2011 Libyan Uprising: Benghazi Protests

• In early 2011, popular protests in the Middle East and North Africa led to quick power transfers in Egypt and Tunisia, but in Libya, an uprising against Muammar al-Qaddafi resulted in civil war and international military intervention.

The Uprising

• On February 15, 2011, rallies in Benghazi, sparked by the arrest of human rights lawyer Fethi Tarbel, called for Qaddafi's removal and the release of political prisoners.
• Libyan security forces used water cannons and rubber bullets against protesters and a pro-government rally was broadcast on state television.
• The Libyan government began using lethal force against demonstrators, with security forces and mercenaries firing live ammunition, tanks, artillery, warplanes, and helicopter gunships used against crowds, while communications were restricted.
• On February 21, Sayf al-Islam Qaddafi blamed outside agitators for the unrest, warning that further demonstrations could lead to civil war and vowed the regime would fight "to the last bullet."
• The government's violence against protesters led to international condemnation and resignations of high-level officials, with some Libyan embassies displaying the pre-Qaddafi flag and some military segments wavering in their support.
• On February 22, Qaddafi condemned protesters as traitors and called on supporters to fight them, vowing to remain in Libya and use violence to stay in power.
• As military units sided with the opposition, demonstrators acquired weapons, and the anti-Qaddafi movement became an armed rebellion, expelling pro-Qaddafi troops from eastern Libya and many western cities by February 23.
• Pro-Qaddafi units continued to hold Tripoli, where Qaddafi and his inner circle remained.
• On February 24, Qaddafi claimed protesters were using hallucinogenic drugs and being controlled by al-Qaeda.
• International efforts to intervene were complicated by the presence of foreign nationals awaiting evacuation.
• On February 25, pro-Qaddafi gunmen attacked unarmed protesters in Tripoli after Friday prayers.
• The UN Security Council approved sanctions against the Qaddafi regime, including a travel ban, arms embargo, asset freeze, and referral to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
• The United States, the EU, and other countries also imposed sanctions and on February 28, the U.S. announced it had frozen at least $30 billion in Libyan assets.
• Qaddafi invited Western journalists to Tripoli, blaming al-Qaeda and hallucinogenic drugs for the uprising, claiming Western leaders wanted to colonize Libya, and insisted he was still well-loved.
• In early March, the Transitional National Council (TNC) appeared in Benghazi, aiming to act as the rebellion’s military leadership and representative of the Libyan opposition, to provide services in rebel-held areas, and guide the country’s transition to democratic government.
• As conditions worsened, thousands fled and governments and humanitarian organizations addressed shortages of food, fuel, and medical supplies.
• After rebels took control of eastern Libya and some western cities, the conflict reached a stalemate, with Qaddafi's regime holding Tripoli and staging assaults, while rebel fighters, though poorly equipped, were largely able to repel them.
• Most fighting occurred around Tripoli and in the central coastal region, with battles for control of oil-export terminals on the Gulf of Sidra.
• By March 10, pro-Qaddafi forces had driven rebel forces from Zawiyah and Ras Lanuf, highlighting their advantages in weaponry, training, and organization.
• On March 10, France granted the TNC official recognition as Libya’s legitimate government.
• On March 11, the EU called for Qaddafi to step down, but the international community was divided over military intervention, such as imposing a no-fly zone.
• The African Union (AU) rejected military intervention, advocating negotiations, while the Arab League called on the UN Security Council to impose a no-fly zone on March 13.
• On March 15, Qaddafi loyalists launched an assault on Ajdābiyā and on March 17, the UN Security Council authorized military action, including a no-fly zone, to protect Libyan civilians.
• Beginning March 19, a coalition of U.S. and European forces attacked targets in Libya to disable its air force and air defense systems and coalition missiles struck Qaddafi's command centre.
• On March 23, coalition spokesmen announced that the Libyan air force had been disabled by coalition air strikes, but heavy ground fighting continued.
• On March 27, NATO officially took command of military operations in Libya, after debates over the limits of international military intervention.
• On March 30, Libyan foreign minister Moussa Koussa defected to the United Kingdom.
• An AU delegation traveled to Tripoli on April 10 to present a cease-fire plan to Qaddafi, who accepted it, but rebel leaders rejected it because it did not provide for Qaddafi’s departure.
• On April 19, the United Kingdom announced it would send military liaison officers to advise rebel leaders and on April 20, France and Italy announced they would also send advisers.
• NATO attacks targeted sites associated with Qaddafi and his inner circle and in April, his son Sayf al-Arab and three grandchildren were killed in a NATO air strike.
• In June, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Qaddafi, his son Sayf al-Islam, and Libyan intelligence chief Abdullah Senussi for ordering attacks against civilians.
• Rebel forces advanced to Tripoli’s outskirts in August 2011, taking control of strategic areas, and rebels soon advanced into Tripoli, establishing control over some areas of the capital on August 22 and on August 23, rebel forces captured Qaddafi’s headquarters.
• By early September, rebel forces had solidified their control of Tripoli and on September 15, the UN General Assembly voted to recognize the TNC as the representative of the Libyan people in the UN.
• On October 20, Qaddafi was discovered and killed by rebel fighters in his hometown, Sirte.
• The TNC struggled to establish a functional government, with local rebel militias reluctant to submit to an interim government and skirmishes between rival militias were common.

