Thousands forced from Libyan town stopped just short of home
Despite an agreement for the return of some 600 families to their hometown of Tawergha after seven years of displacement, delays have left them in yet another makeshift camp just miles from home.
On Feb. 1, around 600 families headed back toward their hometown of Tawergha, located southeast of the Libyan coastal city of Misrata. They'd been forced to leave the town of 40,000 seven years ago following battles in which fighters from Tawergha were accused of having fought for the former Libyan regime and raping women in Misrata.
A reconciliation agreement was struck Dec. 26, 2017, between representatives of Misrata and Tawergha, under the auspices of Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, the head of Libya’s Government of National Accord (GNA). It called for the Tawergha people to be permitted to return to their hometown from various camps in Benghazi, Tripoli, Bani Walid, Tarhuna and Ajdabiya and for the affected people from both sides to be compensated.
But about 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) from their goal, armed men from Misrata blocked the road and prevented the returnees from continuing their journey. They were forced to stop and camp outside Qararat Qatif, and thus began another miserable chapter for the Tawergha families.
Al-Monitor contacted people stuck at the Qararat Qatif camp. Hassan Othman Hassan told Al-Monitor, “We are living in a very bad situation. I am married with two children, but I could not get a tent to stay in. We are sleeping in the open and sometimes in the other families’ cars. We are impatiently waiting to return home.”
