History of Libya: Difference between revisions
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
imported>Rodw m Disambiguating links to Timeline of Tripoli (link changed to Timeline of Tripoli, Libya) using DisamAssist. |
imported>GreenC bot Move 3 urls. Wayback Medic 2.5 per WP:URLREQ#boston.com |
||
| Line 6: | Line 6: | ||
The '''history of Libya''' comprises six distinct periods: Ancient Libya, the Roman era, the Islamic era, Ottoman rule, Italian rule, and the Modern era. | The '''history of Libya''' comprises six distinct periods: Ancient Libya, the Roman era, the Islamic era, Ottoman rule, Italian rule, and the Modern era. | ||
==Prehistoric and | ==Prehistoric and Amazigh Libya== | ||
{{main|Prehistoric North Africa}} | {{main|Prehistoric North Africa}} | ||
[[File:Tadrart Acacus 1.jpg|thumb|left|Prehistoric Libyan rock paintings in Tadrart Acacus reveal a Sahara once lush in vegetation and wildlife.]] | [[File:Tadrart Acacus 1.jpg|thumb|left|Prehistoric Libyan rock paintings in Tadrart Acacus reveal a Sahara once lush in vegetation and wildlife.]] | ||
| Line 15: | Line 15: | ||
The onset of the [[Piora Oscillation]]'s intense [[aridification]] resulted in the "green Sahara" rapidly transforming into the [[Sahara Desert]]. Dispersal in Africa from the Atlantic coast to the [[Siwa Oasis]] in Egypt seems to have followed, due to climatic changes which caused increasing [[desertification]]. | The onset of the [[Piora Oscillation]]'s intense [[aridification]] resulted in the "green Sahara" rapidly transforming into the [[Sahara Desert]]. Dispersal in Africa from the Atlantic coast to the [[Siwa Oasis]] in Egypt seems to have followed, due to climatic changes which caused increasing [[desertification]]. | ||
The African ancestors of the [[ | The African ancestors of the [[Amazigh people]] are assumed to have spread into the area by the [[Late Bronze Age]]. The earliest known name of such a tribe is that of the [[Garamantes]], who were based in [[Germa]], southern Libya. The Garamantes were a Saharan people of Berber origin who used an elaborate underground irrigation system; they were probably present as tribal people in the Fezzan by about 1000 BCE, and were a local power in the Sahara between 500 BCE and 500 CE. By the time of contact with the [[Phoenicia]]ns, the first of the Semitic civilizations to arrive in Libya from the East, the Lebu, Garamantes, Berbers and other tribes that lived in the Sahara were already well established.{{Citation needed|date=October 2011}} | ||
==Phoenician and Greek Libya== | ==Phoenician and Greek Libya== | ||
| Line 32: | Line 32: | ||
{{Main|Roman Libya|Tripolitania (Roman province)|Crete and Cyrenaica}} | {{Main|Roman Libya|Tripolitania (Roman province)|Crete and Cyrenaica}} | ||
{{further|North Africa during Antiquity|Byzantine North Africa|Praetorian prefecture of Africa|Exarchate of Africa}} | {{further|North Africa during Antiquity|Byzantine North Africa|Praetorian prefecture of Africa|Exarchate of Africa}} | ||
After the fall of [[Carthage]], the Romans did not immediately occupy [[Tripolitania]] (the region around Tripoli), but left it under control of the Berber kings of [[Numidia]], until the coastal cities asked and obtained its protection.<ref name="be202">Bertarelli (1929), p. 202.</ref> [[Ptolemy Apion]], the last Greek ruler, bequeathed Cyrenaica to Rome, which formally annexed the region in 74 BCE and joined it to Crete as [[Creta et Cyrenaica|a Roman province]]. During the [[Roman civil wars]] Tripolitania (still not formally annexed) and Cyrenaica sustained [[Pompey]] and [[Marc Antony]] against respectively [[Julius Caesar|Caesar]] and [[Octavian]].<ref name="be202" /><ref name="be417">Bertarelli (1929), p. 417.</ref> The Romans completed the conquest of the region under Augustus, occupying northern [[Fezzan]] ("Fasania") with [[Lucius Cornelius Balbus the Younger|Cornelius Balbus Minor]].<ref name="be382">Bertarelli (1929), p. 382.</ref> As part of the [[Africa Nova]] province, Tripolitania was prosperous,<ref name="be202" /> and reached a golden age in the 2nd and 3rd centuries, when the city of [[Leptis Magna]], home to the [[Severan dynasty]], was at its height.<ref name="be202" /> On the other side, Cyrenaica's first Christian communities were established by the time of the [[Claudius|Emperor Claudius]]<ref name="be417" /> but was heavily devastated during the [[Diaspora | After the fall of [[Carthage]], the Romans did not immediately occupy [[Tripolitania]] (the region around Tripoli), but left it under control of the Berber kings of [[Numidia]], until the coastal cities asked and obtained its protection.<ref name="be202">Bertarelli (1929), p. 202.</ref> [[Ptolemy Apion]], the last Greek ruler, bequeathed Cyrenaica to Rome, which formally annexed the region in 74 BCE and joined it to Crete as [[Creta et Cyrenaica|a Roman province]]. During the [[Roman civil wars]] Tripolitania (still not formally annexed) and Cyrenaica sustained [[Pompey]] and [[Marc Antony]] against respectively [[Julius Caesar|Caesar]] and [[Octavian]].<ref name="be202" /><ref name="be417">Bertarelli (1929), p. 417.</ref> The Romans completed the conquest of the region under Augustus, occupying northern [[Fezzan]] ("Fasania") with [[Lucius Cornelius Balbus the Younger|Cornelius Balbus Minor]].<ref name="be382">Bertarelli (1929), p. 382.</ref> As part of the [[Africa Nova]] province, Tripolitania was prosperous,<ref name="be202" /> and reached a golden age in the 2nd and 3rd centuries, when the city of [[Leptis Magna]], home to the [[Severan dynasty]], was at its height.<ref name="be202" /> On the other side, Cyrenaica's first Christian communities were established by the time of the [[Claudius|Emperor Claudius]]<ref name="be417" /> but was heavily devastated during the [[Diaspora Revolt]],<ref name="ro364">Rostovtzeff (1957), p. 364.</ref> and almost depopulated of Greeks and Jews alike,<ref>[[Cassius Dio]], lxviii. 32</ref> and, although repopulated by Trajan with military colonies,<ref name="ro364" /> from then started its decadence.<ref name="be417" /> | ||
[[File:Leptis Magna Arch of Septimus Severus.jpg|thumb|upright|left|The Arch of [[Septimius Severus]] at Leptis Magna. The patronage of Roman emperor Septimus Severus allowed the city to become one of the most prominent in Roman Africa.]] | [[File:Leptis Magna Arch of Septimus Severus.jpg|thumb|upright|left|The Arch of [[Septimius Severus]] at Leptis Magna. The patronage of Roman emperor Septimus Severus allowed the city to become one of the most prominent in Roman Africa.]] | ||
Regardless, for more than 400 years Tripolitania and Cyrenaica were part of a cosmopolitan state whose citizens shared a common language, legal system, and Roman identity. Roman ruins like those of Leptis Magna and [[Sabratha]], extant in present-day Libya, attest to the vitality of the region, where populous cities and even smaller towns enjoyed the amenities of urban life—the forum, markets, public entertainments, and baths—found in every corner of the Roman Empire. Merchants and artisans from many parts of the Roman world established themselves in North Africa, but the character of the cities of Tripolitania remained decidedly Punic and, in Cyrenaica, Greek. Tripolitania was a major exporter of olive oil,<ref name="ro335">Rostovtzeff (1957), p. 335.</ref> as well as a center for the trade of ivory and wild animals<ref name="ro335" /> conveyed to the coast by the [[Garamantes]], while Cyrenaica remained an important source of wines, drugs, and horses. The bulk of the population in the countryside consisted of Berber farmers, who in the west were thoroughly "romanized" in language and customs.<ref>Heuser, Stephen, (24 July 2005), [https:// | Regardless, for more than 400 years Tripolitania and Cyrenaica were part of a cosmopolitan state whose citizens shared a common language, legal system, and Roman identity. Roman ruins like those of Leptis Magna and [[Sabratha]], extant in present-day Libya, attest to the vitality of the region, where populous cities and even smaller towns enjoyed the amenities of urban life—the forum, markets, public entertainments, and baths—found in every corner of the Roman Empire. Merchants and artisans from many parts of the Roman world established themselves in North Africa, but the character of the cities of Tripolitania remained decidedly Punic and, in Cyrenaica, Greek. Tripolitania was a major exporter of olive oil,<ref name="ro335">Rostovtzeff (1957), p. 335.</ref> as well as a center for the trade of ivory and wild animals<ref name="ro335" /> conveyed to the coast by the [[Garamantes]], while Cyrenaica remained an important source of wines, drugs, and horses. The bulk of the population in the countryside consisted of Berber farmers, who in the west were thoroughly "romanized" in language and customs.<ref>Heuser, Stephen, (24 July 2005), [https://archive.boston.com/travel/articles/2005/07/24/when_romans_lived_in_libya/ "When Romans lived in Libya"] , ''The Boston Globe''. Retrieved 18 July 2006.</ref> Until the 10th century the [[African Romance]] remained in use in some Tripolitanian areas, mainly near the Tunisian border.<ref>Tadeusz Lewicki, "Une langue romane oubliée de l'Afrique du Nord. Observations d'un arabisant", Rocznik Orient. XVII (1958), pp. 415–480.</ref> | ||
