Yefren's struggle during the Libyan uprising 2011

Yefren, I dreamed you died.

The more I listened to this beautiful song, the more it connected me to the city of Yefren in the Nafusa Mountains during its dark months. I never thought that people with only 50 rifles would retake their city back from well equipped Gaddafi army. There were about 600 families are under siege, in dire need of all help, left their homes to take shelter in caves from Gaddafi shells and missiles and eating the most basic things.. There was almost no water. I remember a friend in there telling me that our freedom fighters are simply bleeding out in Yefren. The Gaddafi troops took over the only hospital in the town. There was no way to treat the injured. Although some of them were taken to a house near the frontline for treatment, the next day Gaddafi forces took them and then burnt the house. He said bombardment didn´t stop. NATO jets could not help much in areas inside the town where Gaddafi tanks, heavy artilleries and multiple rocket launchers were hidden. Supply routes from 4 roads were also controlled by Gaddafi troops. We all thought it’d be a matter of time the population would either die by Gaddafi bullets or starvation as they were determined to never give up. June 2nd was the O hour for the freedom fighters to retake their city back. They took advantage of multiple Nato airstrikes outside the city which made it hard for Gaddafi to send reinforcement in. it was an 8 hours battle with the remnants of regime forces in the city before they retook it.

 

Simoh

Muqwel-d γur tmes
asγar-nni dges
am nek ay tezu,
xas suḍed γures
ma truḥ aken a d-ensu,

a yagur,
lemr a-ţţ-teẓṛeḍ
degs a-ţţ-asmeḍ
tugwer-ik,
deg iman-ik at ḥeqṛeḍ
xas ma tcebḥeḍ,
tif udem-ik,

ma ţţ-iniḍ :
"d-kečč ay bγiγ,
fellak rγiγ,
γas susmeγ" ,
ulla d-nek
(γe)f aken ţţwaliγ
am aken zgiγ gugmeγ...

ma cbiγ ifer yemuten,
tecbiṭ ulla d-kem,
ma yesuḍ waḍu,
tasa-w am tasa-m tegzem
d-isin naεdem
la neţţru,

waken ad it teẓṛeḍ
as i deg i(yi) tejmeḍ
γurem cnu-d tayri,
γur lemri tmuqleḍ
(γe)f allen-im (a) yitafeḍ
uqwleγ d-imeṭi,

dme-d aqbuc sefḍit-id
teččuret-id d-imeṭi ar at ruḍ,
mi di tejmeḍ jebtit-id
ma tmuqleṭ-id, ayi-tewεuḍ,

urgiγ temuteḍ
s-aẓeka tkecmeḍ
skefleγ-d iγes-im,
d-ajewaq tuqleḍ
mi ṣuγeγ tneṭqeḍ
seḥyeγ-d suṭ-im,

nejreγ-d asγar s-lmus
fkiγ degs afus
smetleγ-kem,
s-lfina xaḍ(e)γ-am-d lbus,
ulla ma txuṣ
tecqa-kem,

ma ţţiniḍ :
"d-kečč ay bγiγ,
fellak rγiγ,
γas susmeγ" ,
ulla d-nek
(γe)f aken ţţwaliγ
am aken zgiγ gugmeγ...

cbiγ ifer yemuten
tecbiṭ ulla d-kem
ma yesuḍ waḍu,
tasa-w am tasa-m tegzem
xas ma naεdem
(γe)f ayeg a nru ?

d-ullac ar am i nsemiγ
(γe)f aken ţţwaliγ
ur ḍelmeγ,
ur d-mazal-ara a d-nadiγ,
ayen aken bγiγ at ẓṛeγ