rights and we will group we were an opportunity after their version so no but no anyway there's no any fight if you try them to be doing with evolution no and that's how uncomfortable either that or this double been found yes fun 10-day months that's not where I can ascertain after one year of battle fighters struggle to keep morale up on 20 mountain residents worried about the town's youth who have few prospects other than joining the fight who buries downtown is the deadliest spot in the erases held hostage by deeply entrenched Warwick and tableau snipers now going inside inside the downtown now this area for toric now going to behind the area both sides blame Livia's competing governments and whoever is back in them for fueling the rhubari conflict they accuse them of supplying money and weapons to divide and rule the area for their own strategic and economic interests many fighter for america's got death here ah deeply Lina he's a friend indeed earning Shump the Touareg accused the taboo mostly allied with the government in the east of being a proxy for former colonialist power france to seize valuable land in turn the taboo accused Tuareg fighters of being Islamist extremists back from the bloody war in Mali when they hear this the - argh laughs and reply we love to listen to our music who never blow our self terrorists eyeing this we love the life Algeria don't duplicate we direct a little devil Qaeda today so this is Tauruses so Moustakas Allah this is curses oh ah do not know a mechanic mcian does not hear it was not what I know they have no mater where now amped up Danika on the edges of the Touareg side of town mostly poor and old residents remain living under the threat of mortar rounds and gunfire anastasiya not haruna here yet ro nasod Fernando Armellini Cunha from maderas yeah nice in hama stash of senna so passionate and full da cunha from maderas food economy deli Sakhalin murica Libya Germany s vehicle of bodom we know in the Doha dosha do Libya can examine gabelli and Olivia - what very good like many Tarek in Libya samaya was a soldier in Gaddafi's army but she backed the revolution hoping for a better life samaya now volunteers as an emergency medical worker at the local hospital where fighters and residents have died beautiful so what if you don't have to nod answer hmm I don't yet in my dad was the carry a toe signature bled me Eddie TOEFL can watch it any TV nerves Etowah sure chef semiquantitative cuisine is he any had a sign up fake is is a toes right gray button here to Kadir okay you simple fit the devil annoy fish house opposite when Layla Haram Kanade eldan akunis Vijender anodic return nila my naked nerd unit mouton dollar dollar publish it lira Halloween Adele Adele Boubacar Asia Holly he knew mu del Julio immediately join in a mood in their loss yoga hot yoga Hannah tempted an ultimate tenth took the hand of yoga helicopter sure to origin move oh it delivered in December Ali was shot in the back by a barrage of bullets in Oh Baris frontline he now lies in a hospital bed in Misrata waiting for more surgery to be able to walk again making peace with the taboo it's really difficult but it's possible if we have one government one army no militias but now it's very very difficult to make peace after revolution you have fighting to have war this is resolved any revolution after 40 years of regime of Gaddafi this is a normal result but future is good I think very happy for Libyan people as the battle for power across Libya widens and extremist groups like the Islamic state gain ground hopes for a prosperous and unified state fade nowhere is this more deeply felt than a nebari and gat Touareg elders despair they worry about horrid youth missing out on school and jobs and their potential for recruitment by militants and they wonder why Touareg aspirations to gain rights and live on their land in peace and prosperity are under threat like never before although it's not needed now where I can go directly from any place to any place without GPS like that can go from go body dive to Timbuktu I stars this is elected from thousand years ago this is our culture you

Channel: VICE News

Views: 3,311,953

Rating: 4.6931219 out of 5

Keywords: Libya's Quiet War, The Tuareg of South Libya, Tuareg, vice libya, libya vice, libya war, Libya, Tebu, War & Conflict, Africa, Tribes, Indigenous, War, Conflict, al Qaeda, Daesh, ISIS, Islamic State, ISIL, Niger, Ubari, Short-Form Docs, Vice News, news, VICE, VICE Magazine, documentary, interviews, journalism, world news, breaking news, happening now, wild, lifestyle, world, exclusive, independent, videos, vice guide, vice presents, Muammar Qaddafi, arab spring, vice libya quiet war

Id: 4X-ps7QyBjI

Length: 25min 55sec (1555 seconds)

Published: Wed Feb 17 2016

Reddit Comments

[u/[deleted]]

This has been one of the best Vice documentaries in a long time.

[u/komnenos]

Great documentary, and what a sad conflict. I wish the best for Ali, the Tuareg and all the Libyans in the future.