The decline of the Roman Empire saw the classical cities fall into ruin, a process hastened by the [[Vandals]]' destructive sweep though North Africa in the 5th century. The region's prosperity had shrunk under Vandal domination, and the old Roman political and social order, disrupted by the Vandals, could not be restored. In outlying areas neglected by the Vandals,<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=The decline and fall of the Roman empire|last1=Gibbon|first1=Edward|last2=Mueller|first2=Hans-Friedrich|date=2005|publisher=Modern Library|isbn=0345478843|edition=Modern Library mass market|location=New York|pages=1258|oclc=58549764}}</ref> the inhabitants had sought the protection of tribal chieftains and, having grown accustomed to their autonomy, resisted re-assimilation into the imperial system.<ref name=":0" /> | The decline of the Roman Empire saw the classical cities fall into ruin, a process hastened by the [[Vandals]]' destructive sweep though North Africa in the 5th century. The region's prosperity had shrunk under Vandal domination, and the old Roman political and social order, disrupted by the Vandals, could not be restored. In outlying areas neglected by the Vandals,<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=The decline and fall of the Roman empire|last1=Gibbon|first1=Edward|last2=Mueller|first2=Hans-Friedrich|date=2005|publisher=Modern Library|isbn=0345478843|edition=Modern Library mass market|location=New York|pages=1258|oclc=58549764}}</ref> the inhabitants had sought the protection of tribal chieftains and, having grown accustomed to their autonomy, resisted re-assimilation into the imperial system.<ref name=":0" /> | ||
| Line 49: | Line 49: | ||
[[File:Roger II Sicily.jpg|thumb|left|[[Roger II of Sicily|King Roger II of Sicily]] was the first Norman King to rule Tripoli when he captured it in 1146.]] | [[File:Roger II Sicily.jpg|thumb|left|[[Roger II of Sicily|King Roger II of Sicily]] was the first Norman King to rule Tripoli when he captured it in 1146.]] | ||
Zirid rule in Tripolitania was short-lived though, and already in 1001 the Berbers of the [[Banu Khazrun]] broke away. Tripolitania remained under their control until 1146, when the region was overtaken by the Normans of Sicily.<ref name="be203">Bertarelli (1929), p. 203.</ref> The latter appointed a governor over it called Rafi Ibn Matruh, who established a kingdom and ruled under Roger I and his son Roger II until he revolted against him in the year 1158. The inhabitants of Tripoli revolted against him one year, and after the Almohads expelled the Normans from Mahdia, he pledged allegiance to the Almohads and remained governor of Tripoli until he asked for an exemption from it and traveled to Alexandria and died there.<ref>{{Cite book |last=المؤلف : الطاهر أحمد الزاوي |url=http://archive.org/details/kaoikaprophe_20180328 |title=ولاة طرابلس من بداية الفتح العربي إلى نهاية العهد التركي |date=2018-03-28}}</ref> For the next 50 years, Tripolitania was the scene of numerous battles between the Almohad rulers and insurgents of the [[Banu Ghaniya]]. Later, a general of the [[Almohad Caliphate|Almohads]], Muhammad ibn Abu Hafs, ruled Libya from 1207 to 1221 before the later establishment of a Tunisian [[Hafsid dynasty]]<ref name="be203" /> independent from the Almohads. in the period of Hafsids the [[ | Zirid rule in Tripolitania was short-lived though, and already in 1001 the Berbers of the [[Banu Khazrun]] broke away. Tripolitania remained under their control until 1146, when the region was overtaken by the Normans of Sicily.<ref name="be203">Bertarelli (1929), p. 203.</ref> The latter appointed a governor over it called Rafi Ibn Matruh, who established a kingdom and ruled under Roger I and his son Roger II until he revolted against him in the year 1158. The inhabitants of Tripoli revolted against him one year, and after the Almohads expelled the Normans from Mahdia, he pledged allegiance to the Almohads and remained governor of Tripoli until he asked for an exemption from it and traveled to Alexandria and died there.<ref>{{Cite book |last=المؤلف : الطاهر أحمد الزاوي |url=http://archive.org/details/kaoikaprophe_20180328 |title=ولاة طرابلس من بداية الفتح العربي إلى نهاية العهد التركي |date=2018-03-28}}</ref> For the next 50 years, Tripolitania was the scene of numerous battles between the Almohad rulers and insurgents of the [[Banu Ghaniya]]. Later, a general of the [[Almohad Caliphate|Almohads]], Muhammad ibn Abu Hafs, ruled Libya from 1207 to 1221 before the later establishment of a Tunisian [[Hafsid dynasty]]<ref name="be203" /> independent from the Almohads. in the period of Hafsids the [[Emirate of Banu Talis]] established in the city of [[Bani Walid|bani walid]] and ruled the city until the Ottoman conquest. The Hafsids ruled Tripolitania for nearly 300 years, and established significant trade with the city-states of Europe. Hafsid rulers also encouraged art, literature, architecture and scholarship. [[Ahmad Zarruq]] was one of the most famous Islamic scholars to settle in Libya, and did so during this time. By the 16th century however, the Hafsids became increasingly caught up in the power struggle between Spain and the Ottoman Empire. After a successful invasion of Tripoli by [[Habsburg Spain]] in 1510,<ref name="be203" /> and its handover to the [[Knights of St. John]], the Ottoman admiral [[Sinan Pasha (Ottoman admiral)|Sinan Pasha]] finally took control of Libya in 1551.<ref name="be203" /> | ||
==Ottoman Libya== | ==Ottoman Libya== | ||
| Line 81: | Line 81: | ||
In 1934, the political entity called "Libya" was created by governor [[Italo Balbo|Balbo]] with capital Tripoli.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://bjuniornewblog.blogspot.com/2019/03/italian-tripoli.html |title=Italian Tripoli |access-date=6 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306044654/https://bjuniornewblog.blogspot.com/2019/03/italian-tripoli.html |archive-date=6 March 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> The Italians emphasized infrastructure improvements and public works. In particular, they hugely expanded Libyan railway and road networks from 1934 to 1940, building hundreds of kilometers of new roads and railways and encouraging the establishment of new industries and dozens of new agricultural villages. | In 1934, the political entity called "Libya" was created by governor [[Italo Balbo|Balbo]] with capital Tripoli.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://bjuniornewblog.blogspot.com/2019/03/italian-tripoli.html |title=Italian Tripoli |access-date=6 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306044654/https://bjuniornewblog.blogspot.com/2019/03/italian-tripoli.html |archive-date=6 March 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> The Italians emphasized infrastructure improvements and public works. In particular, they hugely expanded Libyan railway and road networks from 1934 to 1940, building hundreds of kilometers of new roads and railways and encouraging the establishment of new industries and dozens of new agricultural villages. | ||
During [[WW2]], since June 1940 Libya was at the center of destructive fighting between the [[Axis Powers|Axis]] and the British | During [[WW2]], since June 1940 Libya was at the center of destructive fighting between the [[Axis Powers|Axis]] and the [[British Empire]]: the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]] conquered from Italy all of Libya only by February 1943. | ||
From 1943 to 1951, Tripolitania and Cyrenaica were under [[British Military Administration (Libya)|British military administration]], while the [[Fezzan-Ghadames (French Administration)|French controlled Fezzan]]. In 1944, Idris returned from exile in [[Cairo]] but declined to resume permanent residence in Cyrenaica until the removal of some aspects of foreign control in 1947. Under the terms of the [[Treaty of Peace with Italy, 1947|1947 peace treaty]] with the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]], Italy relinquished all claims to Libya.<ref>Hagos, Tecola W., (20 November 2004), [http://www.tecolahagos.com/part4.htm "Treaty Of Peace With Italy (1947), Evaluation And Conclusion"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121207051037/http://www.tecolahagos.com/part4.htm |date=7 December 2012 }}, ''Ethiopia Tecola Hagos''. Retrieved 18 July 2006.</ref> | From 1943 to 1951, Tripolitania and Cyrenaica were under [[British Military Administration (Libya)|British military administration]], while the [[Fezzan-Ghadames (French Administration)|French controlled Fezzan]]. In 1944, Idris returned from exile in [[Cairo]] but declined to resume permanent residence in Cyrenaica until the removal of some aspects of foreign control in 1947. Under the terms of the [[Treaty of Peace with Italy, 1947|1947 peace treaty]] with the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]], Italy relinquished all claims to Libya.<ref>Hagos, Tecola W., (20 November 2004), [http://www.tecolahagos.com/part4.htm "Treaty Of Peace With Italy (1947), Evaluation And Conclusion"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121207051037/http://www.tecolahagos.com/part4.htm |date=7 December 2012 }}, ''Ethiopia Tecola Hagos''. Retrieved 18 July 2006.</ref> | ||
| Line 95: | Line 95: | ||
During this period, Britain was involved in extensive engineering projects in Libya and was also the country's biggest supplier of arms. The United States also maintained the large [[Wheelus Air Base]] in Libya.<ref>{{cite web |author=Holger Terp |url=http://www.fredsakademiet.dk/ordbog/lord/l170.htm |title=Fredsakademiet: Freds- og sikkerhedspolitisk Leksikon L 170 : Libya During the Cold War |publisher=Fredsakademiet.dk |access-date=2012-12-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121231090551/http://www.fredsakademiet.dk/ordbog/lord/l170.htm |archive-date=31 December 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> | During this period, Britain was involved in extensive engineering projects in Libya and was also the country's biggest supplier of arms. The United States also maintained the large [[Wheelus Air Base]] in Libya.<ref>{{cite web |author=Holger Terp |url=http://www.fredsakademiet.dk/ordbog/lord/l170.htm |title=Fredsakademiet: Freds- og sikkerhedspolitisk Leksikon L 170 : Libya During the Cold War |publisher=Fredsakademiet.dk |access-date=2012-12-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121231090551/http://www.fredsakademiet.dk/ordbog/lord/l170.htm |archive-date=31 December 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> | ||
