Aftermath of the 2011 Libyan civil war
Encyclopedia
The aftermath of the 2011 Libyan civil war was characterized by marked change in the social and political order of Libya
, following the overthrow and killing of Muammar Gaddafi
in the 2011 Libyan civil war
.
After the interim National Transitional Council
(NTC) declared that the country had been liberated in October, it began a process to form a new government and prosecute former Gaddafi officials. In the absence of an organized military, armed militias of former rebels continued to assert their role as "guardians of the revolution" around the country, and there were reports of vigilante justice and sporadic clashes between rival militias. International organizations voiced concerns over the proliferation of weapons in the region, and the risk that they might fall into the hands of militant Islamists.
The NTC took steps to reconcile the various tribal and regional factions of the country. There were complaints from minority groups that they had been neglected in the appointment of the interim government. Key Islamist figures who had taken part in the uprising announced their intention to form moderate political parties which will run in the upcoming elections.
. Within weeks, violence broke out in clashes between police and protesters. In Februrary, the National Transitional Council
(NTC) was formed in an effort to consolidate efforts for change in the rule of Libya. Gaddafi forces lost control of several cities in eastern Libya, and a number of officials resigned or defected from his government. In March, Gaddafi forces launched a counteroffensive, and regained many of the cities that had been lost to opposition forces. In mid-March, tanks of Gaddafi forces rolled into the main remaining bastion of the opposition forces, Benghazi
. At the same time, aircraft of the French Air Force
entered Libyan airspace under the mandate of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973
, to prevent any attacks on the city. A multinational coalition launched a large scale air-based military intervention
to disable the Gaddafi government's military capabilities and enforce the UN Security Council resolution. By the end of March, command of the coalition operations had been assumed by NATO under Operation Unified Protector
.
The following months were characterized by a stalemate on the ground, as opposition fighters were unable to retake cities in western Libya. The stalemate was broken in August as opposition forces advanced on the cities surrounding Tripoli
. By the end of August, opposition fighters had captured Tripoli, with little resistance from Gaddafi forces. The opposition then launched a series of campaigns against the last pockets of resistance by Gaddafi loyalists, and in October, Gaddafi and several other leading figures in his government were captured and killed in Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte
.
officially declared that Libya had been liberated.
Libya's de facto prime minister, Mahmoud 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. Jibril then stepped down to make place for elections and was succeeded as interim prime minister by Abdurrahim El-Keib
after a brief period in which his deputy, Ali Tarhouni
, assumed his duties. El-Keib was elected by members of the National Transitional Council, gaining 26 out of 51 votes.
On 31 October, the United Nations mandate authorising international military action in Libya was lifted, and NATO's Operation Unified Protector
formally ended, in spite of requests by the NTC for military assistance to continue.
. Ashour Bin Hayal, a diplomat originally from Derna
, was named foreign minister
. Hassan Ziglam, an oil industry executive, was named finance minister
. Ali Hameda Ashour was named justice minister
. Abdulrahman Ben Yezza, a former executive with the Italian oil and gas company Eni
, was made oil minister.
in the Libyan Desert
by Zintani militiamen on 19 November. His capture was confirmed by the International Criminal Court
(ICC), which issued an arrest warrant for Saif al-Islam Gaddafi and his father during the war. The military council in Zintan said it would hold the Gaddafi son in Zintan until Abdurrahim El-Keib
, the incoming prime minister of Libya, formed a government it considered capable of taking custody of the high-ranking prisoner.
The chief prosecutor of the ICC, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, said that he was "not competing" with Libyan authorities to prosecute Saif al-Islam Gaddafi and that he was happy for the case to be tried in Libya. The ICC said in a separate statement that it had the "exclusive competence" to decide on the continuation of the case before the court, and that if Libyan authorities wish to conduct the prosecutions against Gaddafi in their own country, they must submit a challenge to the admissibility of the case to the ICC.
