The Tebo of Libya

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The Tebo (or Tebu, Tibu, Tibo, Tibbo, or Tibbos) are a group of tribes found along the southern side of the Harouj mountain and to the east of Fezzan, all the way to the Egyptian border, including the Kofra and Bezzima Oases, as well as south to the Tibesti Massif and across the border in northern Chad, Niger and as far as the Sudan.

The Tebo of the Kufra were invaded by the Senussi clans in 1840s, and subsequently some of the inhabitants fled to the southern regions were they joined other Tebo tribes. The principal region of Tebo is Bilma, north of Lake Chad.

The number of the Tebo in Libya was estimated to be around 5000 Tebbos, but the larger part of the group live in Chad and Niger. The Tbawi language is a member of the Nilo-Saharan language family. The main Tebo tribes include Kechad (of the towns of Abo and Tibesti), the Febabos (south south west of Aujilah), the Borgou (further south), the tribe of Arno, and the Gunda Tibbo (further southward).

Early explorers remarked that the Tibbos are not like other central African tribes and that they appear to have been infused with other northern races (or tribes). Their bodies are slim and their walk is light and swift. Their facial features include sharp eyes and thick lips, and their hair is not as curly as that of other African tribes. Tebo females are light and graceful, whose striking features include aquiline noses and fine lips. Their hair is plaited on each side of the face.

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