Libyan Revolution, 2011
At the end of 2010, pro-democracy uprisings started to occur throughout the Middle East and North Africa. Beginning in Tunisia in December 2010, protests soon spread to neighboring Egypt and Libya. In the case of Libya, these protests quickly turned into a civil war, with rebel groups fighting to end the 42-year reign of Colonel Muammar Qaddafi. A month after the start of the war, the UN Security Council authorized military intervention in Libya. This was the first time that the Responsibility to Protect doctrine had been invoked since it was created in 2005.
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Libya is a country in North Africa with a population of approximately seven million people. Following a military coup in 1969, Colonel Muammar Qaddafi ruled Libya for 42 years. Although Qaddafi claimed that the people of Libya had decision-making power, he held the country with an increasingly tight grip. Under Qaddafi’s rule, freedom of expression was limited and dissidents were murdered.
At the end of 2010, pro-democracy uprisings began to occur throughout the Middle East and North Africa. These uprisings were known as the Arab Spring. Beginning in Tunisia in December 2010, protests soon spread to neighboring Egypt and Libya. In the case of Libya, these protests quickly turned into a civil war and an international military intervention that ended Qaddafi’s long reign.
The first protests in Libya took place in Benghazi, the second largest Libyan city. One of the protestors’ demands was the release of Fethi Tarbel, a human rights lawyer who had recently been arrested. Two days later, thousands of Libyans took to the street on the “Day of Rage.” Protesters demanded the release of political prisoners, an end to restrictions on political freedoms, and for Qaddafi to step down. This was the official start of the Libyan Revolution.
As the protests grew larger and spread beyond Benghazi, Qaddafi’s administration ordered security forces to fire into the crowd. Protesters were also fired on from tanks and helicopters. More than ten people were killed in the first days. In an attempt to stop the demonstrations from growing, the regime restricted communication. It cut telephone lines and blocked people from accessing the internet and social media. After only three days, protesters had taken over Benghazi.
As a result of Qaddafi’s violent response to the demonstrations, several government officials resigned in protest. Demonstrators soon acquired weapons and joined forces with military units that had defected. This marked the shift from an uprising to a civil war. Internationally, leaders around the world were calling for Qaddafi to step down, including U.S. President Barack Obama.
In late February and early March, Qaddafi made a series of televised speeches in which he claimed the protesters were using drugs and were being controlled by al-Qaeda. In one speech, he also threatened to “show no mercy,” stating that his forces would go “alley by alley, house by house” in Benghazi to find and punish protesters.
On February 26, 2011, the UN Security Council passed a resolution 15-0 urging Libya to respect the safety and security of its people. The resolution also:
Introduced an arms embargo, blocking the sale and supply of weapons to Libya;
Banned travel for specific Libyan officials;
Directed Member States to freeze the assets of specific Libyan officials; and
Referred the case to the International Criminal Court, the body responsible for investigating and trying people accused of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
In early March, rebel groups created the National Transitional Council (NTC) to guide Libya’s democratic transition. By this time, the rebels also controlled eastern Libya and parts of the west. The European Union unanimously called for Qaddafi to step down, but he refused to do so. The international community remained divided on military intervention.
By mid-March, the UN Security Council had made up its mind. On March 17, it voted to authorize “all necessary measures” to protect civilians in Libya. This included use of force. The Qaddafi regime announced a ceasefire within 24 hours. Despite the announcement, fighting between rebels and pro-Qaddafi forces continues.
As a result of this decision, the United States, France, and the United Kingdom began air strikes on Libya on March 19. Other Member States of NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organization) began strikes in the days following. The intervention was initially under the command of the United States military. On March 31, the U.S. transferred command of the operation to NATO.
For the next several months, both the rebels and pro-Qaddafi forces gained and lost control of areas throughout Libya. In April, Qaddafi’s youngest son and three of his grandchildren were killed in a NATO airstrike. Although their forces were disorganized, by early September, the rebels took control of Tripoli, the capital of Libya. On September 15, the UN recognized the National Transitional Council as the official government of Libya.
On October 20, Muammar Qaddafi was found hiding in his hometown of Sirte. He was killed by rebel forces. Three days later, the NTC declared victory in Libya. On March 31, 2011, NATO ended its campaign and withdrew its forces.
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Al-Qaeda: a Sunni Islamic extremist organization
Arab League: an organization composed of Arabic-speaking African and Asian countries. It was formed in Cairo, Egypt in 1945 and has 22 Member States (as of 2022).
Arab Spring: a series of anti-government protests and rebellions across the Arab world in the early 2010s
Benghazi: a major city and seaport in Libya. It is Libya’s second-most populous city.
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya: the official name of Libya from 1977-2011
National Transitional Council: the transitional government of Libya after the fall of Muammar Qaddafi. The NTC governed for ten months, transferring power to the General National Congress in August 2012.
NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a military alliance established in the aftermath of World War II. As of 2022, NATO includes 28 European countries and 2 North American countries, including the United States.
no-fly zone: a section of airspace in which certain aircrafts are not allowed to fly. No-fly zones are usually overseen by a military power and are intended to prevent enemy aircraft from operating in certain areas.
Qaddafi, Muammar: leader of Libya, 1969-2011
Tripoli: the capital and largest city of Libya
This timeline outlines select events that occurred in Libya from the early 1970s until the beginning of NATO’s bombing campaign in March 2011.