2011 Libyan civil war
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The
2011 Libyan civil war[36][37] (also referred to as the
Libyan revolution)
[38][39] was an armed conflict in the
North African state of
Libya, fought between forces loyal to
Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's regime and those seeking to depose him.
[40][41] The war was preceded by peaceful protests beginning on 15 February 2011, which were met with military force by the Gaddafi regime. The protests escalated into an uprising that spread across the country, with the forces opposing Gaddafi establishing a new government, the
National Transitional Council, whose stated goal was to overthrow Gaddafi and hold democratic elections.
[42] On 16 September 2011, the National Transitional Council was recognized by the
United Nations as the legal representative of Libya, replacing Gaddafi's regime.
The
United Nations Security Council passed an
initial resolution on 26 February, freezing the assets of Gaddafi and his inner circle and restricting their travel, and referred the matter to the
International Criminal Court for investigation.
[43] In early March, Gaddafi's forces rallied, pushed eastwards and re-took several coastal cities before attacking Benghazi. A further
U.N. resolution authorized member states to establish and enforce a
no-fly zone over Libya.
[44] The Gaddafi government then announced a ceasefire, but failed to uphold it.
[45]
In August, rebel forces
engaged in a coastal offensive and took most of their lost territory, and
captured the capital city of Tripoli,
[46] while Gaddafi evaded capture and loyalists engaged in a rearguard campaign.
[47]
Muammar Gaddafi remained at large until 20 October 2011, when he was captured and
killed in
Sirte
.
[48]
Background
Leadership
Muammar Gaddafi was the
de-facto ruler of Libya since he led a military coup that overthrew
King Idris I in 1969.
[49] He abolished the
Libyan Constitution of 1951, and adopted laws based on his own ideology.
Under Gaddafi, Libya was theoretically a decentralized, democratic state run according to the philosophy of Gaddafi's
Green Book, with Gaddafi retaining a ceremonial position. Libya was officially run by a system of people's committees which served as local governments for the country's subdivisions, an indirectly-elected
General People's Congress as the legislature, and the
General People's Committee, led by a Secretary-General, as the executive branch. In practice, however, these structures were manipulated to ensure the dominance of Gaddafi, who continued to dominate all aspects of government, and the country's political system was widely seen as a
rubber-stamp.
[50]
WikiLeaks'
disclosure of confidential US diplomatic cables revealed US diplomats there speaking of Gaddafi's "mastery of tactical maneuvering".
[51] While placing relatives and loyal members of
his tribe in central military and government positions, he skillfully marginalized supporters and rivals, thus maintaining a delicate balance of powers, stability and economic developments. This extended even to his own sons, as he repeatedly changed affections to avoid the rise of a clear successor and rival.
[51]
Gaddafi, fearing a military coup against his government, deliberately kept Libya's military relatively weak. The
Libyan Army consisted of about 50,000 personnel. Its most powerful units were four crack brigades of highly equipped and trained soldiers, composed of members of Gaddafi's tribe or members of other tribes loyal to him. One, the
Khamis Brigade, was led by his son
Khamis. Local militias and Revolutionary Committees across the country were also kept well-armed. By contrast, regular military units were poorly armed and trained, and were armed with largely outdated military equipment.
[52][53][54]
Development and corruption
Most of the business enterprise was controlled by Gaddafi and his family.
[55] A leaked diplomatic cable described Libyan economy as "a
kleptocracy in which the government – either the al-Gaddafi family itself or its close political allies – has a direct stake in anything worth buying, selling or owning".
[56] Gaddafi amassed a vast personal fortune during his 42-year rule.
[57]
Much of the state's income came from
its oil production, which soared in the 1970s, and was spent on arms purchases and on sponsoring violence around the world.
[58][59] Gaddafi's relatives adopted lavish lifestyles, including luxurious homes, Hollywood film investments, and private parties with American pop stars.
[56][60]
Petroleum revenues contributed up to 58% of Libya's GDP.
[61] Governments with
resource curse revenue have a lower need for taxes from other industries and consequently feel less pressure to develop their middle class. To calm down opposition, they can use the income from natural resources to offer services to the population, or to specific government supporters.
[62] Libya's oil wealth being spread over a relatively small population gave it a higher GDP per capita than in neighbouring states, similar to in
Equatorial Guinea.
[63][64][65] Libya's GDP per capita (
PPP),
human development index, and literacy rate were better than in Egypt and Tunisia, whose
revolutions preceded the outbreak of protests in Libya.
[66] Libya's
corruption perception index in 2010 was 2.2, ranking 146th out of 178 countries, which was worse than that of Egypt (rank 98th) and Tunisia (rank 59th), two neighbouring states that had uprisings preceding Libya's.
[67] One paper speculated that such a situation creates a wider contrast between good education, high demand for democracy, and the government's practices (perceived corruption, political system, supply of democracy).
[66]
An estimated 20.74% of Libyan citizens were unemployed, and about one-third lived below the national poverty line. More than 16% of families had none of its members earning a stable income, while 43.3% had just one. Despite one of the highest unemployment rates in the region, there was a consistent labor shortage with over a million migrant workers present on the market.
[68] These migrant workers formed the bulk of the refugees leaving Libya after the beginning of hostilities.
Some of the worst economic conditions were in the eastern parts of the state, once a breadbasket of the ancient world. Gaddafi only extracted oil there.
[69][70] Not much housing or infrastructure were developed for 40 years. For example, the only sewage facility in Benghazi was over 40 years old, and untreated sewage has resulted in environmental problems.
[71] Under Gaddafi rule, the poor medical system had become an infuriating symbol of the spotty distribution of resources in the country. The lack of decent medical care often forced Libyans to seek medical care in neighboring countries such as Tunisia and Egypt.
