In Pictures

Power struggle rages in Libyan oasis town

The indigenous Tuareg and Tebu tribes have been fighting in Ubari to find their place in a new Libya.

Since the Libyan revolution, the country has become bitterly divided between two governments. [Mauricio Morales/Al Jazeera]

22 Jun 2015

Ubari, Libya – Since the popular uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya has become bitterly divided into two governments, with their respective militias fighting over lucrative assets and power.

One such battle is taking place in the oasis town of Ubari in Libya’s long-neglected southern Sahara, close to one of the country’s largest oil fields and smuggling routes. The Tuareg and Tebu tribes, indigenous to the region, are fighting each other over their place in a new Libya.

Each side is backed by one of the two opposing governments – Libya Dawn in Tripoli and Libya Dignity in the east – and their international supporters who are looking to gain control of the south.

In the fight over the predominantly Tuareg Ubari, one strategic position is the Tendi mountain, which looms over the town and sprawling oil field beyond. It is controlled by Tuareg fighters.

Meanwhile, Ubari’s devastated downtown has been emptied of its population, and has become filled with snipers from both sides since the fighting kicked off last September.

More than 200km to the southwest, along a pitted desert road that leads to the isolated Tuareg town of Ghat on the Algerian border, Tuareg families fleeing Ubari’s violence have been camped out on a half-finished construction site with little water, food or prospects for work.

With peace negotiations fraught with challenges, the near future looks bleak for those who regard this desert land as home.

A Tuareg man walks in the desert lands around Ghat, where families fleeing the violence in Ubari have been camping out. [Mauricio Morales/Al Jazeera]

A man plays traditional Tuareg music, which comprises an important part of the Tuareg culture. [Mauricio Morales/Al Jazeera]

Tuareg tribal leaders recently met in Ghat with a representative of the Tripoli-based government, in an effort to address issues of local governance. [Mauricio Morales/Al Jazeera]

A group of young men play in the streets of Ghat, where unemployment has become a concern for municipal authorities. [Mauricio Morales/Al Jazeera]

A displaced Tuareg man from Ubari walks in front of his makeshift shelter in an abandoned construction complex in the outskirts of Ghat. [Mauricio Morales/Al Jazeera]

Displaced families have been camping out on a half-finished construction site with little water, food or prospects for work. [Mauricio Morales/Al Jazeera]

A lack of fuel deliveries to Ghat - a result of the fighting in Ubari - has kick-started a black market for the commodity, providing the only source of income for some young men in the city. [Mauricio Morales/Al Jazeera]

A Tuareg guard drives along the Algerian border, where due to a lack of resources, guards must make do with just five cars and a few men. [Mauricio Morales/Al Jazeera]

Tuareg fighters watch over the city council offices in Ghat. [Mauricio Morales/Al Jazeera]

Tuareg fighters stand on the Tendi mountain, a key position that overlooks Ubari. [Mauricio Morales/Al Jazeera]

Fighters walk through houses in downtown Ubari, where heavy clashes have been taking place since September 2014. [Mauricio Morales/Al Jazeera]

An injured fighter is treated inside a school building that now serves as a medical unit in Ubari. [Mauricio Morales/Al Jazeera]

With peace negotiations fraught with challenges, the near future looks bleak for residents of Ubari. [Mauricio Morales/Al Jazeera]