7 November 2022, NIICE Commentary 8390
Malavika Nandan
Geography has always been a vital component when it comes to Libya. Resting on the periphery of the three worlds: Arab, Mediterranean, and African, the influence that the region has on Libya is significant. Therefore, when a young college graduate, Mohammad Bouazizi, set himself on fire in Tunisia after his license was confiscated, he probably was unaware that it was the beginning of civil resistance (Jasmine revolution), which would lead to the toppling of several regimes. From Tunisia, it spread to Egypt, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Yemen, Sudan, and Bahrain.
The Arab spring movements shared several common grievances: lack of democracy which led to monarchs ruling over a country for extended periods, as in the case of Gaddafi, who ruled over Libya for 40 years. Corruption at top levels, lack of employment among youth, rising food prices, and human rights violations led to dissatisfaction among people, especially among educated young people. Social media provided a platform to mobilize people, organize protests, and spread awareness. One cannot consider it a coincidence that most of the leaders who came under attack, be it, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi of Libya, President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, or President Al Assad of Syria, were all leaders supported by the USA.
Rise of Gaddafi to Power
Colonel Muammar Gadaffi, in 1969, led a small group of officers who captured power in Libya in a bloodless coup. This happened as King Idris of Libya, considered too pro-west, went to Turkey for his treatment. Gadaffi remained in power until 2011 when he was overthrown. Economically, Libya enjoyed having enormous hydrocarbon and oil reserves, and much of the wealth from reserves was used by Gadaffi to improve the condition and modernize the country. Socially, there were employment programs organized, free medical treatments, and housing projects, women’s rights improved, and child mortality rates fell because of increased living standards. While Libya started being one of the most advanced countries in Africa, Muammar Gadaffi also had its critics. This was mainly because he was supplying arms to the IRA and financing anti-western communist and Islamist groups, which made the European and American countries suspicious of his intentions.
17 February 2011- The Day of Rage
Following the news of the protests in Egypt and Tunisia due to high living costs, the Gaddafi government lowered the cost of imported food and other necessary items. However, this came too late, as anti-government protestors across Libya held demonstrations accusing the regime of corruption and incompetence. This further escalated when Wikileaks released documents that accused the regime of greed and rivalry. On February 17, the regime retaliated with force and repression, killing several people. While peaceful appeasement would have been a better option, the violence inflicted on people, and the speech by Saif al Islam, one of Gaddafi’s sons, blaming extremist Islamist groups for the brutality did not go well with the protestors. Many officials of the Gadaffi regime resigned as well, thus adding fuel to the fire. Gadaffi had no intention of backing down and proclaimed that they would fight till the last bullet.
The UN Security Council imposed a no-fly zone over Libya and took all necessary measures to protect the civilians under threat of attack. One week later, NATO enforced the No-fly zone and was supported by the United Arab Emirates and Qatar by providing planes for its effort. Gadaffi offered a ceasefire with NATO; however, the rebels rejected this offer.
Gadaffi’s statements and public speeches also criticized the young people and alleged that they were acting under the influence of drugs. Al Qaeda was thought to be the master brain of the demonstrations, and it felt as if Gaddafi undermined the causes and reasons and the anger among the people that led to the demonstrations and protests. As civilian deaths increased, Economic sanctions were imposed on Libya, and the family assets of Gaddafi were frozen.
Birth of the National Transitional Council
NATO airstrikes kept up the pressure on the regime and the rebels, in order to give a political affiliation to the February 17 movement, the rebels formed the National Transitional Council (NTC) with the vision of having a “modern, free and united Libya espousing principles of political democracy”. Countries such as the UK recognized NTC as a legitimate government of Libya, but there were concerns whether NTC could be a symbol of disunity because of divisions among the various militias among the rebels themselves.
Gadaffi’s children and grandsons were killed in an air strike held by NATO, and he withdrew to his birthplace, Sirte. NTC troops soon captured power over SIRTE, and Gaddafi was killed on October 20, which ended his 42-year rule. The elimination of Gaddafi’s rule attracted divided viewpoints. The USA, the UK, and many European countries supported the idea as it emphasized the win of NATO and their duty to spread democracy. China, Russia, Brazil, and Turkey held the view that the civil war should have been left to take its course and interference by NATO was unnecessary. Muammar Gaddafi had many supporters, keeping in mind the demonstrations held by the regime loyalists on July 1 and the battle they put up against the rebels. After all, he had made efforts to improve people’s living standards, and during his time, the per capita income of people increased as well.
Soon after, an interim government was set up under NTC, and in 2012, power was transferred to a formed government. In 2014, they were forced out due to the meager turnout during elections. Things would have been much different if Libya had undertaken an approach of a negotiated peace to the various conflicts rather than a violent movement. 11 years later, Gaddafi’s demise did not provide the country with enough stability or even democracy; instead, the country seems to be divided on various ideological and religious issues ruled by the US-backed government on one side and Libyan National army on the other side. We can deduce that not all movements lead to democracy, and Libya, after millions of deaths and much struggle, is still unstable and trying to find safe ground.
Malavika Nandan is pursuing her Masters’s in International Studies from Christ University, Bangalore, India.