[72]
The civil war was viewed as part of the
Arab Spring, which had already resulted in the ousting of long-term presidents of adjacent Tunisia and Egypt, with the initial protests all using similar slogans.
[73] Social media played an important role in organizing the opposition.
[74]
Human rights and violations in Libya
According to the 2009
Freedom of the Press Index, Libya is the most-censored state in the Middle East and North Africa.
[75]
Gaddafi created Revolutionary committees to keep tight control over internal dissent in 1973. Ten to 20 percent of Libyans worked as informants for these committees. Surveillance took place in the government, in factories, and in the education sector.
[76] The government often executed dissidents through public hangings and mutilations and rebroadcast them on state television channels.
[76][77] In 2011, Libya's press was rated as the most censored in the Middle East and North Africa.
[78] Up to the mid 1980s, Libya's intelligence service conducted assassinations of Libyan dissidents around the world.
[76][79] As late as 2004, Gaddafi still provided bounties on his critics, including $1 million for one Libyan journalist in the United Kingdom.
[80] Until recently, foreign languages such as English and French were banned from school syllabus and talking with foreigners about politics carried a three-year prison term.
[81] Dissent was illegal under Law 75 of 1973, and Gaddafi regularly asserted that anyone guilty of founding a political party would be executed.
[76]
Anti-Gaddafi movement, beginnings of National Transitional Council
Beginnings of open protest
Between 13 and 16 January, upset at delays in the building of housing units and over political corruption, protesters in
Bayda,
Derna, Benghazi,
Bani Walid and other cities broke into and occupied housing that the government was building, and protesters also clashed with police in
Bayda and attacked government offices.
[82][83] By 27 January, the government had responded to the housing unrest with a €20 billion investment fund to provide housing and development.
[84][85][86]
In late January, Jamal al-Hajji, a writer, political commentator and accountant, "call[ed] on the Internet for demonstrations to be held in support of greater freedoms in Libya" inspired by the
Tunisian and
Egyptian revolutions. He was arrested on 1 February by plain-clothes police officers, and charged on 3 February with injuring someone with his car. Amnesty International claimed that because al-Hajji had previously been imprisoned for his non-violent political opinions, the real reason for the present arrest appeared to be his call for demonstrations.
[89] In early February, Gaddafi, on behalf of the Jamahiriya, met with political activists, journalists, and media figures and warned them that they would be held responsible if they disturbed the peace or created chaos in Libya.
[90]
Uprising and civil war
A girl in Benghazi with a placard saying that the Libyan tribes are united, on 23 February 2011
The protests, unrest and confrontations began in earnest on 15 February 2011. On the evening of 15 February, between 500 and 600 demonstrators protested in front of Benghazi's police headquarters after the arrest of human rights lawyer
Fathi Terbil. The protest was broken up violently by police, resulting in clashes in which 38 people were injured, among them ten security personnel.
[91][92] The novelist Idris Al-Mesmari was arrested hours after giving an interview with
Al Jazeera about the police reaction to protests.
[91] In
Bayda and
Zintan, hundreds of protesters in each town called for an end of the Gaddafi regime and set fire to police and security buildings.
[91] In
Zintan, the protesters set up tents in the town centre.
[91] The armed protests continued the following day in Benghazi,
Derna and
Bayda. Libyan security forces allegedly responded with lethal force. Hundreds gathered at
Maydan al-Shajara in Benghazi, and authorities tried to disperse protesters with water cannons.
[93]
The Libyan National Transitional Council flag is flown from a communications tower in Bayda in July.
A "Day of Rage" in Libya and by Libyans in exile was planned for 17 February.
[90][94][95] The
National Conference for the Libyan Opposition asked that all groups opposed to the Gaddafi regime protest on 17 February, in memory of demonstrations in Benghazi five years earlier.
[90] The plans to protest were inspired by the
Tunisian and
Egyptian revolution.
[90] Protests took place in Benghazi,
Ajdabiya,
Derna,
Zintan, and
Bayda. Libyan security forces fired live ammunition into the armed protests. Protesters torched a number of government buildings, including a police station.
[96][97] In Tripoli, protesters managed to burn security buildings and the
People's Hall. According to Amnesty International, "much Western media coverage has from the outset presented a very one-sided view of the logic of events, portraying the protest movement as entirely peaceful and repeatedly suggesting that the regime's security forces were unaccountably massacring unarmed demonstrators who presented no security challenge".
[93]
On 18 February, police and army personnel later withdrew from Benghazi after being overwhelmed by protesters. Some army personnel also joined the protesters; they then seized the local radio station. In Bayda, unconfirmed reports indicated that the local police force and riot-control units joined the protesters.
[98] On 19 February, witnesses in Libya reported
helicopters firing into crowds of anti-government protesters.
[99] The army withdrew from the city of Bayda.
Cultural revolt
‘Al-Soo'al’ (The Question)
[100] “Muammar: You have never served the people
Muammar: You'd better give up
Confess. You cannot escape
Our revenge will catch you
As a train roars through a wall
We will drown you.”
Rap,
hip hop and traditional music, beside other genres, have played a role in encouraging the dissidents to Gaddafi's regime. Music has been controlled and dissenting cultural figures have been arrested or tortured in
Arab Spring countries, including Libya.
[100] The music has provided an important platform by means of communication amongst the demonstrators. The music has helped create moral support and encouraged a spirit of resistance and revolt against the regimes.
[100]
An anonymous hip hop artist called
Ibn Thabit has given a voice to "disenfranchised Libyans looking for a nonviolent way to express their political will".
