Libyan resistance movement

Last updated
Libyan War Of Indenpendence
Date1911-1918
1923-1932
1940-1945
Location
Result 1911-1918: Italian victory
1923-1932: Italian victory
1940-1945: Libyan victory
Belligerents

Flag of Italy (1861-1946) crowned.svg  Kingdom of Italy

Flag of Cyrenaica.svg Libya
Senussi
Flag of the Tripolitanian Republic (Fictional).svg Tripolitanian Republic
Flag of Cyrenaica.svg Libyan tribes
Commanders and leaders
Flag of Italy (1861-1946) crowned.svg Rodolfo Graziani Flag of Cyrenaica.svg Emir Idris of Cyrenaica
Flag of Cyrenaica.svg Omar Mukhtar   Skull and Crossbones.svg
Casualties and losses
Unknown

40,000 [1] -70,000 dead [2] (battles, deportation, starvation etc.).

250,000-300,000 total loss (migration of indigenous)

Contents

[3]

The Libyan resistance movement was the rebel force opposing the Italian Empire during its Pacification of Libya between 1923 and 1943.

History

First years

The Libyan resistance, associated with the Senussi Order, was initially led by Omar Mukhtar (Arabic عمر المختار ‘Umar Al-Mukhtār, 1862–1931), who was from the tribe of Mnifa. The First Italo-Senussi War had two main active phases: the Italo-Turkish War (1911–12), when Italy invaded Libya, and the Senussi Campaign (1915–17), part of World War I, in which Italian and British forces fought the Ottoman and German-supported Senussi. The Libyans were eventually defeated. After a period of relative peace, the Second Italo-Senussi War broke out in 1923 and lasted until 1932.

Second Italo-Libyan War (1923–1932)

Later King Idris and his Senussi tribe in the provinces of Cyrenaica and Tripolitania started to become opposed to the Italian colonization after 1929, when Italy changed its political promises of moderate "protectorate" to the Senussi (done in 1911) and—because of Benito Mussolini—started to take complete colonial control of Libya.

Resistance During World War 2

Resistance was crushed by General Rodolfo Graziani in the 1930s and the country was again controlled by the Italians with the help of Arab fascists, to the point that many Libyan colonial troops fought on the side of Italy between 1940 and 1943: two divisions of Libyan colonial troops were created in the late 1930s and 30,000 native Libyans fought for Italy during World War II. While the Tripolitanian Nobles in Egypt established a corp of themselves that fought along side Libyan Arab Force, this included of many Tripolitanian Tribes [4] [5] [6]

See also

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References

  1. Mohamed Fekini and the Fight to Free Libya - Angelo Del Boca,Antony Shugaar
  2. A Historical Companion to Postcolonial Literatures – Prem Poddar, Rajeev Shridhar Patke, Lars Jensen
  3. John L. Wright, Libya, a Modern History, Johns Hopkins University Press, p. 42.
  4. John, Ronald Bruce St (2015-05-15). Libya: Continuity and Change. Routledge. ISBN   978-1-135-03654-6.
  5. Peters, Emrys L. (1990). The Bedouin of Cyrenaica: Studies in Personal and Corporate Power. Cambridge University Press. ISBN   978-0-521-38561-9.
  6. Pollard, Tony; Banks, Iain (2008). Scorched Earth: Studies in the Archaeology of Conflict. BRILL. ISBN   978-90-04-16448-2.