Empty village raises concerns about fate of black Libyans

THE ABANDONED TOWN OF TAWERGHA has become the latest evidence of racism among the former rebels, McClatchy reports. The mostly black, non-Arab residents say they were forced out of their homes Aug. 15 when rebels from nearby Misurata took control of the town in revenge for the support the town gave to Qadhafi.

Tawergha town emptied

Tawergha used to be a city filled with black non-Arab Libyans. Rebel forces emptied the town after they seized Tripoli and residents have yet to return. | David Enders / MCT

TAWERGHA, Libya — This town was once home to thousands of mostly black non-Arab residents. Now, the only manmade sound is a generator that powers a small militia checkpoint, where rebels say the town is a “closed military area.”
What happened to the residents of Tawergha appears to be another sign that despite the rebel leadership’s pledges that they’ll exact no revenge on supporters of deposed dictator Moammar Gadhafi, Libya’s new rulers often are dealing harshly with the country’s black residents.
According to Tawergha residents, rebel soldiers from Misrata forced them from their homes on Aug. 15 when they took control of the town. The residents were then apparently driven out of a pair of refugee camps in Tripoli over this past weekend.
“The Misrata people are still looking for black people,” said Hassan, a Tawergha resident who’s now sheltering in a third camp in Janzour, six miles east of Tripoli. “One of the men who came to this camp told me my brother was killed yesterday by the revolutionaries.”
On Tuesday, Amnesty International issued a report on human rights issues in Libya that included claims that the rebels had abused prisoners, conducted revenge killings and removed pro-Gadhafi fighters from hospitals.