[101][102] On his website, Ibn Thabit claims that “has been attacking Gaddafi with his music since 2008” when he posted his first song on the internet, titled "Moammar – the coward".
[101][103] Lyrics of a song ‘Al-Soo'al’ released by Ibn Thabit on YouTube on 27 January 2011, weeks before the riots began in Libya are indicative of the rebel sentiment.
[100]
Some groups, such as a rock band from Benghazi called the "Guys Underground", used
metaphors to cloak the censure of the authorities. The group released a song just before the uprising entitled “Like My Father Always Says” to ridicule an autocratic fictional male head of a family which was a veiled reference to Colonel Gaddafi.
[100]
Organization
Many opposition participants have called for a return to the 1952 constitution and a transition to multi-party democracy. Military units who have joined the rebellion and many volunteers have formed an army to defend against Jamahiriya attacks and to work to bring Tripoli under the influence of Jalil.
[104] In Tobruk, volunteers turned a former headquarters of the regime into a centre for helping protesters. Volunteers reportedly guard the port, local banks and oil terminals to keep the oil flowing. Teachers and engineers have set up a committee to collect weapons.
[70] Likewise supply lines were run by volunteers. For example, in Misrata people organized a
pizza service which delivered up to 8,000 pizzas a day to fighters.
[105]
The
National Transitional Council (
Arabic:
المجلس الوطني الانتقالي) was established on 27 February in an effort to consolidate efforts for change in the rule of Libya.
[106] The main objectives of the group did not include forming an interim government, but instead to coordinate resistance efforts between the different towns held in rebel control, and to give a political "face" to the opposition to present to the world.
[107] The Benghazi-based opposition government has called for a no-fly zone and airstrikes against the Jamahiriya.
[108] The council refers to the Libyan state as the
Libyan Republic and it now has a website.
[109] Former Jamahiriya Justice Minister Mustafa Abdel Jalil said in February that the new government will prepare for elections and they could be held in three months.
[110] On 29 March, the political and international affairs committee of the Council presented its eight-point plan for Libya in
The Guardian newspaper, stating they would hold free and fair elections and draft a national constitution.
[40][41]
An independent newspaper called
Libya appeared in Benghazi, as well as rebel-controlled radio stations.
[111] Some of the rebels oppose tribalism and wear vests bearing slogans such as "No to tribalism, no to factionalism".
[70] Libyans have said that they have found abandoned
torture chambers and devices that have been used in the past.
[112]
Composition of rebel forces
The rebels are composed primarily of civilians, such as teachers, students, lawyers, and oil workers, and a contingent of professional soldiers that defected from the Libyan Army and joined the rebels.
[113] The Islamist group
Libyan Islamic Fighting Group is considered part of the rebel movement,
[114] as is the
Obaida Ibn Jarrah Brigade which has been held responsible for the assassination of top rebel commander
Gen Abdel Fattah Younes.
[115] Gaddafi's administration had repeatedly asserted that the rebels included al-Qaeda fighters.
[116] NATO's Supreme Allied Commander
James G. Stavridis stated that intelligence reports suggested "flickers" of al-Qaeda activity were present among the rebels, but also added that there is not sufficient information to confirm there is any significant al-Qaeda or terrorist presence.
[117][118] Denials of al-Qaeda membership were issued by the rebels.
[119]
Gaddafi's response
Gaddafi dismissed his opponents as being influenced by
hallucinogenic drugs put in drinks and pills. He specifically referred to substances in milk, coffee and
Nescafé. Gaddafi claimed
Bin Laden and
Al-Qaeda were distributing these hallucinogenic drugs. He also blamed
alcohol.
[120][121][122] Gaddafi later also claimed that the revolt against his rule was the result of a colonialist plot by foreign states, particularly blaming France, the US and the UK, to control oil and enslave the Libyan people. He referred to the protesters as "cockroaches" and "rats", and vowed not to step down and to cleanse Libya house by house until the insurrection was crushed.
[123][124][125][126][127]
Gaddafi declared that people who don't "love" him "do not deserve to live".
[124][126] He called himself a "warrior", and vowed to fight on and die a "martyr", and urged his supporters to leave their homes and attack protesters "in their lairs". Gaddafi claimed that he had not yet ordered the use of force, and threatened that "everything will burn" when he did. Responding to demands that he step down, he claimed that he could not step down, as he held a purely symbolic position like
Queen Elizabeth, and that the people were in power.
[128]
The
Swedish peace research institute
SIPRI reported flights between Tripoli and a dedicated military base in
Belarus which only handles stockpiled weaponry and military equipment.
[129]
Massacres
The Libyan government employed snipers, artillery, helicopter gunships, warplanes, anti-aircraft weaponry, and warships against demonstrations and funeral processions.
[130] Security forces and foreign mercenaries repeatedly used firearms, including assault rifles and machine guns, as well as knives against protesters.
Rebel fighter in hospital in Tripoli
Amnesty International reported that writers, intellectuals and other prominent opposition sympathizers disappeared during the early days of the conflict in Gaddafi-controlled cities, and that they may have been subjected to torture or execution.
[131]
Amnesty International also reported that security forces targeted paramedics helping injured protesters.
[132] In multiple incidents, Gaddafi's forces were documented using ambulances in their attacks.
[133][134] Injured demonstrators were sometimes denied access to hospitals and ambulance transport. The government also banned giving blood transfusions to people who had taken part in the demonstrations.
[135] Security forces, including members of Gaddafi's Revolutionary Committees, stormed hospitals and removed the dead. Injured protesters were either summarily executed or had their oxygen masks, IV drips, and wires connected to the monitors removed. The dead and injured were piled into vehicles and taken away, possibly for cremation.
