Tawergha was used as a staging ground for attacks on Misrata during the uprising that eventually toppled and killed longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi. Anti-Gaddafi militia, mainly from Misrata, drove out Tawergha’s residents, believing its inhabitants had aided Gadhafi’s forces.

Tawergha’s residents have since been living in camps across Libya.

The country has descended into chaos since 2011 and is now split between rival governments and myriad militias.