In 1956, Libya granted two American oil companies a concession of some 14 million acres.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13755445 |title=Libya profile - Timeline |work=BBC |date=15 March 2021 |access-date=14 November 2025}}</ref> | |||
==Arab Republic and ''Jamahiriya''== | ==Arab Republic and ''Jamahiriya''== | ||
| Line 106: | Line 108: | ||
[[File:Flag of Libya (1977-2011).svg|thumb|Flag of the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (lasting from 1977 to 2011), the national anthem of which was [[Allahu Akbar (anthem)|"الله أكبر"]] ({{lit|God is Great}})]] | [[File:Flag of Libya (1977-2011).svg|thumb|Flag of the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (lasting from 1977 to 2011), the national anthem of which was [[Allahu Akbar (anthem)|"الله أكبر"]] ({{lit|God is Great}})]] | ||
In 1977, Libya officially became the "Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya". Gaddafi officially passed power to the [[General People's Committee]]s and henceforth claimed to be no more than a symbolic figurehead,<ref>{{cite news|last=Wynne-Jones|first=Jonathan|title=Libyan minister claims Gaddafi is powerless and the ceasefire is 'solid'|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8393285/Libyan-minister-claims-Gaddafi-is-powerless-and-the-ceasefire-is-solid.html|work=The Daily Telegraph|access-date=22 October 2011|date=19 March 2011|location=London|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111029122048/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8393285/Libyan-minister-claims-Gaddafi-is-powerless-and-the-ceasefire-is-solid.html|archive-date=29 October 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> but domestic and international critics claimed the reforms gave him virtually unlimited power. Dissidents against the new system were not tolerated, with punitive actions including capital punishment authorized by Gaddafi himself.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.meforum.org/878/libya-and-the-us-qadhafi-unrepentant|journal=Middle East Quarterly|title=Libya and the U.S.: Qadhafi Unrepentant|first=Mohamed|last=Eljahmi|year=2006|access-date=4 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130125172427/http://www.meforum.org/878/libya-and-the-us-qadhafi-unrepentant|archive-date=25 January 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> The new "''jamahiriya''" governance structure he established was officially referred to as a form of [[direct democracy]],<ref>{{cite news|last=Robbins|first=James|title=Eyewitness: Dialogue in the desert|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/6425873.stm|access-date=22 October 2011|date=7 March 2007|work=BBC News}}</ref> though the government refused to publish election results.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.europeanforum.net/country/libya#elections_and_political_situation_nbsp|work=European Forum|title=Libya country update|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110518094049/http://www.europeanforum.net/country/libya#elections_and_political_situation_nbsp|archive-date=18 May 2011}}</ref> Later that same year, Libya and [[Egypt]] fought a four-day border war that came to be known as the [[Libyan-Egyptian War]], both nations agreed to a [[ceasefire]] under the mediation of the Algerian president [[Houari Boumediène]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.onwar.com/aced/nation/lay/libya/flibyaegypt1977.htm |title=Egypt Libya War 1977 |publisher=Onwar.com |access-date=2012-12-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324085920/http://www.onwar.com/aced/nation/lay/libya/flibyaegypt1977.htm |archive-date=24 March 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> In February 1977, Libya began to provide military supplies to [[Goukouni Oueddei]] and the [[People's Armed Forces]] in Chad. The [[Chadian–Libyan conflict]] began in earnest when Libya's support of rebel forces in northern Chad escalated into an [[Toyota war|invasion]]. Much of the country's income from oil, which soared in the 1970s, was spent on arms purchases and on sponsoring dozens of rebels groups around the world.<ref>{{cite news |url= | In 1977, Libya officially became the "Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya". Gaddafi officially passed power to the [[General People's Committee]]s and henceforth claimed to be no more than a symbolic figurehead,<ref>{{cite news|last=Wynne-Jones|first=Jonathan|title=Libyan minister claims Gaddafi is powerless and the ceasefire is 'solid'|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8393285/Libyan-minister-claims-Gaddafi-is-powerless-and-the-ceasefire-is-solid.html|work=The Daily Telegraph|access-date=22 October 2011|date=19 March 2011|location=London|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111029122048/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8393285/Libyan-minister-claims-Gaddafi-is-powerless-and-the-ceasefire-is-solid.html|archive-date=29 October 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> but domestic and international critics claimed the reforms gave him virtually unlimited power. Dissidents against the new system were not tolerated, with punitive actions including capital punishment authorized by Gaddafi himself.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.meforum.org/878/libya-and-the-us-qadhafi-unrepentant|journal=Middle East Quarterly|title=Libya and the U.S.: Qadhafi Unrepentant|first=Mohamed|last=Eljahmi|year=2006|access-date=4 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130125172427/http://www.meforum.org/878/libya-and-the-us-qadhafi-unrepentant|archive-date=25 January 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> The new "''jamahiriya''" governance structure he established was officially referred to as a form of [[direct democracy]],<ref>{{cite news|last=Robbins|first=James|title=Eyewitness: Dialogue in the desert|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/6425873.stm|access-date=22 October 2011|date=7 March 2007|work=BBC News}}</ref> though the government refused to publish election results.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.europeanforum.net/country/libya#elections_and_political_situation_nbsp|work=European Forum|title=Libya country update|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110518094049/http://www.europeanforum.net/country/libya#elections_and_political_situation_nbsp|archive-date=18 May 2011}}</ref> Later that same year, Libya and [[Egypt]] fought a four-day border war that came to be known as the [[Libyan-Egyptian War]], both nations agreed to a [[ceasefire]] under the mediation of the Algerian president [[Houari Boumediène]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.onwar.com/aced/nation/lay/libya/flibyaegypt1977.htm |title=Egypt Libya War 1977 |publisher=Onwar.com |access-date=2012-12-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324085920/http://www.onwar.com/aced/nation/lay/libya/flibyaegypt1977.htm |archive-date=24 March 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> In February 1977, Libya began to provide military supplies to [[Goukouni Oueddei]] and the [[People's Armed Forces]] in Chad. The [[Chadian–Libyan conflict]] began in earnest when Libya's support of rebel forces in northern Chad escalated into an [[Toyota war|invasion]]. Much of the country's income from oil, which soared in the 1970s, was spent on arms purchases and on sponsoring dozens of rebels groups around the world.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.economist.com/briefing/2011/02/24/endgame-in-tripoli |title=Endgame in Tripoli |date=24 February 2011 |newspaper=The Economist |access-date=4 February 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110307152055/http://www.economist.com/node/18239888 |archive-date=7 March 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Libya: the struggle for survival|author=Geoffrey Leslie Simons|author-link=Geoff Simons|page=281}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=St. John|first=Ronald Bruce|title=Libyan terrorism: the case against Gaddafi|journal=Contemporary Review|date=1 December 1992|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Libyan+terrorism:+the+case+against+Gaddafi.-a014151801|access-date=4 February 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20110511121558/https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Libyan+terrorism:+the+case+against+Gaddafi.-a014151801|archive-date=11 May 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> An airstrike failed to kill Gaddafi in 1986. Libya was accused in the 1988 bombing of [[Pan Am Flight 103]] over [[Lockerbie]], [[Scotland]] and the 1989 bombing of [[UTA Flight 772]] over [[Chad]] and [[Niger]]; Libya was finally put under United Nations sanctions in 1992. Gaddafi financed various other groups from anti-nuclear movements to Australian trade unions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aijac.org.au/review/2003/282/Libya-return.html |title=A Rogue Returns |publisher=AIJAC |date=February 2003 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511102656/http://www.aijac.org.au/review/2003/282/Libya-return.html |archive-date=11 May 2011 }}</ref> | ||
