The Lion of The Desert

Por Nada El Majri

This article is in memory and celebration of the 68th anniversary of Libya's independence from the Italian and Allied colonization on December 24th 1951.

After the end of the First World War, Italy signed the Treaty of Lausanne which gave authority to occupy Libya after the Italo-Turkish War, which was previously under Ottoman command. Despite Libyan revolts, the Treaty succeeded and Libya was officially under Italian control in 1911. Throughout the colonization, a sole figure rose up to become the head leader of the Libyan rebellion against the Italians, who thereafter became a national hero across the country, and the Arab World. Omar Al Mukhtar led the opposition against the Italian occupation from 1923 until his arrest and execution in 1931. Al-Mukhtar was one of the most active and skilled leaders who led the anti-colonial rebellion and was known by the locals as 'The Lion of the Desert' for his courage and bravery.

In 1923, the Italians occupied Tripolitania, the most western state of Libya. Resistance emerged almost immediately, primarily initiated by Al-Mukhtar. Al-Mukhtar was able to attain power to organize mass militant opposition against the Italians. The Green Mountain, in the northeast of Libya, was the perfect geographical base for Al-Mukhtar, but in 1925, the Italians successfully inflicted a crushing defeat on Al-Mukhtar. Nevertheless, Al-Mukhtar's resistance aided by the Egyptian weaponry and ammunition, was to plague the Italians and weaken their stronghold over Libya. After several conflicts won by Al-Mukhtar, he was, however, compelled to disengage, because of the scale of executions between the years of 1927 and 1928. Finally, in 1931, the last rebellion stronghold of Al-Kufrah, south-east of Benghazi was seized by the Italians and Al-Mukhtar was arrested. He was summarily court-martialed and his public hanging was witnessed by about 20,000 Libyans. With his death, the resistance weakened but the Italian rule resumed.

The weakness and ultimate decay of Italian administration over Libya was engineered by years of opposition, which was made more forceful by the fervor and skill of Omar Al-Mukhtar. The historical evidence shows that the people of Libya had grown accustomed to imperial rule, dating back to the Ancient Greeks followed by the Ottoman empire and then by the Italian colonization.

John Wright, a specialist in Libya, a former chief political commentator and analyst for the BBC Arabic Service, quotes Libya's Italian Governor, Marshal Pietro Badoglio, "The Fascist government pushed the colonial plan...to full scale, declaring that Libya was essential for settling Italian peasants and thus that there was no room for compromise on this point; only force would succeed in clearing the land for settlement." This is evident in Marshal Pietro Badoglio's statement portraying this ideology," Penetrating the soul of this people [the Libyans] is very difficult... but now the way forward has been made clear, and we have to follow it to the end, even if the entire population of Cyrenaica has to perish." Evidently, the Italians relied on force to annihilate rebellion and the shameful strategies used were unlike any others used during Africa's colonial wars. Out of the 85,000 who were sentenced to concentration camps, 35,000 survived and with the non-natural deaths between 1912-1943 of about 300,000, the Libyan population was decimated. 

Blame should be apportioned to the Italians who, due to their cruelty and brutality, provided the breeding grounds for opposition and the debut of a much-needed leader such as Al-Mukhtar, who knew the region best and with position as military commander led the most efficient ambushes. A fascist politician, General Teruzzi claimed that Al Mukhtar had," exceptional perseverance and strong willpower", which ultimately saw the disintegration of Italian colonial ability. Recognition of his domineering personality and hero status is evident from the streets, schools and hospitals named after him, the 10 Libyan dinars note with his face on it, and the movie directed by Mustapha Akkad, starring Anthony Quinn.

Ultimately, the removing of the leader of the resistance resulted in the weakening of the resistance as a whole, and the Italians continued to rule Libya until 1943, when an Allied occupation replaced it in 1945 after having beaten the Italians in World War II, where after Libya finally got independence in 1951 as a Kingdom, under King Idris Al-Senussi. What they did not cater for however, was that the inspiration of Al-Mukhtar would endure as a lasting legacy, which would encourage the Libyans to persevere in their quest for independence. It was this continuous erosion of the Italian's power that would ultimately contribute to their defeat at the hands of the allies. Therefore, it can be concluded that although Al-Mukhtar's opposition weakened Italian power in Libya, the Italians' defeat in WWII and the administration under the Allies is also a major factor in the liberating of Libya the Italian rule.

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