The International Criminal Court (ICC) has unsealed arrest warrants for six Libyans linked to a violent gang that inflicted terror on the town of Tarhuna, a region deeply scarred by conflict. The announcement came on Friday from ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan, who detailed the crimes committed by these individuals.
Among the suspects, three are prominent figures in the Kaniyat militia, known for its brutal regime in Tarhuna, while the other three are affiliated with this notorious group. The Kaniyat militia is accused of systematically executing opponents and slaughtering entire families.
Notably, the arrest warrants name Abdurahem al-Kani, one of the militia’s leaders, who gained infamy for parading through Tarhuna with leashed lions, which reportedly fed on their victims.
Khan revealed that he has collected evidence indicating that residents of Tarhuna have suffered war crimes, including murder, torture, sexual violence, and rape. “During my visit to Tarhuna in 2022, I heard harrowing accounts of individuals being held in appalling conditions and witnessed farms and landfill sites turned into mass graves,” he stated.
Human Rights Watch reports that at least 338 people were either abducted or went missing during the Kaniyat’s five-year dominance.
Following the fall of long-time Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi in a NATO-backed uprising in 2011, various armed groups and militias emerged, filling the power vacuum. In Tarhuna, the Al-Kani militia, also referred to as the Kaniyat, seized control in 2015, turning the town into a symbol of the atrocities committed during this turbulent period.
The Kani brothers initially aligned with Tripoli-based militias but switched allegiance to military leader Khalifa Haftar during his offensive to capture the capital. Following Haftar’s defeat, the Kani brothers vanished, with some believed to be dead and others in hiding.
The ICC’s arrest warrants, issued in April 2023, were made public on Friday, revealing the extent of the alleged crimes and the ICC’s ongoing commitment to justice.