From 1977 onward, per capita income in the country rose to more than US$11,000, the fifth-highest in Africa,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/eco_afr_cou_by_gdp_per_cap_gdp_per_cap-african-countries-gdp-per-capita|title=African Countries by GDP Per Capita > GDP Per Capita (most recent) by Country|access-date=24 July 2011|publisher=NationMaster|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716042352/http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/eco_afr_cou_by_gdp_per_cap_gdp_per_cap-african-countries-gdp-per-capita|archive-date=16 July 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> while the [[Human Development Index]] became the highest in Africa and greater than that of [[Saudi Arabia]].<ref name="dailynews">{{cite web|last=Azad|first=Sher|title=Gaddafi and the media|url=http://www.dailynews.lk/2011/10/22/fea02.asp|work=Daily News|access-date=22 October 2011|date=22 October 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121114040614/http://www.dailynews.lk/2011/10/22/fea02.asp|archive-date=14 November 2012}}</ref> This was achieved without borrowing any foreign loans, keeping Libya [[List of sovereign states by public debt|debt-free]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Zimbabwe: Reason Wafavarova – Reverence for Hatred of Democracy|url=http://allafrica.com/stories/201107210928.html|publisher=[[AllAfrica.com]]|access-date=23 October 2011|date=21 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111107010212/http://allafrica.com/stories/201107210928.html|archive-date=7 November 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> In addition, the country's [[literacy]] rate rose from 10% to 90%, life expectancy rose from 57 to 77 years, [[Labour rights|employment opportunities]] were established for migrant workers, and welfare systems were introduced that allowed access to free education, free healthcare, and financial assistance for housing. The [[Great Manmade River]] was also built to allow free access to fresh water across large parts of the country.<ref name="dailynews" /> In addition, financial support was provided for university scholarships and employment programs.<ref>{{cite web|last=Shimatsu|first=Yoichi|title=Villain or Hero? Desert Lion Perishes, Leaving West Explosive Legacy|url=http://newamericamedia.org/2011/10/villain-or-hero-desert-lion-perishes-leaving-the-west-explosive-legacy.php|publisher=[[New America Media]]|access-date=23 October 2011|date=21 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111022231158/http://newamericamedia.org/2011/10/villain-or-hero-desert-lion-perishes-leaving-the-west-explosive-legacy.php|archive-date=22 October 2011|url-status=usurped}}</ref> | From 1977 onward, per capita income in the country rose to more than US$11,000, the fifth-highest in Africa,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/eco_afr_cou_by_gdp_per_cap_gdp_per_cap-african-countries-gdp-per-capita|title=African Countries by GDP Per Capita > GDP Per Capita (most recent) by Country|access-date=24 July 2011|publisher=NationMaster|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716042352/http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/eco_afr_cou_by_gdp_per_cap_gdp_per_cap-african-countries-gdp-per-capita|archive-date=16 July 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> while the [[Human Development Index]] became the highest in Africa and greater than that of [[Saudi Arabia]].<ref name="dailynews">{{cite web|last=Azad|first=Sher|title=Gaddafi and the media|url=http://www.dailynews.lk/2011/10/22/fea02.asp|work=Daily News|access-date=22 October 2011|date=22 October 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121114040614/http://www.dailynews.lk/2011/10/22/fea02.asp|archive-date=14 November 2012}}</ref> This was achieved without borrowing any foreign loans, keeping Libya [[List of sovereign states by public debt|debt-free]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Zimbabwe: Reason Wafavarova – Reverence for Hatred of Democracy|url=http://allafrica.com/stories/201107210928.html|publisher=[[AllAfrica.com]]|access-date=23 October 2011|date=21 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111107010212/http://allafrica.com/stories/201107210928.html|archive-date=7 November 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> In addition, the country's [[literacy]] rate rose from 10% to 90%, life expectancy rose from 57 to 77 years, [[Labour rights|employment opportunities]] were established for migrant workers, and welfare systems were introduced that allowed access to free education, free healthcare, and financial assistance for housing. The [[Great Manmade River]] was also built to allow free access to fresh water across large parts of the country.<ref name="dailynews" /> In addition, financial support was provided for university scholarships and employment programs.<ref>{{cite web|last=Shimatsu|first=Yoichi|title=Villain or Hero? Desert Lion Perishes, Leaving West Explosive Legacy|url=http://newamericamedia.org/2011/10/villain-or-hero-desert-lion-perishes-leaving-the-west-explosive-legacy.php|publisher=[[New America Media]]|access-date=23 October 2011|date=21 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111022231158/http://newamericamedia.org/2011/10/villain-or-hero-desert-lion-perishes-leaving-the-west-explosive-legacy.php|archive-date=22 October 2011|url-status=usurped}}</ref> | ||
| Line 112: | Line 114: | ||
Gaddafi doubled the minimum wage, introduced statutory price controls, and implemented compulsory rent reductions of between 30 and 40%. Gaddafi also wanted to combat the strict social restrictions that had been imposed on women by the previous regime, establishing the [[Revolutionary Women's Formation]] to encourage reform. In 1970, a law was introduced affirming equality of the sexes and insisting on wage parity. In 1971, Gaddafi sponsored the creation of a [[Libyan General Women's Federation]]. In 1972, a law was passed criminalizing the marriage of any females under the age of sixteen and ensuring that a woman's consent was a necessary prerequisite for a marriage.<ref>Bearman, Jonathan (1986). Qadhafi's Libya. London: Zed Books</ref> | Gaddafi doubled the minimum wage, introduced statutory price controls, and implemented compulsory rent reductions of between 30 and 40%. Gaddafi also wanted to combat the strict social restrictions that had been imposed on women by the previous regime, establishing the [[Revolutionary Women's Formation]] to encourage reform. In 1970, a law was introduced affirming equality of the sexes and insisting on wage parity. In 1971, Gaddafi sponsored the creation of a [[Libyan General Women's Federation]]. In 1972, a law was passed criminalizing the marriage of any females under the age of sixteen and ensuring that a woman's consent was a necessary prerequisite for a marriage.<ref>Bearman, Jonathan (1986). Qadhafi's Libya. London: Zed Books</ref> | ||
Gaddafi assumed the honorific title of "King of Kings of Africa" in 2008 as part of his campaign for a [[United States of Africa]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7588033.stm |title=Gaddafi: Africa's 'king of kings' |work=BBC News |date=29 August 2008 |access-date=27 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170630101640/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7588033.stm |archive-date=30 June 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> By the early 2010s, in addition to attempting to assume a leadership role in the [[African Union]], Libya was also viewed as having formed closer ties with [[Italy]], one of its former colonial rulers, than any other country in the [[European Union]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,747745,00.html |work=Der Spiegel |title=Kissing the Hand of the Dictator: What Libya's Troubles Mean for Its Italian Allies |first=Hans-Jürgen |last=Schlamp |date=25 February 2011 |access-date=27 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110228020939/http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,747745,00.html |archive-date=28 February 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> The eastern parts of the country have been "ruined" due to Gaddafi's economic theories, according to ''[[The Economist]]''.<ref>{{cite news |url= | Gaddafi assumed the honorific title of "King of Kings of Africa" in 2008 as part of his campaign for a [[United States of Africa]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7588033.stm |title=Gaddafi: Africa's 'king of kings' |work=BBC News |date=29 August 2008 |access-date=27 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170630101640/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7588033.stm |archive-date=30 June 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> By the early 2010s, in addition to attempting to assume a leadership role in the [[African Union]], Libya was also viewed as having formed closer ties with [[Italy]], one of its former colonial rulers, than any other country in the [[European Union]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,747745,00.html |work=Der Spiegel |title=Kissing the Hand of the Dictator: What Libya's Troubles Mean for Its Italian Allies |first=Hans-Jürgen |last=Schlamp |date=25 February 2011 |access-date=27 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110228020939/http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,747745,00.html |archive-date=28 February 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> The eastern parts of the country have been "ruined" due to Gaddafi's economic theories, according to ''[[The Economist]]''.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2011/03/03/a-civil-war-beckons |title=A civil war beckons |date=3 March 2011 |newspaper=The Economist |access-date=4 February 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130220233049/http://www.economist.com/node/18290470 |archive-date=20 February 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.economist.com/briefing/2011/02/24/building-a-new-libya |title=The liberated east – Building a new Libya |date=24 February 2011 |newspaper=The Economist |access-date=4 February 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110227092930/http://www.economist.com/node/18239900 |archive-date=27 February 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> | ||
==2011 uprising and the First Civil War== | ==2011 uprising and the First Civil War== | ||
| Line 121: | Line 123: | ||
