By Jamal Adel.
Kufra, 17 September 2014:
Fighting broke out this afternoon in Obari between local Tebu militiamen and a group of Tuaregs . . .[restrict]said to be Islamists and supporters of Libya Dawn. The latter are reportedly not from Obari.
Communications with the desert town are extremely difficult at present but according to Tebu sources in Murzuk, the Tuareg group arrived in Obari three days ago and took the old police station as their headquarters. Today, according to the sources, they went to the petrol station and tried to take it over from Tebu militia guarding it. This led to a gunfight which resulted in the Tuarges being forced out of both the petrol and police stations. It is reported that a number of Tuaregs were killed in the fight and other injured but numbers have not bee confirmed.
The Tebus say they suffered no losses.
The Tebu sources also claim the Tuareg group is the same as one that tried to take over the nearby Sharara oilfield a month ago at the bidding of Libya Dawn. They also report that local Tuaregs in Obari have said that the group has nothing to do with them and that they are living peacefully with Tebus and Arabs in the town.
Last week, local Obari Tuaregs rejected an appeal from a visiting Misratan delegation that they support Libya Dawn. [/restrict]
