What is "qadhadhfa"

The Qadhadhfa (also al-Qaddafa, Gaddadfa, Qaddadfa, Gaddafa; ) is one of the branches of the Houara tribe, living in the Sirte District in present-day northwestern Libya. They are now mostly centered at Sabha.

They are notable for their role in the 1969 coup d'état deposing King Idris of Libya and as the tribe of Muammar Gaddafi. During Muammar Gaddafi's rule of Libya, he appointed numerous members of his tribe in leading positions.

During the 2011 Civil War, the Qadhadhfa held a key role in supporting the Libyan government. Al Jazeera reported that Qadhadhfa officers executed 20 officers of the Firjan tribe in the early weeks of the conflict. After Gaddafi's death in October 2011, leading members of the Qadhadhfa demanded the return of his body by Misratan fighters for burial by relatives in Sirte.