On 27 February 2011, the [[National Transitional Council]] was established under the stewardship of [[Mustafa Abdul Jalil]], Gaddafi's former justice minister, to administer the areas of Libya under rebel control. This marked the first serious effort to organize the broad-based opposition to the Gaddafi regime. While the council was based in Benghazi, it claimed Tripoli as its capital.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.lse.co.uk/FinanceNews.asp?ArticleCode=77c8l0riig2uluz&ArticleHeadline=Ex_Libyan_minister_forms_interim_govtreport |title=Ex Libyan minister forms interim govt-report |work=LSE |date=26 February 2011 |access-date=27 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110513045506/http://www.lse.co.uk/FinanceNews.asp?ArticleCode=77c8l0riig2uluz&ArticleHeadline=Ex_Libyan_minister_forms_interim_govtreport |archive-date=13 May 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Hafiz Ghoga]], a human rights lawyer, later assumed the role of spokesman for the council.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=2019-08-27|title=Libya opposition launches council|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/02/2011227175955221853.html|website=[[Aljazeera.com|Al Jazeera]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190827052355/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/02/2011227175955221853.html|archive-date=27 August 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> On 10 March 2011, France became the first state to officially recognise the council as the legitimate representative of the Libyan people.<ref>{{cite web | url =http://ntclibya.com/InnerPage.aspx?SSID=6&ParentID=3&LangID=1 | title =The Council"International Recognition | publisher =National Transitional Council (Libya) | date =1 March 2011 | access-date =23 October 2011 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110926043358/http://www.ntclibya.com/InnerPage.aspx?SSID=6&ParentID=3&LangID=1 | archive-date =26 September 2011 | url-status =dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12699183 |title=Libya: France recognises rebels as government |work=BBC News |date=10 March 2011 |access-date=23 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111023041256/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12699183 |archive-date=23 October 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> | On 27 February 2011, the [[National Transitional Council]] was established under the stewardship of [[Mustafa Abdul Jalil]], Gaddafi's former justice minister, to administer the areas of Libya under rebel control. This marked the first serious effort to organize the broad-based opposition to the Gaddafi regime. While the council was based in Benghazi, it claimed Tripoli as its capital.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.lse.co.uk/FinanceNews.asp?ArticleCode=77c8l0riig2uluz&ArticleHeadline=Ex_Libyan_minister_forms_interim_govtreport |title=Ex Libyan minister forms interim govt-report |work=LSE |date=26 February 2011 |access-date=27 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110513045506/http://www.lse.co.uk/FinanceNews.asp?ArticleCode=77c8l0riig2uluz&ArticleHeadline=Ex_Libyan_minister_forms_interim_govtreport |archive-date=13 May 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Hafiz Ghoga]], a human rights lawyer, later assumed the role of spokesman for the council.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=2019-08-27|title=Libya opposition launches council|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/02/2011227175955221853.html|website=[[Aljazeera.com|Al Jazeera]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190827052355/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/02/2011227175955221853.html|archive-date=27 August 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> On 10 March 2011, France became the first state to officially recognise the council as the legitimate representative of the Libyan people.<ref>{{cite web | url =http://ntclibya.com/InnerPage.aspx?SSID=6&ParentID=3&LangID=1 | title =The Council"International Recognition | publisher =National Transitional Council (Libya) | date =1 March 2011 | access-date =23 October 2011 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110926043358/http://www.ntclibya.com/InnerPage.aspx?SSID=6&ParentID=3&LangID=1 | archive-date =26 September 2011 | url-status =dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12699183 |title=Libya: France recognises rebels as government |work=BBC News |date=10 March 2011 |access-date=23 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111023041256/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12699183 |archive-date=23 October 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> | ||
By early March 2011, some parts of Libya had tipped out of Gaddafi's control, coming under the control of a coalition of opposition forces, including soldiers who decided to support the rebels. Eastern Libya, centered on the port city of [[Benghazi]], was said to be firmly in the hands of the opposition, while Tripoli and its environs remained in dispute.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/02/2011228143136646521.html |work=Al Jazeera |date=28 February 2011 |title=Protesters march in Tripoli |access-date=1 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105084402/http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/02/2011228143136646521.html |archive-date=5 November 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12699183 | work=BBC News | title=Libya: France recognises rebels as government | date=10 March 2011 | access-date=20 June 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111023041256/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12699183 | archive-date=23 October 2011 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/blog/2011/mar/10/libya-uprising-gaddafi-live#block-15 The Guardian Live Blog] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170822222539/https://www.theguardian.com/world/blog/2011/mar/10/libya-uprising-gaddafi-live#block-15 |date=22 August 2017 }}. Retrieved 10 March 2011</ref> Pro-Gaddafi forces were able to respond militarily to rebel pushes in Western Libya and launched a counterattack along the coast toward Benghazi, the ''de facto'' centre of the uprising.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/10/world/africa/10libya.html |title=Qaddafi Forces Batter Rebels in Strategic Refinery Town |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=9 March 2011 |access-date=9 March 2011 |first1=Kareem |last1=Fahim |first2=David D. |last2=Kirkpatrick |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110506221756/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/10/world/africa/10libya.html |archive-date=6 May 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> The town of [[Zawiya, Libya|Zawiya]], {{convert|48|km}} from Tripoli, was bombarded by [[Libyan Air Force|Air Force]] planes and [[Libyan Army (1951–2011)|Army]] tanks and seized by [[Armed Forces | By early March 2011, some parts of Libya had tipped out of Gaddafi's control, coming under the control of a coalition of opposition forces, including soldiers who decided to support the rebels. Eastern Libya, centered on the port city of [[Benghazi]], was said to be firmly in the hands of the opposition, while Tripoli and its environs remained in dispute.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/02/2011228143136646521.html |work=Al Jazeera |date=28 February 2011 |title=Protesters march in Tripoli |access-date=1 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105084402/http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/02/2011228143136646521.html |archive-date=5 November 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12699183 | work=BBC News | title=Libya: France recognises rebels as government | date=10 March 2011 | access-date=20 June 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111023041256/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12699183 | archive-date=23 October 2011 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/blog/2011/mar/10/libya-uprising-gaddafi-live#block-15 The Guardian Live Blog] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170822222539/https://www.theguardian.com/world/blog/2011/mar/10/libya-uprising-gaddafi-live#block-15 |date=22 August 2017 }}. Retrieved 10 March 2011</ref> Pro-Gaddafi forces were able to respond militarily to rebel pushes in Western Libya and launched a counterattack along the coast toward Benghazi, the ''de facto'' centre of the uprising.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/10/world/africa/10libya.html |title=Qaddafi Forces Batter Rebels in Strategic Refinery Town |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=9 March 2011 |access-date=9 March 2011 |first1=Kareem |last1=Fahim |first2=David D. |last2=Kirkpatrick |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110506221756/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/10/world/africa/10libya.html |archive-date=6 May 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> The town of [[Zawiya, Libya|Zawiya]], {{convert|48|km}} from Tripoli, was bombarded by [[Libyan Air Force|Air Force]] planes and [[Libyan Army (1951–2011)|Army]] tanks and seized by [[Libyan Armed Forces|troops of Gaddafi's regime]], "exercising a level of brutality not yet seen in the conflict".<ref>''The Independent'', 9 March 2011 P.4</ref> | ||