Libya Facts and Figures

• Official Name: The Libyan Republic
• Area: 686,127 square miles (1,777,060 square km)
• Population (2010 est.): 6,546,000
• Age Breakdown (2009): Under age 15, 33.0%; 15–29, 28.6%; 30–44, 21.9%; 45–59, 10.1%; 60–74, 4.7%; 75 and over, 1.7%
• Form of Government: Interim government led by Transitional National Council
• Capital: Tripoli
• Other Major Cities: Benghazi, Misurata
• Official Language: Arabic
• Official Religion: Islam
• Religious Affiliation (2000): Muslim, 96.1%, of which nearly all are Sunni; Orthodox Christian, 1.9%; Roman Catholic, 0.8%; other, 1.2%
• Unemployment Rate (2004): 30%
• Literacy Rate (2007): Total population age 15 and older, 88.1%; males, 93.0%; females, 83.1%

Key Events in Libya, 1951–2011

• 1951: Libya declares independence with UN backing, uniting its three provinces under a constitutional monarchy; Sīdī Muḥammad Idrīs al-Mahdī al-Sanūsī becomes King Idris I.
• 1953: Libya allows Britain to establish a military base in exchange for aid and a similar agreement is signed with the United States in 1954.
• 1959: Significant oil reserves are discovered, transforming Libyan society and increasing urbanization and economic inequality.
• 1969: Muammar al-Qaddafi leads a group of junior military officers to seize power while King Idris I is in Turkey.
• 1970: British and American military forces are evacuated and the Libyan government nationalizes the oil industry.
• 1973: Qaddafi announces a reorganization of Libyan society based on his Third Universal Theory.
• 1977: The Qaddafi government institutes policies restricting private ownership and commerce, with housing, businesses, and real estate nationalized or confiscated between 1978 and 1981.
• 1979: The U.S. designates Libya a state sponsor of terrorism and imposes economic sanctions.
• 1986: The U.S. launches air strikes on Tripoli and Benghazi after a bombing in a West Berlin nightclub.
• 1987: The Qaddafi government begins to relax restrictions on private ownership due to the faltering Libyan economy.
• 1988: Pan Am flight 103 is bombed over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 270 people.
• 1992: Libya refuses to comply with a UN Security Council resolution regarding suspects in the Pan Am flight 103 investigation, leading to greater international sanctions.
• 1998: The UN Security Council offers to suspend sanctions if Libya cooperates with the Pan Am flight 103 investigation.
• 1999: Libya turns over the Pan Am flight 103 suspects, leading to improved relations with the international community and the UN suspends sanctions.
• 2001: Abdelbaset al-Megrahi is convicted for the Pan Am flight 103 bombing.
• 2003: Libya takes steps toward economic and diplomatic re-engagement, with the Libyan General People’s Congress passing economic reform measures and Libya agreeing to pay $2.7 billion in compensation to the families of the victims of Pan Am flight 103 bombing.
• 2004: Most U.S. economic sanctions against Libya are lifted.
• 2005: Sayf al-Islam announces a program of economic reform and modernization.
• 2009: Megrahi receives a compassionate release from prison in Scotland and upon returning to Libya, receives a hero’s welcome.

