The World Amazigh Assembly condemns the desecration of the Amazigh flag in Libya and warns of its serious consequences

The Assembly is deeply concerned and outraged by the actions of individuals wearing the uniform of the Libyan Government of National Unity’s Ministry of the Interior, who placed the Amazigh flag on the ground and forced vehicles to drive over it. This provocative act poses a serious threat to Libya’s national unity, social cohesion, and cultural and linguistic diversity.

While condemning this serious violation of an identity and cultural symbol shared by all Amazigh people in North Africa and the Sahel, the Assembly commends the vigilance and strong reactions of Libyan Amazigh citizens, Amazigh-speaking municipal leaders, as well as numerous human rights organizations, unions, and civil society institutions.

In this context, the Assembly holds Interior Minister Abdel Hamid Dbeibah’s government fully responsible for this shameful offense against the Amazigh flag. It demands the arrest and prosecution of those involved in this unacceptable act. Such actions not only threaten Libya’s social cohesion but could also escalate tensions across North Africa, inciting hatred and division, and destabilizing the new Libya, whose people have made great sacrifices to free themselves from dictatorship.

The Assembly calls on all Libyan national forces to combat such divisive practices and warns of the disastrous consequences of these provocations on the country’s social fabric.

It also reaffirms its unwavering support for the Amazigh people of Libya in their legitimate struggle to obtain their full rights, including the constitutional recognition of the Amazigh language as an official language in the new Libya.

The Assembly urges Libyan political parties and movements to ensure the fair participation of the Amazigh in the political decision-making process and to work towards drafting a democratic and pluralistic constitution that safeguards cultural and linguistic diversity and guarantees the full rights of the Amazigh within a unified and prosperous federal state. It reiterates that the Amazigh are a fundamental pillar of Libya’s stability, unity, and progress and that they play a key role in building a modern civil state based on democracy, justice, equality, and respect for everyone’s rights.

Rachid Raha, President of the World Amazigh Assembly