In several public appearances, Gaddafi threatened to destroy the protest movement, and [[Al Jazeera Media Network|Al Jazeera]] and other agencies reported his government was arming pro-Gaddafi militiamen to kill protesters and defectors against the regime in Tripoli.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/02/2011225165641323716.html |work=Al Jazeera |title=Gaddafi vows to crush protesters |date=25 February 2011 |access-date=26 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111202060551/http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/02/2011225165641323716.html |archive-date=2 December 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> Organs of the United Nations, including [[United Nations Secretary General]] [[Ban Ki-moon]]<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/Ban-Ki-moon-blasts-Gaddafi-calls-situation-dangerous/Article1-666108.aspx |title=Ban Ki-moon blasts Gaddafi; calls situation dangerous |work=[[Hindustan Times]] |date=24 February 2011 |access-date=26 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110227021434/http://www.hindustantimes.com/Ban-Ki-moon-blasts-Gaddafi-calls-situation-dangerous/Article1-666108.aspx |archive-date=27 February 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and the [[United Nations Human Rights Council]], condemned the crackdown as violating international law, with the latter body expelling Libya outright in an unprecedented action urged by Libya's own delegation to the UN.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-libya-20110226,0,6927383.story |title=Some backbone at the U.N. |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=26 February 2011 |access-date=26 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110303053657/http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-libya-20110226,0,6927383.story |archive-date=3 March 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=125800 |work=Sofia News Agency |title=Libya Expelled from UN Human Rights Council |date=2 March 2011 |access-date=2 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511093052/http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=125800 |archive-date=11 May 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> The United States imposed [[economic sanctions]] against Libya,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2011/02/20112261461685557.html |title=US slaps sanctions on Libyan govt |work=Al Jazeera |date=26 February 2011 |access-date=26 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120103144512/http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2011/02/20112261461685557.html |archive-date=3 January 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> followed shortly by Australia,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/australia-imposes-sanctions-on-libya-20110227-1b9k0.html |title=Australia imposes sanctions on Libya |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=27 February 2011 |access-date=27 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110228143407/http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/australia-imposes-sanctions-on-libya-20110227-1b9k0.html |archive-date=28 February 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> Canada<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-imposes-additional-libyan-sanctions-1.1017281|title=Canada imposes additional Libyan sanctions|work=CBC News|date=27 February 2011|access-date=28 February 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110301045737/http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2011/02/27/harper-libya.html|archive-date=1 March 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> and the [[United Nations Security Council]], which also voted to refer Gaddafi and other government officials to the [[International Criminal Court]] for investigation.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/africa/news/article_1622265.php/UN-Security-Council-orders-sanctions-against-Libya-1st-Lead |work=Monsters & Critics |date=27 February 2011 |access-date=27 February 2011 |title=UN Security Council orders sanctions against Libya |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110227023153/http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/africa/news/article_1622265.php/UN-Security-Council-orders-sanctions-against-Libya-1st-Lead |archive-date=27 February 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna41785849 |title=U.N. Security Council slaps sanctions on Libya |date=26 February 2011 |work=NBC News |access-date=27 February 2011 }}</ref> | In several public appearances, Gaddafi threatened to destroy the protest movement, and [[Al Jazeera Media Network|Al Jazeera]] and other agencies reported his government was arming pro-Gaddafi militiamen to kill protesters and defectors against the regime in Tripoli.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/02/2011225165641323716.html |work=Al Jazeera |title=Gaddafi vows to crush protesters |date=25 February 2011 |access-date=26 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111202060551/http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/02/2011225165641323716.html |archive-date=2 December 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> Organs of the United Nations, including [[United Nations Secretary General]] [[Ban Ki-moon]]<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/Ban-Ki-moon-blasts-Gaddafi-calls-situation-dangerous/Article1-666108.aspx |title=Ban Ki-moon blasts Gaddafi; calls situation dangerous |work=[[Hindustan Times]] |date=24 February 2011 |access-date=26 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110227021434/http://www.hindustantimes.com/Ban-Ki-moon-blasts-Gaddafi-calls-situation-dangerous/Article1-666108.aspx |archive-date=27 February 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and the [[United Nations Human Rights Council]], condemned the crackdown as violating international law, with the latter body expelling Libya outright in an unprecedented action urged by Libya's own delegation to the UN.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-libya-20110226,0,6927383.story |title=Some backbone at the U.N. |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=26 February 2011 |access-date=26 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110303053657/http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-libya-20110226,0,6927383.story |archive-date=3 March 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=125800 |work=Sofia News Agency |title=Libya Expelled from UN Human Rights Council |date=2 March 2011 |access-date=2 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511093052/http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=125800 |archive-date=11 May 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> The United States imposed [[economic sanctions]] against Libya,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2011/02/20112261461685557.html |title=US slaps sanctions on Libyan govt |work=Al Jazeera |date=26 February 2011 |access-date=26 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120103144512/http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2011/02/20112261461685557.html |archive-date=3 January 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> followed shortly by Australia,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/australia-imposes-sanctions-on-libya-20110227-1b9k0.html |title=Australia imposes sanctions on Libya |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=27 February 2011 |access-date=27 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110228143407/http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/australia-imposes-sanctions-on-libya-20110227-1b9k0.html |archive-date=28 February 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> Canada<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-imposes-additional-libyan-sanctions-1.1017281|title=Canada imposes additional Libyan sanctions|work=CBC News|date=27 February 2011|access-date=28 February 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110301045737/http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2011/02/27/harper-libya.html|archive-date=1 March 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> and the [[United Nations Security Council]], which also voted to refer Gaddafi and other government officials to the [[International Criminal Court]] for investigation.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/africa/news/article_1622265.php/UN-Security-Council-orders-sanctions-against-Libya-1st-Lead |work=Monsters & Critics |date=27 February 2011 |access-date=27 February 2011 |title=UN Security Council orders sanctions against Libya |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110227023153/http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/africa/news/article_1622265.php/UN-Security-Council-orders-sanctions-against-Libya-1st-Lead |archive-date=27 February 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna41785849 |title=U.N. Security Council slaps sanctions on Libya |date=26 February 2011 |work=NBC News |access-date=27 February 2011 }}</ref> | ||
| Line 138: | Line 140: | ||
On 16 September 2011, the U.N. General Assembly approved a request from the National Transitional Council to accredit envoys of the country's interim controlling body as Tripoli's sole representatives at the UN, effectively recognising the National Transitional Council as the legitimate holder of that country's UN seat.<ref>{{cite web | url =http://www.opencanada.org/features/recognizing-states-and-governments-a-tricky-business/ | title =Recognizing States and Governments–A Tricky Business | publisher =Canadian International Council | author =Jennifer Welsh | date =20 September 2011 | access-date =23 October 2011 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110927084716/http://www.opencanada.org/features/recognizing-states-and-governments-a-tricky-business/ | archive-date =27 September 2011 | url-status =live }}</ref> | On 16 September 2011, the U.N. General Assembly approved a request from the National Transitional Council to accredit envoys of the country's interim controlling body as Tripoli's sole representatives at the UN, effectively recognising the National Transitional Council as the legitimate holder of that country's UN seat.<ref>{{cite web | url =http://www.opencanada.org/features/recognizing-states-and-governments-a-tricky-business/ | title =Recognizing States and Governments–A Tricky Business | publisher =Canadian International Council | author =Jennifer Welsh | date =20 September 2011 | access-date =23 October 2011 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110927084716/http://www.opencanada.org/features/recognizing-states-and-governments-a-tricky-business/ | archive-date =27 September 2011 | url-status =live }}</ref> | ||