[136][137] Doctors were prevented from documenting the numbers of dead and wounded, but an orderly in a Tripoli hospital morgue estimated to the BBC that 600–700 protesters were killed in Green Square in Tripoli on 20 February. The orderly claimed that ambulances brought in three or four corpses at a time, and that after the ice lockers were filled to capacity, bodies were placed on stretchers or the floor, and that "it was in the same at the other hospitals".
[136]
International Criminal Court chief prosecutor
Luis Moreno-Ocampo estimated that 500–700 people were killed by security forces in February 2011, before the rebels took up arms. According to Moreno-Ocampo, "shooting at protesters was systematic".
[138]
Gaddafi suppressed protests in Tripoli by distributing automobiles, money and weapons for hired followers to drive around Tripoli and attack people showing signs of dissent.
[139][140] In Tripoli, "death squads" of mercenaries and Revolutionary Committees members patrolled the streets, and shot people who tried to take the dead off the streets or gather in groups.
[141]
The
International Federation for Human Rights concluded that Gaddafi is implementing a
strategy of scorched earth. The organization stated that "It is reasonable to fear that he has, in fact, decided to largely eliminate, wherever he still can, Libyan citizens who stood up against his regime and furthermore, to systematically and indiscriminately repress civilians. These acts can be characterized as
crimes against humanity, as defined in Article 7 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court."
[142]
Gaddafi continued these tactics when the protests escalated into an armed conflict. During the siege of Misrata, Amnesty International reported "horrifying" tactics such as "indiscriminate attacks that have led to massive civilian casualties, including use of heavy artillery, rockets and cluster bombs in civilian areas and sniper fire against residents."
[143]
Executions of own soldiers
Gaddafi's military commanders summarily executed soldiers who refused to fire on protesters.
[144] The
International Federation for Human Rights reported a case where 130 soldiers were executed.
[145] Some of the soldiers executed by their commanders were burned alive.
[146]
Prison sites and torture
Gaddafi imprisoned thousands or tens of thousands residents in Tripoli. Red Cross was denied access to these hidden prisons. One of the most notorious is a prison which was setup in a tobacco factory in Tripoli where inmates are reported to have been fed just half a loaf of bread and a bottle of water a day.
[147]
In late April,
United States Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice alleged that soldiers loyal to Gaddafi were given Viagra and encouraged to commit rapes in rebel-held or disputed areas. The allegations surfaced in an
Al Jazeera report the previous month from Libya-based doctors, who claimed to have found Viagra in the pockets of government soldiers.
[148] Human rights groups and aid workers had previously documented rapes by loyalist fighters during the war. The British aid agency "Save the children" said it got reports that children were raped by unknown perpetrators, although the charity warns that these reports could not be confirmed.
[149][150]
In Misrata, a rebel spokesman claimed that government soldiers had committed a string of sexual assaults in Benghazi Street before being pushed out by rebels. A doctor claimed that two young sisters were raped by five Black African mercenaries after their brothers joined the rebels. According to aid workers, four young girls were abducted and held for four days, and were possibly sexually assaulted.
[151] In a questionnaire 259 refugee women reported that they had been raped by Gaddafi's soldiers, however the accounts of these women could not be independently verified as the psychologist who conducted the questionnaire claimed that "she had lost contact with them".
[152] The validity of the rape allegations is questioned by
Amnesty International, which has not found evidence to back up the claims and notes that there are indications that on several occasions the rebels in Benghazi appeared to have knowingly made false claims or manufactured evidence.
[152]
Mercenaries
Soon after Gaddafi's government started to use force against demonstrators, it became apparent that some Libyan military units refused to shoot protesters, and Gaddafi had hired foreign mercenaries to do the job. Gaddafi's ambassador to India Ali al-Essawi confirmed that the defections of military units had indeed led to such a decision.
[153] Video footage of this started to leak out of the country.
[153] Gaddafi's former Chief of Protocol Nouri Al Misrahi stated in an interview with the Al Jazeera that
Nigerien, Malian, Chadian and Kenyan mercenaries are among foreign soldiers helping fight the uprising on behalf of Gaddafi.
[154] Defecting Libyan Deputy Ambassador Ibrahim Dabbashi called on African nations to stop sending mercenaries to defend the Gaddafi regime.
[153]
In Mali, members of the Tuareg tribe confirmed that a large number of men, about 5,000, from the tribe went to Libya in late February.
[155][156][157][158] Locals in Mali said they were promised €7,500 ($10,000) upfront payment and compensation up to €750 ($1,000) per day.
[15][16] Gaddafi has used Malian Tuaregs in his political projects before, sending them to fight in places like Chad, Sudan and Lebanon and recently they have fought against Niger government, a war which Gaddafi has reportedly sponsored. Malian government officials told BBC that it's hard to stop the flow of fighters from Mali to Libya.
[15] A recruitment center for Malian soldiers leaving to Libya was found in a
Bamako hotel.
[18]
Reports from Ghana state that the men who went to Libya were offered as much as €1950 ($2,500) per day.
[153] Advertisements seeking mercenaries were seen in Nigeria
[153] with at least one female Nigerian pro-Gaddafi sniper being caught in late August outside of Tripoli.
[159] One group of mercenaries from Niger, who had been allegedly recruited from the streets with promises of money, included a soldier of just 13 years of age.
[160] The Daily Telegraph studied the case of a sixteen-year-old captured Chadian child soldier in Bayda. The boy, who had previously been a
shepherd in Chad, told that a Libyan man had offered him a job and a free flight to Tripoli, but in the end he had been airlifted to shoot opposition members in Eastern Libya.
