Ouled Slimane people
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The Ouled Slimane (also spelled Oulad Souleymane or Awlad Sleiman) are an Arab people and tribe originating from the Fezzan region of modern-day Libya. Populations of Ouled Slimanes are also present in Chad and eastern Niger.
Beginning in the 19th century, the Ouled Slimane began migrating out of Fezzan to settle around the Lake Chad region of present-day Niger especially around the settlement of N'Gourti, and Tesker, which were under French influence at the time.[1][2][3]
The Ouled Slimane still living in Fezzan were brutally massacred and expelled by the Italians during the Pacification, leading to an exodus to the French colonies of Niger and Chad. In Niger and Chad the Ouled Slimane forged good relations with the French colonial authorities, especially after the end of World War II until the independence of the African countries in 1960, however they maintained hostile relations with other populations such as the Toubou or the Tuareg.[4]
After Gaddafi's rise, the Libyan leader encouraged the Ouled Slimane to return to their former home in Fezzan, becoming one of the pillars of the regime in its first decades at the local level. However, this would change in the last decades of Gaddafi's government, causing a growing rivalry between the Ouled Slimane and the Gaddafa, the tribe to which the Libyan leader belonged.[5]
After the civil war, the Ouled Slimane have made human trafficking one of their main sources of income, controlling part of the slave market that passes through Sabha, where they maintain rivalry with the Toubou and Tuareg traffickers.[5]
Notable Ouled Slimane people[edit]
- Mohamed Bazoum – President of Niger 2021–2023.[4][6]
References[edit]
- ^ Abdourahmane Idrissa; Samuel Decalo (2012). Historical Dictionary of Niger. Historical Dictionaries of Africa. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press. p. 64. ISBN 978-0-8108-6094-0. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
- ^ André Salifou (2011). Histoire du Niger: époques précoloniale et coloniale (in French). Nathan. p. 20. ISBN 978-2-09-882499-7.
- ^ Maryline Dumas; Mathieu Galtier (2018). Jours tranquilles à Tripoli: chroniques (in French). Paris: Riveneuve. ISBN 978-2-36013-474-8.
- ^ a b Olivier, Mathieu (4 September 2018). "Niger: dix choses à savoir sur Mohamed Bazoum, le ministre de l'Intérieur". Jeune Afrique. Archived from the original on 21 July 2023. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
- ^ a b Saïd, Asma. "L'ethnie Toubou à l'heure de la révolution. Les Toubous dans le conflit libyen (5/5). Les affrontements inter-ethniques : Toubous vs/tribus arabes". lesclesdumoyenorient.com.
- ^ "Niger's top court confirms Mohamed Bazoum's election win". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
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