The National Transitional Council had been plagued by internal divisions during its tenure as Libya's interim governing authority. It postponed the formation of a caretaker, or "interim" government on several occasions during the period prior to the [[death of Muammar Gaddafi]] in his hometown of [[Sirte]] on 20 October 2011.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/21/world/africa/libyan-fighters-say-qaddafi-stronghold-has-fallen.html|work=The New York Times|date=20 October 2011|title=Qaddafi Is Dead, Libyan Officials Say|first=Kareem|last=Fahim|access-date=20 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111020145506/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/21/world/africa/libyan-fighters-say-qaddafi-stronghold-has-fallen.html|archive-date=20 October 2011|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/10/20111020111520869621.html|title=Muammar Gaddafi killed as Sirte falls|work=Al Jazeera|date=21 October 2011|access-date=23 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111023031711/http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/10/20111020111520869621.html|archive-date=23 October 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Mustafa Abdul Jalil]] led the National Transitional Council and was generally considered to be the principal leadership figure. [[Mahmoud Jibril]] served as the NTC's ''de facto'' head of government from 5 March 2011 through the end of the war, but he announced he would resign after Libya was declared to have been "liberated" from Gaddafi's rule.<ref>{{cite | The National Transitional Council had been plagued by internal divisions during its tenure as Libya's interim governing authority. It postponed the formation of a caretaker, or "interim" government on several occasions during the period prior to the [[death of Muammar Gaddafi]] in his hometown of [[Sirte]] on 20 October 2011.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/21/world/africa/libyan-fighters-say-qaddafi-stronghold-has-fallen.html|work=The New York Times|date=20 October 2011|title=Qaddafi Is Dead, Libyan Officials Say|first=Kareem|last=Fahim|access-date=20 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111020145506/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/21/world/africa/libyan-fighters-say-qaddafi-stronghold-has-fallen.html|archive-date=20 October 2011|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/10/20111020111520869621.html|title=Muammar Gaddafi killed as Sirte falls|work=Al Jazeera|date=21 October 2011|access-date=23 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111023031711/http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/10/20111020111520869621.html|archive-date=23 October 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Mustafa Abdul Jalil]] led the National Transitional Council and was generally considered to be the principal leadership figure. [[Mahmoud Jibril]] served as the NTC's ''de facto'' head of government from 5 March 2011 through the end of the war, but he announced he would resign after Libya was declared to have been "liberated" from Gaddafi's rule.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2097333,00.html|title=In Tripoli, Libya's Interim Leader Says He Is Quitting|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |author=Vivienne Walt|date=19 October 2011|access-date=23 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111022204525/http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2097333,00.html|archive-date=22 October 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> | ||
The "[[Liberation Day|liberation]]" of Libya was celebrated on 23 October 2011, and Jibril announced that consultations were under way to form an [[interim government]] within one month, followed by elections for a constitutional assembly within eight months and parliamentary and presidential elections to be held within a year after that.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.voanews.com/a/libya-to-declare-liberation-from-42-year-gadhafi-rule-132403478/147085.html|title=Libya Declares Liberation From 42-Year Gadhafi Rule|work=Voice of America|year=2011|access-date=23 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111025213725/http://www.voanews.com/english/news/Libya-to-Declare-Liberation-from-42-Year-Gadhafi-Rule-132403478.html|archive-date=25 October 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> He stepped down as expected the same day and was succeeded by [[Ali Tarhouni]].<ref name="declib">{{cite news|url=http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/f459749a-fd86-11e0-a9db-00144feabdc0.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/f459749a-fd86-11e0-a9db-00144feabdc0.html |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription|title=Libya declares liberation after Gaddafi's death|date=23 October 2011|access-date=23 October 2011|first=Borzou|last=Daragahi|work=[[Financial Times]]}}</ref> At least 30,000 Libyans died in the civil war.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/feedarticle/9835879 |title=Libyan estimate: At least 30,000 died in the war |author=Karin Laub |agency=Associated Press |work=The Guardian |date=8 September 2011 |access-date=25 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104210601/http://www.theguardian.com/world/feedarticle/9835879 |archive-date=4 November 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> | The "[[Liberation Day|liberation]]" of Libya was celebrated on 23 October 2011, and Jibril announced that consultations were under way to form an [[interim government]] within one month, followed by elections for a constitutional assembly within eight months and parliamentary and presidential elections to be held within a year after that.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.voanews.com/a/libya-to-declare-liberation-from-42-year-gadhafi-rule-132403478/147085.html|title=Libya Declares Liberation From 42-Year Gadhafi Rule|work=Voice of America|year=2011|access-date=23 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111025213725/http://www.voanews.com/english/news/Libya-to-Declare-Liberation-from-42-Year-Gadhafi-Rule-132403478.html|archive-date=25 October 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> He stepped down as expected the same day and was succeeded by [[Ali Tarhouni]].<ref name="declib">{{cite news|url=http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/f459749a-fd86-11e0-a9db-00144feabdc0.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/f459749a-fd86-11e0-a9db-00144feabdc0.html |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription|title=Libya declares liberation after Gaddafi's death|date=23 October 2011|access-date=23 October 2011|first=Borzou|last=Daragahi|work=[[Financial Times]]}}</ref> At least 30,000 Libyans died in the civil war.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/feedarticle/9835879 |title=Libyan estimate: At least 30,000 died in the war |author=Karin Laub |agency=Associated Press |work=The Guardian |date=8 September 2011 |access-date=25 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104210601/http://www.theguardian.com/world/feedarticle/9835879 |archive-date=4 November 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> | ||
| Line 154: | Line 156: | ||
On 7 July 2012, Libyans voted in their first parliamentary elections since the end of Gaddafi's rule. The election, in which more than 100 political parties registered, formed an interim 200-member national assembly. This will replace the unelected National Transitional Council,<ref name="Gnan-8-Aug-Meet">{{Cite news |first=Michel |last=Cousins |title=National Congress to meet on 8 August: NTC |newspaper=Libya Herald |date=24 July 2012 |url=http://www.libyaherald.com/?p=11495 |access-date=26 July 2012}}</ref><ref name="Ben-Sassi-8-Aug-Tarab-Post">{{Cite news|title=NTC to Transfer Power to Newly-Elected Libyan Assembly August 8 |newspaper=[[Tripoli Post]] |date=2 August 2012 |url=http://www.tripolipost.com/articledetail.asp?c=1&i=8936 |access-date=4 August 2012|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120807043644/http://www.tripolipost.com/articledetail.asp?c=1&i=8936 |archive-date=7 August 2012 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> name a prime minister, and form a committee to draft a constitution. The vote was postponed several times to resolve logistical and technical problems, and to give more time to register to vote, and to investigate candidates.<ref name="epatko1">{{cite web |title=In Libya, Expectations High as Parliamentary Vote Approaches |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/libya-elections |website=PBS NewsHour |language=en-us |date=5 July 2012 |access-date=8 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327085730/https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/libya-elections |archive-date=27 March 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> | On 7 July 2012, Libyans voted in their first parliamentary elections since the end of Gaddafi's rule. The election, in which more than 100 political parties registered, formed an interim 200-member national assembly. This will replace the unelected National Transitional Council,<ref name="Gnan-8-Aug-Meet">{{Cite news |first=Michel |last=Cousins |title=National Congress to meet on 8 August: NTC |newspaper=Libya Herald |date=24 July 2012 |url=http://www.libyaherald.com/?p=11495 |access-date=26 July 2012}}</ref><ref name="Ben-Sassi-8-Aug-Tarab-Post">{{Cite news|title=NTC to Transfer Power to Newly-Elected Libyan Assembly August 8 |newspaper=[[Tripoli Post]] |date=2 August 2012 |url=http://www.tripolipost.com/articledetail.asp?c=1&i=8936 |access-date=4 August 2012|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120807043644/http://www.tripolipost.com/articledetail.asp?c=1&i=8936 |archive-date=7 August 2012 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> name a prime minister, and form a committee to draft a constitution. The vote was postponed several times to resolve logistical and technical problems, and to give more time to register to vote, and to investigate candidates.<ref name="epatko1">{{cite web |title=In Libya, Expectations High as Parliamentary Vote Approaches |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/libya-elections |website=PBS NewsHour |language=en-us |date=5 July 2012 |access-date=8 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327085730/https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/libya-elections |archive-date=27 March 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> | ||