Revolt and Aftermath in Libya, 2011–12

• February 15, 2011: Protests erupt in Benghazi after a human rights activist is arrested and Libyan security forces and Qaddafi loyalists attack the crowds.
• February 20, 2011: Sayf al-Islam claims that the protests are part of a foreign plot and vows that the regime will fight “to the last bullet."
• February 21, 2011: Two Libyan fighter pilots defect, flying their jets to Malta and a number of high-level Libyan officials and diplomats also defect.
• February 22, 2011: Qaddafi condemns the protesters as traitors and agents of al-Qaeda.
• February 23, 2011: Rebels appear to have expelled pro-Qaddafi forces from most of eastern Libya and some cities in the western region.
• February 26, 2011: The UN Security Council approves sanctions against the Qaddafi regime.
• February 27, 2011: Rebel forces move west, taking control of several cities in the Tripoli area, including Zawiyah.
• March 3, 2011: The International Criminal Court announces that it will open an investigation into possible crimes against humanity by the Qaddafi regime.
• March 5, 2011: The Transitional National Council (TNC) issues a statement declaring itself the sole representative of Libya.
• March 10, 2011: Pro-Qaddafi forces drive the rebels out of Zawiyah and strategic areas around the Gulf of Sidra.
• March 11, 2011: The EU calls on Qaddafi to step down, but the international community remains divided over the possibility of imposing a no-fly zone.
• March 17, 2011: The UN Security Council votes to authorize military intervention to protect Libyan civilians as pro-Qaddafi forces advance toward Benghazi.
• March 19, 2011: U.S. and European forces launch air attacks to disable Libyan air defenses.
• March 27, 2011: NATO takes over full command of military intervention operations in Libya.
• March 30, 2011: Moussa Koussa, the Libyan foreign minister, flees to the United Kingdom.
• April 10, 2011: An African Union (AU) delegation travels to Tripoli to present a cease-fire plan to Qaddafi and he reportedly accepts the plan.
• April 19, 2011: The United Kingdom announces that it will send military officers to advise the rebel leadership.
• April 30, 2011: A NATO air strike targets a house in Qaddafi’s Bāb al-ʿAzīziyyah compound in Tripoli, killing Qaddafi’s son Sayf al-Arab and three of Qaddafi’s grandchildren.
• May 3, 2011: The Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, calls for Qaddafi to step down immediately.
• May 4, 2011: Pro-Qaddafi forces fire on an aid ship delivering humanitarian supplies and evacuating civilians from Misurata.
• May 5, 2011: Representatives of NATO countries and Arab countries agree to set up a temporary fund to deliver financial aid to the TNC.
• May 15, 2011: Representatives of the TNC announce that rebel forces have established full control over the city of Misurata.
• May 16, 2011: The ICC announces that it will seek arrest warrants against Qaddafi, his son Sayf al-Islam, and the Libyan intelligence chief, Abdullah Senussi.
• May 30, 2011: Jacob Zuma meets with Qaddafi in Tripoli to discuss the conflict and announces that Qaddafi is prepared to accept a cease-fire proposed by the AU in April.
• June 1, 2011: A UN commission finds that forces loyal to Qaddafi committed war crimes severe enough to constitute crimes against humanity and also finds evidence of war crimes by rebel forces.
• June 27, 2011: The ICC issues arrest warrants for Qaddafi, his son Sayf al-Islam, and Libyan intelligence chief Abdullah Senussi.
• June 29, 2011: France admits that it shipped light arms and ammunition to the rebels in June.
• July 15, 2011: The United States formally recognizes the TNC as the legitimate governing authority in Libya, paving the way for the TNC to access $30 billion in frozen Libyan assets.
• July 16, 2011: U.S. diplomats meet with Qaddafi representatives in Tunisia.
• July 28, 2011: Gen. Abdul Fattah Younes, the rebel military commander, is killed under mysterious circumstances while being detained by rebel forces.
• August 19, 2011: Rebel fighters take control of most of the city of Zawiyah, on the outskirts of Tripoli.
• August 20, 2011: Rebel forces encircle Tripoli, clashing with Qaddafi loyalists.
• August 22, 2011: Rebel forces take control of some areas of Tripoli and TNC leader Mustafa Abdul Jalil makes a public address anticipating the fall of the Qaddafi regime.
• August 23, 2011: Rebel forces gain the upper hand in Tripoli, capturing the Bāb al-ʿAzīziyyah compound.
• August 25, 2011: Qaddafi urges Libyans to resist the rebels and the rebels offer a reward of $1.7 million for anyone who captures or kills Qaddafi.
• August 26, 2011: The TNC announces that it will begin the process of transferring its base of operations from Benghazi to Tripoli.
• August 29, 2011: Qaddafi’s wife and several of his children flee to Algeria.
• August 30, 2011: Rebel leaders issue an ultimatum to loyalist forces, giving them until September 3 to surrender Sirte and other cities under their control.
• September 10, 2011: Mustafa Abdul Jalil arrives in Tripoli for the first time since the fall of the capital.
• September 16, 2011: The UN General Assembly votes to recognize the TNC as the representative of the Libyan people in the UN.
• October 20, 2011: Qaddafi is killed by rebel forces in Sirte.
• October 23, 2011: Mustafa Abdul Jalil declares national liberation in an address in Benghazi.
• October 24, 2011: Mustafa Abdul Jalil promises an investigation into the circumstances of Qaddafi’s death.
• October 27, 2011: The UN Security Council votes to end international military operations in Libya on October 31.
• October 31, 2011: The TNC votes to appoint Abdel Rahim al-Keeb as interim prime minister.
• November 19, 2011: Sayf al-Islam Qaddafi is captured near the town of Sabhā in southwestern Libya.
• December 16, 2011: The UN Security Council and the United States lift sanctions placed on Libya’s central bank during the uprising.
• December 25, 2011: TNC officials announce a plan to integrate fighters from regional rebel militias into Libya’s national armed forces.
• January 4, 2012: Jalil says that by refusing to disarm, militia groups risk pushing Libya toward civil war.
• January 22, 2012: The deputy head of the TNC resigns the day after protesters forced their way into the TNC’s local headquarters in Benghazi.
• January 28, 2012: The TNC approves a new election law calling for constituent assembly elections to be held in June 2012.
• March 2, 2012: A UN report says that rebel militias have committed violations of human rights.
• March 17, 2012: Abdullah Senussi, Qaddafi’s intelligence chief, is arrested in Mauritania.
• May 20, 2012: Abdelbaset al-Megrahi dies in Tripoli.
• July 7, 2012: Libyans vote in elections for a new 200-seat assembly.
• July 17, 2012: Official results show that the National Forces Alliance has won the largest number of seats in the new assembly.
• September 11, 2012: Members of an Islamist militant group attack the U.S. consulate in Benghazi and Christopher Stevens is killed in the attack, along with three other Americans.