SUMMARY
Awlad Suleiman (alternatively Ouled Slimane) is a nomadic Arab tribe that resides primarily in Libya’s arid Fezzan region, which covers most of the southwestern parts of the country. The tribe has particularly strong presence around the oasis town Sabha, which is strategically located along one of the major trading and smuggling routes cutting through the Fezzan desert. A smaller number of Awlad Suleiman also reside in the Lake Chad basin; this part of the tribe is comprised of descendants of Awlad Suleiman members displaced during the 1800s by the Ottomans. While no exact numbers regarding the total size of the Awlad Suleiman is available, it is generally considered to be one of Libya’s larger tribes.
The Awlad Suleiman trace their heritage to the Banu Sulaym, an Arabic group that migrated from Egypt into present-day Libya during the 11th and 12th centuries; by the 17th century, the Awlad Suleiman had settled in an area between the Sabha oasis and Sirte. The group’s members were primarily pastoralists, and only a small share of the Awlad Suleiman economy was dependent on farming; at this time, the tribe also began cultivating trading networks with the oasis towns in the Fezzan. From the mid-1500s, the Ottoman Empire gradually expanded its control over present-day Libya; Ottoman rule in Libya lasted 1551-1911. The Awlad Suleiman actively opposed the Ottoman expansion, and there were several Awlad Suleiman uprisings against the Ottomans; on occasion, the group entered into “tribal alliances” (saff) with the Qadhadhfa and Warfalla tribes. Following a weakening of Ottoman rule in Libya, the Awlad Suleiman set up its own sultanate in Fezzan. However, this sultanate – which was ruled by the powerful Saif al-Nasr family from Sebha – only lasted from 1830 to 1842 before being defeated by the Ottomans. After the defeat of the sultanate, many Awlad Suleiman migrated into the Lake Chad region. During Italian colonial rule, the Awlad Suleiman again resisted attempts to enforce the establishment of a central authority; severe Italian repression forced many of the Awlad Suleiman into exile. Following independence from Italy in 1947, the Awlad Suleiman was again established as one of the most powerful actors in the Fezzan.
In more recent times, the social and political standing of the Awlad Suleiman has been intimately linked to the regime of Muammar Gaddafi. Following his ascension to power in 1969, Gaddafi began implementing policies to limit the influence of Fezzan’s powerful tribes. These policies included undermining the position of the Awlad Suleiman, particularly in the strategically important Sebha oasis. For example, Gaddafi favored his own Qadhadhfa tribe by allowing it to occupy all important positions within the town’s military and security institutions. Gaddafi also bestowed favor and influence on small, previously marginalized tribes – such as the Magharha – to disrupt existing power structures. Gaddafi also encouraged poor members of the Awlad Suleiman to move from Chad to Libya, in order to disrupt the tribe’s economic power. As such, the power and influence of the Awlad Suleiman was significantly reduced, and it was in essence reduced to the status of a “client tribe” of the Qadhadhfa. Nevertheless, the alliance between Awlad Suleiman and Qadhadhfa dating from the Ottoman era remained intact for the duration of Gaddafi’s rule. However, as the 2011 uprising against Gaddafi unraveled, the Awlad Suleiman decided to join the NTC rebel coalition. During the course of the uprising, Awlad Suleiman decided to align itself with the powerful Misurata tribe, which controlled the anti-Gaddafi stronghold Misrata. This inevitably caused a rift between Awlad Suleiman and Qadhadhfa, as the latter remained loyal to Gaddafi; the alliance was permanently broken after Awlad Suleiman fighters looted Qadhadhfa neighborhoods in Sabha in the fall of 2011.
The relationship between Awlad Suleiman and other Fezzan groups in post-2011 Libya has been conditioned by the almost complete collapse of the national security and military institutions. For example, Sebha – a key hub for trans-Saharan trade and smuggling - has been a flashpoint for intercommunal power struggles and turf wars between the Awlad Suleiman and their neighboring Qadhadhfa and Toubou communities. There has however been a functioning relationship between Awlad Suleiman and the smaller Awlad Busayf tribe.
At the national level, the Awlad Suleiman tribe does not have a fixed allegiance to any of Libya’s major politico-military factions. In general, the tribe has a vacillating relationship with powerful actors like the Government of Libya and the Forces of the House of Representatives, and has been known to switch its support in return for various favors, or in order to position itself against local rivals such as the Toubou.
Awlad Busayf (alternatively Abu Seif, Awlad Bu Seif) is an Arab tribe residing in Libya’s Tripolitana and Fezzan regions; the tribe has a strong base in Mizda, a town located in the Nafusa Mountains in western Libya. A sizeable section of the Awlad Busayf also reside in and around Sebha, a strategically important oasis town in the Fezzan desert. While no accurate figures regarding the tribe’s total size are available, Awlad Busayf is not considered among Libya’s largest or most influential tribes. It should however be noted that the tribe is considered one of the most important communal groups around the Sebha oasis.
Historically, the Awlad Busayf tribe was considered part of a collection of small tribes and clans regarded as the “original” nomads from the areas around Sebha oasis. During Ottoman rule in Libya (which lasted 1551-1911), the Awlad Busayf occupied a relatively minor role in Fezzan’s regional power dynamics, given that it was far less influential than the larger Awlad Suleiman and Qadhadhfa tribes. When the Awlad Suleiman tribe rose up against the Ottoman Empire by creating its own independent Fezzan sultanate 1830-1842, Awlad Busayf fighters were levied by the Ottomans to fight against the tribal rebels. Following the decline of Ottoman rule in Libya, the Awlad Busayf forged closer ties to the powerful Awlad Suleiman.
In present-day Libya, the Awlad Busayf’s relationship has been largely conditioned by the almost complete collapse of the national security and military institutions following the 2011 uprising against Gaddafi. For example, Sebha – a key hub for trans-Saharan trade and smuggling - has been a flashpoint for intercommunal power struggles and turf wars between the town’s various communal groups. The Awlad Busayf has for example – together with Awlad Suleiman – been involved in communal violence against the Toubou.
