easthe Tuareg Coordination of Libya - Press Rele/Communiqué de la coordination touarègue pour la Libye

We, The Tuareg Coordination of Libya, wish to express a deep anxiety concerning the present situation of the Tuareg community living in Libya. Since the fall of Tripoli, there has been and continues to be many executions amongst Tuareg Libyan civilians.
The organization of a very serious massacre is being prepared under the eye of the international media. We demand that the press coverage be responsible and ethical concerning the spirit of vengeance that prevails amongst certain rebel groups.
We are calling the TNC, the International Community, NATO, the RED CROSS and all other international organizations to apply the standards of international law, as established in the Geneva International Convention, and to respect and protect innocent civilians and victims in the Libyan conflict.
The collected evidence is unanimous; many civil Tuaregs have been executed and continue to be in Tripoli. Tuaregs in the Libyan refugee camp of Debdeb in Algeria have reported of serious threats of massacre against members of their community in the city of Ghadames situated in the south of Libya.
“The rebels are threatening the Tuareg to make them pay the price by bloodshed of their pretended support to Kaddafi’s regime”
At the present time, several thousand Tuareg families, mostly from the regions of Dereg and Ghadames, have fled to Algeria by fear of reprisals. Most have found refuge in the town of Debdeb in Algeria located twenty kilometers of Ghadames.
The Tuareg community, who at the moment is trapped between two forces, fears a bloodbath. Forced to Submit to Kaddafi’s followers in the south, where the “the Kadhafa’s” have reigned for decades and suspected by the northern communities to be partisans of Kadhafi, the Libyan Tuaregs have become the target of acts of vengeance committed by the Chebab, despite the laws of the Geneva convention.
Since the beginning of the conflict, civil Tuareg Libyans have seen the fighting take a heavy toll within their communities. In the south, many were enrolled to participate in pro Kaddafi demonstrations and found themselves parachuted on the front lines of the conflict.
Since March 2011 and before NATO’s interventions, many military Tuaregs who refused to participate in repression operations were executed by army officials. Over a thousand military Tuareg loyalists have died since the bombing of NATO and during the battle of Misrata.
At the same time, several isolated Tuareg groups have tempted to join the rebellion, despite the communication difficulties. Collaboration succeeded between the rebels and Libyan Tuareg groups during the battles of Zenten, Nalut near the Tunisian border and Nefussa.
Since April 2011, several delegates of the Tuareg Coordination met with the TNC in order to organize coordination with the rebels in southern territories.
This is an urgent appeal addressed to the TNC’s armed forces, to NATO and to the Red Cross to immediately stop all acts of vengeance perpetuated by the rebel’s armed forces. Guaranties and elementary rights must be respected and applied in accordance with the Geneva Convention and the United Nations resolutions. Over 200 000 people are concerned by the threat of massacre in prevision of the fall of Kadhafi’s regime.
The Tuareg Coordination of Libya
Ishaq Ag Alhusseyni
Contact: ishaq@wanadoo.fr / ghoumar@gmail.com