[161]
Reports by EU experts stated that Gaddafi's government hired between 300 and 500 European soldiers, including some from EU countries, at high wages. According to Michel Koutouzis, who does research on security issues for the EU institutions, the UN and the French government, "In Libyan society, there is a taboo against killing people from your own tribal group. This is one reason why Gaddafi needs foreign fighters,"
[162] The Serbian newspaper
Alo! stated that Serbs were hired to help Gaddafi in the early days of the conflict.
[163] Rumors of Serbian pilots participating on the side of Gaddafi appeared early in the conflict.
[164][165][166] A Belarusian told the Russian newspaper
Komsomolskaya Pravda that he and several hundred others from Belarus had been recruited to advise Gaddafi's forces before the civil war and most of them left since then, but some preferred to stay. According to the newspaper report, published in early April, the Belarusian advisers were paid about €2,450 ($3,000) per month, did not participate in combat, but crafted strategies to help Gaddafi's brigades.
[167] Time magazine interviewed mercenaries from ex-Yugoslavia who fled Gaddafi's forces in August.
[168]
On 7 April, Reuters reported that soldiers loyal to Gaddafi were sent into refugee camps to intimidate and bribe black African migrant workers into fighting for the Libyan state during the war. Some of these "mercenaries" were compelled to fight against their wishes, according to a source inside one of the refugee camps.
[169]
According to numerous eyewitness accounts, mercenaries were more willing to kill demonstrators than Libyan forces were, and earned a reputation as among the most brutal forces employed by the government. A doctor in Benghazi said of the mercenaries that "they know one thing: to kill whose in front of them. Nothing else. They're killing people in cold blood".
[170]
Censorship of events
A subsidiary of Bull, developed a software called Eagle that enabled to monitor internet traffic and which was implemented in Libya in 2008 and with better performance in 2010.
[171] Gaddafi shut down all Internet communications in Libya, and arrested Libyans who had given phone interviews to the media.
[172][173] International journalists were banned by the Libyan authorities from reporting from Libya except by invitation of the Gaddafi government.
[174][175][176] On 21 February,
The New York Times reported that Gaddafi had tried to impose a blackout on information from Libya.
[177] Several residents reported that cellphone service was down, and even landline phone service was sporadic.
[177] However, every day new footage made with cell phone cameras finds its way to YouTube and the international media. Journalists and human rights researchers make daily phone calls to hundreds of civilians in government held territory.
International journalists who have attempted to cover the events have been attacked by Gaddafi's forces. A
BBC News crew was beaten and then lined up against a wall by Gaddafi's soldiers, who then shot next to a journalist's ear and laughed at them.
[178] A journalist working for
The Guardian and another Brazilian journalist have been detained. An Al-Jazeera journalist
Ali Hassan al-Jaber was murdered, and was apparently deliberately targeted.
[179] Gaddafi's soldiers held four New York Times journalists –
Lynsey Addario,
Anthony Shadid,
Stephen Farrell and
Tyler Hicks – in captivity for a week.
[180][181] Libyan citizen journalist
Mohammed Nabbous was shot in the head by Gaddafi's soldiers soon after exposing the Gaddafi regime's false reports related to the cease-fire declaration.
[182]
Colors of the revolution were banned. Some Tripoli residents painted their cats with the colors of the revolution, but Gaddafi's men shot them.
[183]
International propaganda
After the uprising began, Libyan students studying in the United States received phone calls from the Libyan embassy, instructing them to participate in pro-Gaddafi rallies. They were threatened with losing their government-funded scholarships if they refused. Gaddafi's ambassador denied the reports.
[184] A campaign in Serbia has organized people to spread pro-Gaddafi messages on the Internet.
[185]
Gaddafi's men organized tours for foreign journalists in Tripoli.
The Economist correspondent in Tripoli noted "The picture presented by the regime often falls apart, fast. Coffins at funerals have sometimes turned out to be empty. Bombing sites are recycled. An injured seven-year-old in a hospital was the victim of a car crash, according to a note passed on surreptitiously by a nurse. Journalists who point out such blatant massaging of facts are harangued in the hotel corridors."
[186]
The Guardian described journalism in Gaddafi's Libya as "
North Korea with palm trees". Journalist were not allowed to go anywhere, or talk to anyone, without authorization from Gaddafi's officials who always followed them. Journalists who didn't report events the way Gaddafi's officials instructed faced problems and sudden deportations.
[187]
Use of human shields
Gaddafi forces have surrounded themselves with civilians to protect themselves and key military sites like the
Bab al-Azizia compound in Tripoli from air strikes.
[188]
Amnesty International has reported that Gaddafi places his tanks next to civilian facilities to use them as shields, which is a war crime under international law.
[143]
Course of the war
The course of the war.
Held by anti-Gaddafis by 1 March. (Chequered: Lost before UN intervention)
Contested areas between March and August.
Rebel western coastal offensive in August.
Rebel gains by 1 October.
Last loyalist pockets.
Major campaigns.
battles.
First weeks
By 23 February, Gaddafi suffered from resignations and defections of close allies,
[189] the loss of Benghazi,
[190] and other cities including
Tobruk,
Misrata,
Bayda,
Zawiya,
Zuwara,
Sabratha and
Sorman falling
[191][189] mounting international isolation and pressure.
[189][192][193] By the end of February, Gaddafi's government had lost control of a significant part of Libya, including the major cities of Misrata and Benghazi, and the important harbors at
Ra's Lanuf and
Brega.
[194][195]
In March, Gaddafi pushed rebels back and his forces eventually reached Benghazi
[196][197] and Misrata.
Foreign military intervention
Part of a group of six Palmaria heavy howitzers of the Gaddafi forces, destroyed by French military airplanes at the west-southern outskirts of Benghazi in Opération Harmattan on 19 March 2011.
