What role do tribes play in the revolution in Libya?

15 May Update: I recently wrote a paper on the Libyan Revolution: A Coalition to What End.
       
     So when you go to the link you will have to give them your email address to get the entire article (it's free though).  I would post the whole article here, but STRATFOR (and they put out some GREAT products) might not appreciate it and I won't open that door.  But I will include a couple of tidbits that I gleaned from the article.  This was a great article because I knew nothing about the role of tribal dynamics and came away with a deepened understanding.  And, now when I hear names of tribes which I have no clue about, I have a source document to which I can refer. 

"the foundation of his rule has been maintaining ties between his own tribe and the two largest tribes in the country. "  This is referring to the Qadhafi tribe and the Warfallah and the Magariha

"Libya has an estimated 140 tribes, only about 30 of which are viewed as having any real significance. "

"[three historical zones that make up Libya: Tripolitania, Cyrenaica, and Fezzan.]"

"the typical Libyan — a person of mixed Arab-Berber descent " And most Libyans live along the coast.

"Cyrenaica is where the current uprising began in mid-February. "

"Cyrenaica has long being oriented toward Egypt and the eastern Islamic world, with Tripolitania more oriented to the western Islamic world and the Maghreb."

"Tripolitania is the Gadhafi Tribe"

"since the Gadhafi tribe is not especially large, the Libyan leader has been forced to form confederations with others."

"[“Jamahiriya,” a word coined by Gadhafi  and means “state of the masses,” it was to do away with antiquated notions of tribalism and focus on national identity.]"

"[The Warfallah is the largest tribe in Libya. With an estimated 1 million members.  The Gadhafi and Warfallah have blood ties]"

"[On Feb. 20 Warfallah Tribal Elders released a statement in which they condemned Gadhafi]"

 "[The Zuwaya tribe  reportedly controls  the Sarir, Messla and Aquila oil fields.]"

"Two top officials in the regime that come from the Obeidat tribe have made very public defections in recent days: Maj. Gen. Suleiman Mahmud and Maj. Gen. Abdel Fattah Younis]"

"[The Magariha tribe is the second-largest in Libya. The most powerful member of the Magariha tribe is Col. Abdullah al-Sanussi, the head of the Jamahiriya Security Organization (JSO)]"

"[There are prominent Magarihas, however, who are said to have joined forces with the opposition. ]"

"[The Tuaregs, however, matter because of their ability to attack oil and natural gas infrastructure deep in the Libyan desert.]"  This tribe lives entirely in the desert in the Fezzan region.

"[the Tuaregs have a much different culture and history (not to mention language and appearance) from the Arabic peoples along Libya’s coastal regions, as well as the “pure” Arab Bedouins who live in other parts of the Libyan desert. ]"

"[The Toubou more closely resemble sub-Saharan Africans than their countrymen to the north. (Indeed, when reports first emerged about African mercenaries employed by Gadhafi to suppress the uprising, there was some confusion as to whether they might have been Toubou elements of the Libyan military mistaken for foreigners.)]"

"[Gadhafi must ensure that the tribes loyal to him continue to stay loyal and hope that the use of force will help him to overcome the widespread opposition to his rule.]"