Sabha, or Sebha (), is an oasis city in southwestern Libya, approximately south of Tripoli. It was historically the capital of the Fezzan region and the Fezzan-Ghadames Military Territory and is now capital of the Sabha District. Sabha Air Base, south of the city, is a Libyan Air Force installation that is home to multiple MiG-25 aircraft. Sabha was where the erstwhile ruler of Libya, Muammar Gaddafi, grew up and received secondary education and where he also later became involved in political activism. After the Libyan Civil War and the resultant instability in the country, Sabha reportedly grew in importance as a slave auctioning town. However, an investigation by the National Commission for Human Rights in Libya (NCHRL) revealed that while there was illegal slavery, reports were exaggerated, as slave auctions were rare and not made public. The city was seized by forces loyal to the Libyan National Army (LNA) and its leader Khalifa Haftar in January 2019, but some politicians in the area switched their loyalty to the Government of National Accord (GNA) in May 2020. History In historical times, Sabha was a major centre of the Libyan caravan trade. Sabha Oasis, near Sabha, was the test site of OTRAG rockets, after launching was no longer possible in Shaba North in Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo). On 1 March 1981, an OTRAG rocket with a maximum height of was launched. It was also a remote test site for the Soviet Space program from 1984 to 1991. In a 2004 report by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Sabha base was linked with Libya's nuclear weapons program. In September 2011, Anti-Gaddafi forces seized Sabha as part of the Fezzan campaign. No sign of a nuclear weapons program was found. In April 2017, BBC reported that there was a slave market for African migrants in Sabha. In January 2019, forces loyal to Libyan National Army (LNA) leader Khalifa Haftar launched an operation to take control of Sabha and were able to enter the city by the end of the month. On January 29, 2019, it was announced that Haftar successfully captured Sabha. In February 2019, Haftar's forces were spotted patrolling the city's neighborhoods. By May 2, 2020, politicians and activists loyal to the Tripoli-based government had announced their support of the GNA, and the city is currently under the control of pro-GNA municipal governments. Climate Sabha has a hot desert