On 19 March 2011 a multi-state coalition began a military intervention in Libya to implement
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973, which was taken in response to events during the 2011 Libyan civil war. That same day, military operations began, with US and British forces firing cruise missiles,
[198] the
French Air Force and British
Royal Air Force[199] undertaking
sorties across Libya and a naval
blockade by the
Royal Navy.
[200][201][202]
Since the beginning of the intervention, the initial coalition of Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, Norway, Qatar, Spain, UK and US
[203][204][205][206][207] has expanded to seventeen states, with newer states mostly enforcing the no-fly zone and naval blockade or providing military logistical assistance. The effort was initially largely led by France and the United Kingdom, with command shared with the United States.
NATO took control of the arms embargo on 23 March, named
Operation Unified Protector. An attempt to unify the military command of the air campaign (whilst keeping political and strategic control with a small group), first failed over objections by the French, German, and Turkish governments.
[208][209] On 24 March, NATO agreed to take control of the no-fly zone, while command of targeting ground units remains with coalition forces.
[210] The handover occurred on 31 March 2011 at 0600 GMT.
| Funds spent by Foreign Powers on War in Libya. |
| Country | Funds Spent | By |
| United States | $664 million USD | May 2011[211][212] |
| Canada | $26 million USD | June 2011[213] |
| United Kingdom | $400 million USD | June 2011[214] |
| France | $228.9 million USD | July 2011 |
| United States | $896 million USD | July 31, 2011[215] |
| France | $450 million USD | Sept, 2011[216] |
| United Kingdom | $1500 million USD | Sept, 2011[217] |
| United States | $1100 million USD | Sept, 2011[218] |
| Sweden | $50 million USD | Oct, 2011[219] |
20 August 2011 rebel offensive
Heads of the rebellion reported on 21 August 2011 that Gaddafi's son Saif was under arrest and that they had encircled the leader's compound, suggesting that the war had reached its endgame with an imminent rebel victory. By 22 August, rebel fighters had gained entrance into Tripoli and occupied Green Square, which was promptly renamed '
Martyrs' Square' in memory of those who had died fighting in the civil war.
[220] Early on 23 August, Gaddafi's son Saif appeared at the Gaddafi-controlled
Rixos Hotel in central Tripoli and boasted his father was still in control.
[221] Later the same day, rebels blasted open the
Bab al-Azizia compound in Tripoli through its north gates and stormed inside. Despite previous reports suggesting that Muammar Gaddafi may be inside, no members of Gaddafi's family or army forces were found.
[222]
A rebel checkpoint in Tripoli on 26 August 2011.
Early the following day, 24 August, Gaddafi broadcast an address from a Tripoli local radio station in which he said the withdrawal from Bab al-Azizia had been a "tactical" move.
The New York Times reported rebel leaders as saying they believed the only areas still under Gaddafi's control, other than the immediate neighborhood of Bab al-Azizia, were al-Hadhba and Abu Salim, the latter including the Rixos Hotel where a group of foreign journalists had been trapped for days. However, the report noted the rebels lacked a unified command and that Gaddafi loyalists and snipers remained at large in many areas of Tripoli. Local hospitals and clinics, even in areas considered under rebel control, were reporting hundreds of cases of gunshot wounds and the death toll was impossible to estimate.
[223] By late afternoon the journalists trapped at the Rixos Hotel had been released while heavy fighting continued in the Abu Salim region close to Bab al-Azizia and elsewhere.
[224] The rebels were reported as estimating 400 people had been killed and a further 2,000 injured in the battle thus far.
[47]
After Tripoli and NTC victory
Efforts to mop up pro-Gaddafi forces in northwestern Libya and toward
Sirte began even before the rebels fully consolidated control of Tripoli. Rebels took the city of
Ghadames near the borders of Tunisia and Algeria on 29 August. Members of the Gaddafi family have taken flight to Algeria.
[225] In September, the Gaddafi stronghold of Bani Walid was besieged by rebels, who reported that Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam was hiding in the city.
[226] On 22 September, the NTC captured the southern city of
Sabha, and claimed to have found a large cache of
chemical weapons.
[227] Concerns were raised over the danger of Gaddafi mounting an insurgency against the new authorities.
[228]
By mid-October 2011, much of the city of
Sirte had been taken by NTC forces, although
fierce fighting continued around the city center, where many pro-Gaddafi fighters were encamped.
[229] The NTC captured the whole of Sirte on 20 October 2011, and reported that Gaddafi himself had been killed in the city.
[230][231]
Humanitarian situation
By the end of February 2011, supplies of medicine, fuel and food were dangerously low in Libya's urban centres.
[232] On 25 February, the
International Committee of the Red Cross launched an emergency appeal for
US$6.4 million to meet the emergency needs of people affected by the violent unrest in Libya.
[233] In early March, the fighting across Libya meant that more than a million people fleeing or inside the country needed humanitarian aid.
[234][235] The
Islamic Relief and the WFP also coordinated a shipment of humanitarian supplies to Misrata.
[236] In March, the
Swedish government donated medical supplies and other humanitarian aid and the UN
World Food Programme provided food. Turkey sent a hospital ship to Misrata and a Turkish cargo ship brought 141 tons of humanitarian aid.
[236][237]
Another humanitarian issue was refugees fleeing the crisis. A humanitarian ship docked in harbour of Misrata in April to begin the evacuation of stranded migrants.
[238] By 10 July, over 150,000 migrants were evacutated.
[239] Migrants were also stranded elsewhere in Libya, such as in the southern towns of Sebha and Gatroum. Fleeing the violence of Tripoli by road, as many as 4,000 refugees were crossing the Libya–Tunisia border daily during the first days of the uprising. Among those escaping the violence were native Libyans as well as foreign nationals including Egyptians, Tunisians and Turks.