On 8 August 2012, the [[National Transitional Council]] officially handed power to the wholly elected [[General National Congress]], which is tasked with the formation of an interim government and the drafting of a new Libyan Constitution to be approved in a general [[referendum]].<ref name="Esam-8-Aug">{{cite news |url=https://www.boston.com/news/world/middle-east/2012/08/08/libya-transitional-rulers-hand-over-power/uMPkXd9vTSSHg589mU9ykJ/story.html |title=Libya's transitional rulers hand over power |author=Esam Mohamed |agency=[[Associated Press]] |date=8 August 2012 |publisher=Boston.com |access-date=8 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121208121751/http://www.boston.com/news/world/middle-east/2012/08/08/libya-transitional-rulers-hand-over-power/uMPkXd9vTSSHg589mU9ykJ/story.html |archive-date=8 December 2012 |url-status= | On 8 August 2012, the [[National Transitional Council]] officially handed power to the wholly elected [[General National Congress]], which is tasked with the formation of an interim government and the drafting of a new Libyan Constitution to be approved in a general [[referendum]].<ref name="Esam-8-Aug">{{cite news |url=https://www.boston.com/news/world/middle-east/2012/08/08/libya-transitional-rulers-hand-over-power/uMPkXd9vTSSHg589mU9ykJ/story.html |title=Libya's transitional rulers hand over power |author=Esam Mohamed |agency=[[Associated Press]] |date=8 August 2012 |publisher=Boston.com |access-date=8 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121208121751/http://www.boston.com/news/world/middle-east/2012/08/08/libya-transitional-rulers-hand-over-power/uMPkXd9vTSSHg589mU9ykJ/story.html |archive-date=8 December 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> | ||
On 25 August 2012, in what "appears to be the most blatant sectarian attack" since the end of the civil war, unnamed organized assailants bulldozed a [[Sufism|Sufi]] mosque with graves, in broad daylight in the center of the Libyan capital [[Tripoli, Libya|Tripoli]]. It was the second such razing of a Sufi site in two days.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.yahoo.com/fighters-bulldoze-sufi-mosque-central-tripoli-172020410.html|title=(Reuters by Yahoo News)|access-date=14 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120827231155/http://news.yahoo.com/fighters-bulldoze-sufi-mosque-central-tripoli-172020410.html|archive-date=27 August 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> | On 25 August 2012, in what "appears to be the most blatant sectarian attack" since the end of the civil war, unnamed organized assailants bulldozed a [[Sufism|Sufi]] mosque with graves, in broad daylight in the center of the Libyan capital [[Tripoli, Libya|Tripoli]]. It was the second such razing of a Sufi site in two days.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.yahoo.com/fighters-bulldoze-sufi-mosque-central-tripoli-172020410.html|title=(Reuters by Yahoo News)|work=Yahoo! News |access-date=14 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120827231155/http://news.yahoo.com/fighters-bulldoze-sufi-mosque-central-tripoli-172020410.html|archive-date=27 August 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> | ||
On 7 October 2012, Libya's Prime Minister-elect [[Mustafa A.G. Abushagur]] stepped down<ref>{{cite news |author=George Grant |title=Congress dismisses Abushagur |url=http://www.libyaherald.com/?p=15731 |date=7 October 2012 |access-date=7 October 2012}}</ref> after failing a second time to win parliamentary approval for a new cabinet.<ref>{{cite news |author=Sami Zaptia |title=Abushagur announces a smaller emergency cabinet |url=http://www.libyaherald.com/?p=15719 |date=7 October 2012 |access-date=7 October 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Libyan Prime Minister Mustafa Abu Shagur to stand down|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-19864136|publisher=BBC|access-date=7 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121007180429/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-19864136|archive-date=7 October 2012|url-status=live|work=BBC News|date=7 October 2012}}</ref> On 14 October 2012, the General National Congress elected former GNC member and human rights lawyer [[Ali Zeidan]] as prime minister-designate.<ref>{{cite news|title=Libya Congress elects former congressman and rights lawyer Ali Zidan as new prime minister|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/libya-congress-elects-former-congressman-and-rights-lawyer-ali-zidan-as-new-prime-minister/2012/10/14/52504990-1634-11e2-a346-f24efc680b8d_story.html|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=14 October 2012|access-date=14 October 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121015090717/http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/libya-congress-elects-former-congressman-and-rights-lawyer-ali-zidan-as-new-prime-minister/2012/10/14/52504990-1634-11e2-a346-f24efc680b8d_story.html|archive-date=15 October 2012}}</ref> | On 7 October 2012, Libya's Prime Minister-elect [[Mustafa A.G. Abushagur]] stepped down<ref>{{cite news |author=George Grant |title=Congress dismisses Abushagur |url=http://www.libyaherald.com/?p=15731 |date=7 October 2012 |access-date=7 October 2012}}</ref> after failing a second time to win parliamentary approval for a new cabinet.<ref>{{cite news |author=Sami Zaptia |title=Abushagur announces a smaller emergency cabinet |url=http://www.libyaherald.com/?p=15719 |date=7 October 2012 |access-date=7 October 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Libyan Prime Minister Mustafa Abu Shagur to stand down|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-19864136|publisher=BBC|access-date=7 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121007180429/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-19864136|archive-date=7 October 2012|url-status=live|work=BBC News|date=7 October 2012}}</ref> On 14 October 2012, the General National Congress elected former GNC member and human rights lawyer [[Ali Zeidan]] as prime minister-designate.<ref>{{cite news|title=Libya Congress elects former congressman and rights lawyer Ali Zidan as new prime minister|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/libya-congress-elects-former-congressman-and-rights-lawyer-ali-zidan-as-new-prime-minister/2012/10/14/52504990-1634-11e2-a346-f24efc680b8d_story.html|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=14 October 2012|access-date=14 October 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121015090717/http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/libya-congress-elects-former-congressman-and-rights-lawyer-ali-zidan-as-new-prime-minister/2012/10/14/52504990-1634-11e2-a346-f24efc680b8d_story.html|archive-date=15 October 2012}}</ref> | ||
| Line 180: | Line 182: | ||
On September 10, 2023, catastrophic floods due to [[dam failure]]s generated by [[Storm Daniel]] devastated the port city of [[Derna, Libya|Derna]], killing nearly 7,000 and leaving over 10,000 missing. The floods were the worst natural disaster in Libya's modern history.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Elumami |first1=Ahmed |last2=Al-Warfali |first2=Ayman |last3=Alfetori |first3=Essam |title=Libya floods: search for blame for thousands of deaths |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/libya-flood-survivors-pick-through-ruins-search-missing-thousands-2023-09-14/ |work=Reuters |date=14 September 2023 |language=en}}</ref> | On September 10, 2023, catastrophic floods due to [[dam failure]]s generated by [[Storm Daniel]] devastated the port city of [[Derna, Libya|Derna]], killing nearly 7,000 and leaving over 10,000 missing. The floods were the worst natural disaster in Libya's modern history.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Elumami |first1=Ahmed |last2=Al-Warfali |first2=Ayman |last3=Alfetori |first3=Essam |title=Libya floods: search for blame for thousands of deaths |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/libya-flood-survivors-pick-through-ruins-search-missing-thousands-2023-09-14/ |work=Reuters |date=14 September 2023 |language=en}}</ref> | ||
On 12 May 2025, [[Abdel Ghani al-Kikli]], widely known as “Gheniwa”, a very powerful | On 12 May 2025, [[Abdel Ghani al-Kikli]], widely known as “Gheniwa”, a very powerful militia leader, was assassinated in Tripoli.<ref>{{cite news |title=Heavy gunfire, clashes in Libya's Tripoli after killing of militia leader |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/5/12/un-urges-calm-as-heavy-fire-clashes-erupt-in-libyas-tripoli |work=Al Jazeera |language=en}}</ref> | ||
On 3 February 2026, [[Saif al-Islam Gaddafi]], the most prominent son of Muammar Gaddafi, was killed in [[Zintan]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Staff |first1=Al Jazeera |title=Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of former leader, killed in Libya |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/3/saif-al-islam-gaddafi-son-of-former-leader-killed-in-libya |work=Al Jazeera |language=en}}</ref> | |||
== See also == | == See also == | ||
| Line 209: | Line 213: | ||
{{Libya topics}} | {{Libya topics}} | ||
{{Ottoman Empire by modern countries}} | |||
{{History of Africa}} | {{History of Africa}} | ||
{{DEFAULTSORT:History Of Libya}} | {{DEFAULTSORT:History Of Libya}} | ||
[[Category:History of Libya| ]] | [[Category:History of Libya| ]] | ||