What We Were Afraid Of in Libya

By Jordan Morris

Gen. Khalifa Haftar

Three years after the fall of Col. Moammar Qaddafi, Libyans find themselves caught in the crossfire between the divided revolutionary militias. Airstrikes employed by NATO to overthrow the dictator of 42 years were seen as both a tactical victory for NATO and one of progress for humanitarian and democratic intervention. In 2014, pats on the back and rounds of applause of 2011 have fallen silent. Today Libya’s two largest cities have descended into exchanges of rocket-fire, airstrikes, and urban ground-force confrontation. The roots of current violence can traced back to the return of Khalifa Haftar, former Qaddafi Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces and current ‘General’ of the Libyan National Army. Haftar had been living in the U.S. since being disowned by Qaddafi after failed military operations in Chad in the late 1980's. When the revolution began in 2011, Haftar returned to Libya to head the offensive against Qaddafi. In February, Haftar called for suspension of the government. On May 14th, the General launched Operation Libyan Dignity, with the objective of removing Islamist extremism from Libya and their newly formed parliament, the Democratic National Conference. Because of the lack of a strong national army, the government will frequently call on local militias for security and police presence, many of who exhibit extremist tendencies.

The fighting can be loosely described as having two sides, but both sides are largely made up of militias and rebel groups with their own chains of command and ideologies.

Gen. Haftar’s Libyan National Army is really a cohort of militia’s he commanded during the overthrow of Qaddafi who share his secular ambition. Recently, Al-Saiqa Forces, an elite Libyan commando unit, aligned itself with Haftar’s army. The addition allowed them access to aircraft, advanced weaponry and trained soldiers. Part of the motivation for Al-Saiqa were their confrontations with al-Qaeda affiliate Ansar al-Sharia. In May, General Haftar launched an attack against the parliament in Tripoli, an attack that the Democratic National Conference called upon Ansar to defend. Fighting between the two continued as recently as July 30th, when Ansar successfully besieged an Air Force base in Benghazi that had been held by Libyan National Army forces, leaving thirty dead. Khalifa Haftar denounces the government because many of the representatives are members of the Muslim Brotherhood affiliate, The Justice and Construction Party. The election of Prime Minister Ahmed Matiq was also shrouded in controversy due to abstention by the parliament’s secular lawmakers. General Haftar has received strong backing by many who wish to avoid the creation of an Islamist state, something that the LNA believes is likely under the current government. On the other hand, current members of the government claim that Haftar is using his military credentials to start a coup, though he claims that his movement is an expression of will of the Libyan people.

Conflict History: Libyan Civil War

By Laura Mintert

Colonel Muammar el-Qaddafi took power in 1969 and was determined to spread Libya’s influence all over Africa and had a large support group because of Libya’s oil revenues.  In 1979, America cut off their relations with Libya after a mob burned down the American Embassy.  The relationship between America and Libya got worse after a club in Germany was bombed, and two American servicemen were killed in 1986.  America responded to the incident by bombing Tripoli and Benghazi.  Forward to 2003, and it seemed that Qaddafi had a change of heart.  He rebuilt diplomatic and economic ties throughout Europe.  Qaddafi could be described as a power hungry ruler who did not care about his own citizens of Libya, unless they are rebelling against him.  His son, Seif Qadaffi, served as a bond between Libya and the west for years.  Everything seemed great from the outside, but in reality, in Tripoli, the unemployment rate was 30%, the streets were in terrible shape, and places for tourists were rare. 

The Libyan conflict had its official start in February 2011 where protestors modeled a “day of rage” against Qaddafi’s 40 year rule.  Millions of citizens in the Middle East are uneducated, impoverished, and alienated due to social contracts with the people and their government.  The attitudes between people and the government have hardened, foreshadowing confrontations in the future.  As the week went on, the battles in Libya became bloodier as the government brought out their supporters to countermarch the protests.  The whole conflict is centered on human rights and the need for freedom.  The conflict was historically inevitable because tension had been building for decades.

Qaddafi always kept his military too weak and divided to avoid a rebel against him.  Half of Libya’s 50,000-men military was made up of poorly trained and unreliable recruits.  They were organized along tribal lines to make sure that they were loyal to their own circle, rather than to top military commanders.  This was evident in the failure of parts of the army to help protesters take the eastern city of Benghazi.  At the top of the military pyramid was Qaddafi’s 3,000-men revolutionary guard corps that guarded him and his family personally.  The biggest group of force for Qaddafi was the Islamic Pan African Brigade which was a group of 2,500 mercenaries from Chad, Sudan, and Niger.