[240]
Potential military–humanitarian coordination
While the UN sanctioned military intervention has been implemented on humanitarian grounds, UN agencies seeking to ease the humanitarian crisis repeatedly rejected offers of support from the military to carry out the agencies' humanitarian operations.
[241] The conditions under which such support may be accepted are outlined in the Guidelines on the Use of Military and Civil Defence Assets to Support United Nations Humanitarian Activities in Complex Emergencies (MCDA), whereby military support can be used but only temporarily and as a last resort.
[241] Yet, there remains the concern that aid agencies' neutrality will be brought into question by accepting military support, putting aid staff at risk of being
attacked and causing some parties to prevent the agencies accessing all the areas they need to.
[241] Furthermore, the military may not always have the technical skills required to assess the need for aid and to ensure its effective distribution.
[241] Despite this, offers continue for the creation of an aid corridor and aid agencies have accepted military logistical support in the past, for instance in the
2010 Pakistan floods response.
[241]
Targeting of black Libyans and sub-Saharan Africans
In August 2011, the
UNHCR issued a strong call for the rights and lives of
sub-Saharan Africans living in Libya to be protected due to reports that black Africans were being targeted by the rebel forces as cities fell.
[242] Other news sources including
The Independent and
CNN have reported on the targeting of
black people in rebel held areas.
[243]
An
Amnesty International statement, released on 30 August 2011, stated that on visits to detention centres in
Zawiya and
Tripoli, Amnesty International was informed that between one third and half of those detained were from Sub-Saharan Africa. A New York Times online article also comments that "it seems that plenty of the black Africans captured as mercenaries were never actually involved in the fight".
[244] "Hundreds of thousands of sub-Saharan Africans worked in Gaddafi's Libya, doing everything from managing hotels to sweeping floors. But some also fought as pro-Gaddafi mercenaries, and many migrant workers [-] fled ahead of the rebels, fearing they would be mistaken for mercenaries."
[245]
The
Miami Herald reported that some African women have claimed rebels are raping them in
refugee camps, with additional reports of forced labour. Foreign aid workers are also claiming to be prohibited from officially talking about the allegations.
[246]
The town of
Taworgha, which supported Gaddafi prior to its
capture by anti-Gaddafi fighters in August, has been emptied of its mostly black inhabitants in what appeared to be a "major reprisal against supporters of the Gaddafi regime", according to an 11 September report from
The Sunday Telegraph, and commanders of the
Misrata Brigade are refusing to allow the displaced townspeople to return. One commander was quoted as saying, "Taworgha no longer exists."
[247]
Libyan refugees
Fleeing the violence of Tripoli by road, as many as 4,000 refugees were crossing the Libya–Tunisia border daily during the first days of the uprising. Among those, escaping the violence, were native Libyans as well as foreign nationals including Egyptians, Tunisians and Turks.
[248] In February, Italian Foreign Minister Frattini expressed his concerns that the amount of Libyan refugees trying to reach Italy might reach between 200,000 and 300,000 people.
[249] By 1 March, officials from the
UN High Commissioner for Refugees had confirmed allegations of discrimination against sub-Saharan Africans who were held in dangerous conditions in the no-man's-land between Tunisia and Libya.
[250] By 3 March, an estimated 200,000 refugees had fled Libya to either Tunisia or Egypt. A provisional refugee camp set up at
Ras Ejder with a capacity for 10,000 was overflowing with an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 refugees. Many tens of thousands were still trapped on the Libyan side of the frontier. By 3 March, the situation was described as a logistical nightmare, with the
World Health Organization warning of the risk of epidemics.
[251]
To continue responding to the needs of people staying at the
Ras Ejder crossing point in Tunisia, the WFP and
Secours Islamique-France were upgrading a kitchen that would provide breakfast for families. Separately, the ICRC advised it was handing over its operations at the Choucha Camp to the
Tunisian Red Crescent.
[252] Since 24 March, the WFP supplied over 42,500 cooked meals for TCNs at the Saloum border. A total of 1,650 cartons of fortified date bars (equivalent of 13.2 metric tons) had also been provided to supplement these meals.
[236]
The Sunday Telegraph reported on 11 September that almost the entire population of
Taworgha, a town of about 10,000 people, had been forced to flee their homes by anti-Gaddafi fighters after their
takeover of the settlement. The report suggested that Taworgha, which was dominated by
black Libyans, may have been the subject of
ethnic cleansing provoked by a combination of
racism and bitterness on the part of
Misratan fighters over the town's support for Gaddafi during the
siege of Misrata.
[247]
Casualties
People in
Dublin, Ireland, protesting against
Muammar Gaddafi's use of violence against Libyans (19 March 2011).
Independent numbers of dead and injured in the conflict have still not been made available. Estimates have been widely varied.
On 24 February 2011, the
Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting reported that the
International Criminal Court estimated 10,000 had been killed.
[253] The numbers of injured were estimated to be around 4,000 by 22 February.
[254]
On 2 March, the
World Health Organization estimated approximately 2,000 killed.
[255] At the same time, the opposition claimed that 6,500 people had died.
[256] Later, rebel spokesman
Abdul Hafiz Ghoga reported that the death toll reached 8,000.
[257]
On 8 September, Naji Barakat, the Health Minister of the
National Transitional Council, stated that about half of an estimated 30,000 dead were believed to have been pro-Gaddafi fighters. War wounded were estimated as at least 50,000, of which about 20,000 were serious injuries, but this estimate was expected to rise.
