Peace agreement between warring Libyan tribes brokered in Doha

Representatives between the warring Libyan Toubou and Tuareg tribes signed a peace agreement in Doha on Monday.

Two years of fighting between the Berber tribes has killed more than three hundred, injured two thousand and displaced hundreds of families.

In a press statement issued by the official Qatar News Agency hours after the agreement was signed, Qatar said it hoped the agreement would lead to "further reconciliation and unity between the sons of the Libyan people and help maintain the security and stability of the country".

Since February, the two tribes have clashed as they try to fill the power vacuum in the south.

The Toubou, who mainly live in southeast Libya near the border with Chad, were heavily discriminated against under former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and played a key role in the 2011 revolution which overthrew the dictator.

The Tuareg, who mainly live in the southwest along the border with Algeria and Niger, largely backed the regime.

In 2012, fighting between Arabs in the Libyan city of Sabha, which is about 400 miles south of the capital Tripoli, prompted the Toubou to claim they were being ethnically cleansed from the city.

Fighting among various militias in Libya – and later between the rival Tobruk and Tripoli governments – saw chaos ensue in the country.

The Tuareg and Toubou tribes and the Arabs have set up rival militias and there has been mounting competition for scant resources in the southern desert region.

Tripoli has armed the Tuareg while the Toubou are allegedly backed by the internationally-recognised government in Tobruk.

The Qatari assistant foreign minister for international cooperation, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman bin Jassim Al Thani, who attended the signing of the agreement said in a press statement that "a solution to the conflict in the south is a starting point for peace in Libya".

Thani also praised the role that neighbouring countries, especially Algeria and Niger, played in brokering the agreement.

The agreement lays down a definitive ceasefire between the two sides, allows for the those displaced to return to the city of Ubari, stipulates the opening of the main road to Ubari and for total disarmament in the city.