Al Jazeera takes a closer look at Libya's Tubu with Libya's Tebu Tribe Hopes for Lasting Peace. The state of Libya's Tubu today brings into question what it means to be Libyan, and serves as a reminder that tensions still boil over into conflict in southern Libya over a year after end of the 2011 uprisings. How the government responds to these ethnic clashes -- whether or not they can employ truly impartial peacekeeping forces and enact a meaningful reconciliation process -- is crucial to the future stability and social cohesion of the country.
Recurrent violent clashes in Kufra between the Tebu and Zwai tribes over the past year have left more than 150 dead, and a fierce battle in March between the Tebu, Arab Awlad Sulieman and Abu Seif tribes in Sebha claimed an estimated 200 lives.With hundreds more injured and neighbourhoods devastated by intense mortar fire, these small communities are now polarised by hate. The Tebu are accused of being "foreign", while they say the Arab tribes are racist.