Sabha, Libya Explained

Official Name:Sabha
Other Name:Sabhā
Native Name:Arabic: سبها
Settlement Type:City
Pushpin Map:Libya
Pushpin Label Position:bottom
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Libya
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: Libya
Subdivision Type1:Region
Subdivision Name1:Fezzan
Subdivision Type2:District
Subdivision Name2:Sabha
Population As Of:2012
Population Footnotes:[1]
Population Total:99028
Population Blank1 Title:Ethnicities
Population Blank2 Title:Religions
Timezone:EET
Utc Offset:+2
Coordinates:27.0389°N 14.4264°W
Elevation M:420
Registration Plate Type:License Plate Code
Registration Plate:1

Sabha or Sebha (Arabic: سَبْهَا|Sabhā) is an oasis city in southwestern Libya,[2] approximately south of Tripoli.[3] It was historically the capital of the Fezzan region and the Fezzan-Ghadames Military Territory and is the capital of the Sabha District.[4] Sabha Air Base, south of the city, is a Libyan Air Force installation that is home to multiple MiG-25 aircraft.[5]

Sabha was where the erstwhile ruler of Libya, Muammar Gaddafi, grew up and received secondary education and where he also later became involved in political activism.[6] After the Libyan Civil War and the resultant instability in the country, Sabha reportedly grew in importance as a slave auctioning town.[7] However, an investigation by the National Commission for Human Rights in Libya (NCHRL) revealed that while there was illegal slavery, reports were exaggerated, as slave auctions were rare and not made public. The city was seized by forces loyal to the Libyan National Army (LNA) and its leader Khalifa Haftar in January 2019,[8] [9] but some politicians in the area switched their loyalty to the Government of National Accord (GNA) in May 2020.[10]

History

In historical times, Sabha was a major centre of the Libyan caravan trade.[11] Sabha Oasis, near Sabha, was the test site of OTRAG rockets, after launching was no longer possible in Shaba North in Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo). On 1 March 1981, an OTRAG rocket with a maximum height of 50km (30miles) was launched. It was also a remote test site for the Soviet Space program from 1984 to 1991.[12]

In a 2004 report by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Sabha base was linked with Libya's nuclear weapons program.[13] In September 2011, Anti-Gaddafi forces seized Sabha as part of the Fezzan campaign.[14] No sign of a nuclear weapons program was found.

In April 2017, BBC reported that there was a slave market for African migrants in Sabha.[15]

In January 2019, forces loyal to Libyan National Army (LNA) leader Khalifa Haftar launched an operation to take control of Sabha and were able to enter the city by the end of the month. On 29 January 2019, it was announced that Haftar successfully captured Sabha. In February 2019, Haftar's forces were spotted patrolling the city's neighborhoods.[16] By May 2, 2020, politicians and activists loyal to the Tripoli-based government had announced their support of the GNA, and the city is currently under the control of pro-GNA municipal governments.[17]

Climate

Sabha has a hot desert climate (Köppen climate classification BWh). Summers are very hot, with temperatures reaching 40 °C regularly. Winters are mild with a high diurnal temperature variation. There is hardly any precipitation in the year with low (32%) humidity, and sunshine is abundant throughout the year.

Landmarks

Sabha is famous for the Fort Elena castle,[18] which is the castle featured on the reverse of the ten dinars banknote of Libya. Fort Elena was previously known as Fortezza Margherita, built during the Italian colonial period. Currently the Italian-built fort is a military institution.[19] Sabha University is situated in the city. It has been involved with field studies in the desert.[20] There are numerous irrigation canals, which are used to provide freshwater for growing crops.

Transport

The city is served by Sabha Airport, which underwent expansion in the late 1970s.[21] An 800km (500miles) long railway has been proposed from Sabha to the port of Misrata for iron ore transport.[22]