On February 25, 2011, mercenaries and army forces put down an attempt from protestors to break hold of Qaddafi’s power on the capital city.  This was the protestors’ first major challenge to the government’s crackdown.  Colonel Tarek Saad Hussein, a rebel officer who coordinated an attack on Tripoli, was especially angered that the supporters used arms on the rebels when the rebels themselves had no weapons. The rebels were shot by Qaddafi’s supporters right after their prayers coming out of the mosque.  Outside forces have helped the rebels fight against Qaddafi.  On March 19, American and European powers began a wide campaign of strikes against him and his government, unleashing warplanes and missiles in a military intervention.  The conflict has been violent since day one because Qaddafi fought back violently against the rebels’ peaceful protests.  NATO stepped in when Qaddafi’s people got close to Benghazi, a strong rebel force in the West, because it was turning into an unbalanced civil war.  This is when American and European powers started bombing in March.  This momentum of NATO helped the rebels get back their strength and power.

As the battles moved from Benghazi to Tripoli, the battles fought have become bloodier as time progressed because Qaddafi fought back so violently.  Six months of fighting that led to no conclusions gave way to an attack in Tripoli on August 21, 2011.  The rebels celebrated their capture of the capital, while Qaddafi’s power continuously crumbled.  Two days later, and the rebel forces made another crucial capture of Qaddafi’s compound and Qaddafi was nowhere to be found.  The rebels officially have power in the country with the absence of Qaddafi.

With all the history laid out and an understanding has been formed on why Libya overthrew their ruler, we can all now look forward to what type of government the Libyans will choose.  President Obama has stepped in and met with Mustafa Abdel-Jalil, the transitional leader and head of the provisional Libyan government,  at the United Nations and announced that the United States is reopening its’ embassy in Tripoli.  Abdel-Jalil stated that Libya will become a responsible member of the international community, respecting the beliefs of the United Nations agreement.

On October 18, 2011, Qaddafi was pronounced killed as fighters gained control of Surt after an extensive struggle.  Wild celebrations broke out across the country, and photos of his deceased body showed bullet wounds to the head.  Abdel-Jalil, declared to thousands of celebrators that Libya’s revolution had ended.  He set the country on path to elections and swore that the fresh government would be grounded on Islamic beliefs.  Most recently on October 26, Jalil asked NATO to extend its air patrols through December and add military advisors on the ground, despite the official statement on Sunday of the country’s freedom after the assassination of Qaddafi.  He wants NATO to stay because he worries that the withstanding supporters of Qaddafi may launch attacks from neighboring countries.  Now that the main power of Libya is officially deceased, the country can focus on rebuilding the cities and empowering the citizens in a liberating environment.  

Libya, "Slipping from the Grasp of a Tyrant"

Alyssa Stressing

Libya has spent more than forty years under the power of Muammar el-Qaddafi. In February 2011 conflict began in many cities. The conflict began with an organized group of anti-government rebels. The war is between Qaddafi’s loyalists and the rebels who want to overthrow the government. On August 21, 2011 rebel forces rushed Tripoli, the capital of Libya, and arrested two of Qaddafi’s sons, while they and the residents celebrated the potential end of his rule. The rebels had announced that the guards protecting Qaddafi had surrendered and they had also gained control of many parts of the city, except Qaddafi’s compound. President Obama stated, “Tripoli is slipping from the grasp of a tyrant and his regime is showing signs of collapsing. The people of Libya are showing that the universal pursuit of dignity and freedom is far stronger than the iron fist of a dictator.”  Qaddafi’s hold on power was decreasing as the rebels had taken over his compound on August 23, 2011 and gained control after days of fighting.

On August 30, 2011, the rebels offered a four-day deadline for the loyalists to surrender. The ultimatum signaled a rebel movement, which was encouraged by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO. The Rebel’s chairman Mustafa Abdel-Jalil recently stated.  Peaceful acknowledgement of the deadline must be indicated or “the matter will be decided militarily.” The ultimatum is targeted at Qaddafi’s loyalists in Sirte, his hometown, and other towns. The rebel forces gave the ultimatum after news broke that Qaddafi’s wife and three of his children fled to Algeria. The reason for refuge as given by Algeria’s ambassador to the UN, Mourad Benmehidi, said that he was abiding by his country’s “holy rule of hospitality.” Although Algeria has taken in Qaddafi’s family, officials say that they are remaining neutral as they have been for the past six months. The announcement was the first confirmation on the whereabouts of Qaddafi’s family since rebel forces moved the Qaddafi unit a week ago. This event is a major turn in the Libyan conflict.  The Libyan rebels are determined to handle the conflict without the intervention of UN Peacekeeping forces however, Qaddafi’s whereabouts are still unknown, and the rebel forces claim that they will not consider themselves victorious until Qaddafi is captured or killed.