Attitudes and behaviour towards the Libyan indigenous population Italian Libya

inmates @ el agheila concentration camp during pacification of libya. camp recorded having population of 10,900 people.

with pacification of libya initiated in response major rebellion indigenous libyans against italian colonial rule, there mass deaths of indigenous people in cyrenaica - 1 quarter of cyrenaica s population of 225,000 people died during conflict. italy committed major war crimes during conflict; including use of illegal chemical weapons, episodes of refusing take prisoners of war , instead executing surrendering combatants, , mass executions of civilians. italian authorities committed ethnic cleansing forcibly expelling 100,000 bedouin cyrenaicans, half population of cyrenaica, settlements slated given italian settlers.

the italian occupation reduced number of livestock killing, confiscation or driving animals pastoral land inhospitable land near concentration camps. number of sheep fell 810,000 in 1926 98,000 in 1933, goats 70,000 25,000 , camels 75,000 2,000.

arab lictor youth (gal) members.

from 1930 1931 during pacification, 12,000 cyrenaicans executed , nomadic peoples of northern cyrenaica forcefully removed region , relocated huge concentration camps in cyrenaican lowlands. propaganda fascist regime declared camps oases of modern civilization hygienic , efficiently run - in reality camps had poor sanitary conditions camps had average of 20,000 beduoins camels , other animals, crowded area of 1 square kilometre. camps held rudimentary medical services, camps of soluch , sisi ahmed el magrun estimated 33,000 internees having 1 doctor between them. typhus , other diseases spread rapidly in camps people physically weakened meagre food rations provided them , forced labour. time camps closed in september 1933, 40,000 of 100,000 total internees had died in camps.

after full libya pacification, italian government changed policy toward local population: in december 1934, individual freedom, inviolability of home , property, right join military or civil administrations, , right freely pursue career or employment guaranteed libyans.

in famous trip mussolini libya in 1937, propaganda event created mussolini met muslim arab dignitaries, gave him honorary sword (that had been made in florence) symbolize mussolini protector of muslim arab peoples there.

in january 1939, italy annexed territories in libya considered italy s fourth shore, libya s 4 coastal provinces of tripoli, misurata, bengasi, , derna becoming integral part of metropolitan italy. @ same time indigenous libyans granted special italian citizenship required such people literate , confined type of citizenship valid in libya only.

in 1939, laws passed allowed muslims permitted join national fascist party , in particular muslim association of lictor (associazione musulmana del littorio). allowed creation of libyan military units within italian army. in march 1940, 2 divisions of libyan colonial troops (for total of 30,090 native muslim soldiers) created , in summer 1940 first , second divisions of fanteria libica (libyan infantry) participated in italian offensive against british empire s egypt: 1 libyan division sibelle , 2 libyan division pescatori.