[35] However, there was no independent verification of the Health Minister's claim and, one month later, the NTC reduced the estimated number of killed to 25,000.
[34]
Domestic responses
Resignation of government officials
In response to the use of force against protesters, a number of senior Libyan public officials either renounced the Gaddafi regime or
resigned from their positions. Justice Minister
Mustafa Mohamed Abud Al Jeleil and Interior Minister Major General
Abdul Fatah Younis both defected to the opposition. Oil Minister
Shukri Ghanem and Foreign Minister
Moussa Koussa fled Libya, with the latter defecting to the UK.
[258][259] Libyan Prosecutor General
Abdul-Rahman al-Abbar resigned his position and joined the opposition.
[260]
The staff of a number of diplomatic missions of Libya have either resigned or condemned the action of the Gaddafi regime. The ambassadors to the
Arab League, European Union and United Nations have either resigned or stated that they no longer support the government.
[261][262][263] The ambassadors to Australia,
[264] Bangladesh, Belgium,
[262] France,
[265] India,
[261] Indonesia,
[259] Malaysia, Nigeria, Portugal,
[266] Sweden,
[267] and the US
[268] also renounced the Gaddafi regime or formally resigned.
Military defections
A number of senior military officials defected to the opposition, including General
Abdul Fatah Younis, General
al-Barani Ashkal,
[269] Major General
Suleiman Mahmoud, Brigadier General
Musa'ed Ghaidan Al Mansouri, Brigadier General
Hassan Ibrahim Al Qarawi and Brigadier General
Dawood Issa Al Qafsi. Two
Libyan Air Force colonels each flew their
Mirage F1 fighter jets to Malta and requested asylum, after being ordered to carry out airstrikes against anti-government protesters in Benghazi.
[270][271] Colonel Nuretin Hurala, the commander of the Benghazi Naval Base also defected along with senior naval officials.
[272]
Economic, religious and tribal
The Libyan economy is mainly based on
its oil production. The
Arabian Gulf Oil Company, the second-largest state-owned oil company in Libya, announced plans to use oil funds to support anti-Gaddafi forces.
[273] Islamic leaders and clerics in Libya, notably the
Network of Free Ulema – Libya urged all Muslims to rebel against Gaddafi.
[274][275] The
Warfalla,
Tuareg and
Magarha tribes announced their support of the protesters.
[276][277] The
Zuwayya tribe, based in eastern Libya, threatened to cut off oil exports from fields in its part of Libya if Libyan security forces continued attacking demonstrators.
[277]
Libyan royal family
Muhammad as-Senussi, son of the former Crown Prince and grand-nephew of the late King
Idris,
[279] sent his condolences "for the heroes who have laid down their lives, killed by the brutal forces of Gaddafi" and called on the international community "to halt all support for the dictator with immediate effect."
[280] as-Senussi said that the protesters would be "victorious in the end" and calls for international support to end the violence. On 24 February, as-Senussi gave an interview to Al Jazeera where he called upon the international community to help remove Gaddafi from power and stop the ongoing "massacre".
[281] He dismissed talk of a civil war saying "The Libyan people and the tribes have proven they are united". He later stated that international community needs "less talk and more action" to stop the violence.
[282] He asked for a no-fly zone over Libya but does not support foreign ground troops.
[283] On 20 April, Mohammed spoke in front of the
European Parliament calling for more support for Libya.
[284] He also stated that he will support any form of government that Libya will choose after Gaddafi including a constitutional monarchy.
[285]
A rival claimant to the throne,
Idris bin Abdullah al-Senussi, announced in an interview with
Adnkronos that he was ready to return to Libya and "assume leadership" once change had been initiated.
[286] On 21 February, he made an appearance on
Piers Morgan Tonight to discuss the uprising.
[287] In March, it was reported Idris bin Abdullah had held meetings at the State Department and Congress in Washington with US government officials. It was also reported attempts at contact had been initiated by French and Saudi officials.
[288] On 3 March, it was reported that another member of the family, Prince Zouber al-Senussi, had fled Libya with his family and was seeking asylum in
Totebo, Sweden.
[289]
International reactions
Many states and
supranational bodies condemned Gaddafi's regime over its attacks on civilian targets within the country. Virtually all Western countries cut off diplomatic relations with Gaddafi's government over an aerial bombing campaign in February and March, and a number of other countries led by
Peru and
Botswana did likewise.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1970 was adopted on 26 February, freezing the assets of Gaddafi and ten members of his inner circle and restricting their travel. The resolution also referred the actions of the government to the
International Criminal Court for investigation,
[43] and an arrest warrant for Gaddafi was issued on 27 June.
[291] This was followed by an arrest warrant issued by
Interpol on 8 September.
[292]
The regime's use of the
Libyan Air Force to strike civilians led to the adoption of
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973 to create a
Libyan no-fly zone on 17 March, though several countries involved in the resolution's enforcement have also carried out regular strike missions to degrade the offensive capacity of the
Libyan Army and destroy the regime's
command and control capabilities, effectively acting in
de facto support of
anti-Gaddafi forces on the ground. 100 countries have recognized the anti-Gaddafi
National Transitional Council as Libya's legitimate representative, with many of those countries explicitly describing it as the legal interim government of the country due to the perceived loss of legitimacy on the part of Gaddafi's regime.
Many states have also either issued
travel advisories or attempted evacuations. Some evacuations were successful in either going to
Malta or via land borders to
Egypt or
Tunisia; other attempts were hindered by tarmac damage at
Benghazi's airport or refusals of permission to land in
Tripoli. There were also several solidarity protests in other countries that were mostly composed of Libyan
expatriates. Financial markets around the world had adverse reactions to the instability with oil prices rising to a two-and-a-half year high.