Reports of slave auctions

In 2017, The United Nations Migration Agency reported that Sabha had turned into a modern-day slave auctioning town. Each slave (mostly migrants from countries to the south of Libya, especially Nigeria) was sold for around US$325, with reports up to 1000 such sales each month.[23] While this aspect of Sabha had been kept under check during the reign of Muammar Gaddafi, it raised its head again due to the turbulence in Libya caused by the civil war. Most of the migrants came here escaping equally tragic conditions back home in Burkina Faso, Nigeria and other neighbouring African countries. However, the National Commission for Human Rights in Libya (NCHRL) revealed that the media reports of slavery were exaggerated and that slave auctions were not public, as suggested by CNN.[24] The slave auctions which were discovered were revealed to be rare.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: World Gazetteer . World Gazetteer . Libya: largest cities and towns and statistics of their population . 15 October 2011 . dead . https://archive.today/20121204173451/http://www.world-gazetteer.com/wg.php?x=1273372850&men=gcis&lng=en&des=gamelan&geo=-133&srt=dpnn&col=abcdefghimoq&msz=1500&pt=c&va=&srt=pdnn . 4 December 2012.
  2. Book: Malcolm . Peter . Losleben . Elizabeth . Libya . 2004 . Marshall Cavendish . 978-0-7614-1702-6 . 10.
  3. Walt, Vivienne. "The Capture of Gaddafi's Son: The Reformer Who Refused to Reform ." TIME. 19 November 2011. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
  4. Book: Libya in Pictures . Francesca Davis DiPiazza . 2006 . Twenty-First Century Books . 0-8225-2549-6 .
  5. http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/libya/af-orbat.htm Libya: Ministry of Defense: Air Force: Air Order of Battle
  6. Book: Qaddafi and the Libyan Revolution. David. Blundy. David Blundy. Andrew. Lycett. Andrew Lycett. Little Brown & Co. Boston and Toronto. 978-0-316-10042-7. 1987.
  7. News: Graham-Harrison . Emma . 10 April 2017 . Migrants from west Africa being 'sold in Libyan slave markets' . The Guardian . 21 June 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170622132319/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/10/libya-public-slave-auctions-un-migration . 22 June 2017 . live .
  8. News: Cherif . Youssef . 8 April 2019 . How far can Haftar get with his Tripoli offensive? . Al Jazeera .
  9. News: 29 January 2019. Libya: Haftar's LNA Captures The Southern City Of Sabha . Al Shahid News . usurped . https://web.archive.org/web/20200427184339/https://alshahidwitness.com/libya-haftar-lna-sabha/ . 27 April 2020 .
  10. News: Golden . Rabia . 5 May 2020 . Activists and officials from Sabha announce support to GNA . The Libya Observer .
  11. Book: DiPiazza, Francesca . Libya in Pictures . 1 September 2005 . Twenty-First Century Books . 19 . 978-0-8225-2549-3 . registration . 26 November 2016 .
  12. News: Пранаб Мукерджи: Коррупция – это зло, которое может угнетать дух нации . 12 March 2016 . Vedomosti . https://web.archive.org/web/20160313042805/https://www.vedomosti.ru/newspaper/articles/2012/07/26/antikrizisnyj_prezident . 13 March 2016 . live .
  13. Griffiths, Katherine (2007) "Libya stalls on pledge to destroy stock of uranium" The Daily Telegraph 13 August 2007, p. 16
  14. News: Government forces enter Libya's Sabha, to cheers . CNN . Ben . Wedeman . 20 September 2011 . 20 September 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110921023118/http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/20/world/africa/libya-sabha/index.html?hpt=wo_c2 . 21 September 2011 . live .
  15. News: African migrants sold in Libya 'slave markets', IOM says . 11 April 2017 . BBC News . 11 April 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170411141110/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-39567632 . 11 April 2017 . live .
  16. Megerisi . Tarek . 1 April 2019 . While You Weren't Looking, General Haftar Has Been Taking Over Libya. Foreign Policy .
  17. News: Golden . Rabia . 5 May 2020 . New governing council formed for the Sabha Municipality . The Libya Observer . https://web.archive.org/web/20231106165309/https://libyaobserver.ly/inbrief/new-governing-council-formed-sabha-municipality . 6 November 2023 . live .
  18. Martin, B. G. (1984) "Ahmad Rasim Pasha and the Fazzan Slave Trade, 1881-1896" pp. 64-65 in Willis, John Ralph (ed.) (1984) Slaves and Slavery in Muslim Africa: The Servile Estate Cass, London, pp. 51-82,
  19. Web site: Salvare la Fortezza Margherita . Agcnews.eu . 25 March 2014 . 26 November 2016 . it.
  20. Book: Worsley, D. . Geological Exploration in Murzuq Basin . 19 December 2000 . Elsevier . 978-0-08-053246-2 . 112.
  21. Book: Translations on Near East and North Africa . 1977 . Joint Publications Research Service . 31.
  22. Xinhua News Agency (2008) "Chinese win Libya rail bidding" International Herald Tribune 19 February 2008, Finance Section, p. 13
  23. News: Hoad . Phil . Sabha in the spotlight: the city where migrants are sold as slaves . 21 June 2017 . The Guardian . 19 June 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170620213412/https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/jun/19/sabha-spotlight-city-migrants-sold-slaves-world-refugee-day . 20 June 2017 . live .
  24. Web site: Libyan human rights body upset over CNN report of slave auctions in Libya . The Libya Observer . Abdulkader . Assad . Nov 18, 2017 .