On 11 November, Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou
said his government had decided to grant Al-Saadi Gaddafi, one of Muammar Gaddafi
's sons wanted by the National Transitional Council
on suspicion of war crimes, asylum "on humanitarian grounds".
Reports suggested sporadic clashes between rival militias, and vigilante revenge killings. Civilian residents reported being subjected to looting and robbery by gunmen.
According to interim interior minister Fawzi Abdelali, the authorities are planning to integrate 50,000 former rebels in the security forces of the defence and interior ministries. Over the long term, 200,000 fighters will be rehabilitated.
ns, in some cases accused or suspected of being pro-Gaddafi mercenaries, and some individuals were "being targeted because of the colour of their skin".
Libyan officials acknowledged that prisoners held by revolutionary forces had been abused, but insisted that the mistreatment had been commited by militias not yet under the control of the new government and that the authorities were trying to eliminate it.
expressed concern over the proliferation of weapons from Gaddafi's stockpiles, worrying they could fall into the hands of al-Qaeda
and other militant groups. Officials of the NTC said it was not clear how many weapons were still in circulation.
A report by the United Nations Support Mission in Libya
said that Gaddafi's government had accumulated a large stockpile of MANPADs, and that although thousands were destroyed during the 2011 military intervention in Libya
, there were "increasing concerns over the looting and likely proliferation of these portable defence systems, as well as munitions and mines, highlighting the potential risk to local and regional stability."
In November, a convoy loaded with heavy weaponry was intercepted when trying to cross from Libya into neighboring Niger, according to Nigerien security officials. The officials said the convoy was composed of loyalists of Muammar Gaddafi. Mokhtar Belmokhtar, believed to be one of the leaders of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, acknowledged that his Al-Qaeda franchise had acquired weaponry from Gaddafi's arsenal.
was appointed commander of the Tripoli Military Council, a grouping of several brigades of rebels involved in taking the capital. Belhadj was the emir
of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group
, a militant Islamist
group banned under Gaddafi's rule. In 2004, he was taken into custody by the CIA and rendered to the Gaddafi government, who held him in the Abu Salim prison
for seven years, where he claims to have been subjected to torture. Rival commanders have complained that Belhadj has close ties to the Qatar
i monarchy.
Ali al-Sallabi
, an Islamist cleric, who lived in Doha
for four years, was a key conduit for weapons, vehicles and funds from Qatar to the Libyan rebels during the civil war. Rebel commanders outside of Sallabi's circle openly complained that they lacked weapons and medical supplies, leading NTC's head of government, Mahmoud Jibril
, to send an envoy to Doha to lobby for weapons and supplies to be sent through him. But of the 18 planeloads from Qatar, only five were sent through this NTC-approved channel. This led NTC and Western officials to raise concerns that the Qataris seemed to be aiding primarily Islamist leaders at the expense of the NTC. Sallabi, who is well-known as an Islamic scholar and orator in Libya, announced the formation of a party based on Islamic principles, which will run in the democratic elections.
Libya's ambassador to the United Nations
, Abdel Rahman Shalgham
, criticized Qatar's presence in the country, saying that the emirate wasn't neutral, and had forced itself upon Libya, and that it "might have delusions of leading the region".
ien soldier was killed in a clash with a convoy of Gaddafi loyalists that crossed into Niger.
Fathi Ben Khalifa, president of the World Amazigh Congress
, has criticized the NTC for not formally recognizing the Berber people
, saying that his people is experiencing a "déjà vu feeling", as Libya's rulers also failed to recognize the Berbers when the country gained its independence in 1951, making way for Gaddafi's policies of assimilation
. Khalifa claims that the NTC is adhering to "Arab and Islamist" ideologies that caused "much of what has happened in [Libya] for the last decades", and that the council envisions the new Libya being rooted in an exclusively Islam
ic constitution. According to Khalifa, "no [Berber] will accept this situation".
Smaller tribal groups complained they had been neglected in the interim government announced by the NTC on 22 November. Members of the Benghazi-based Awagi and Maghariba tribes protested that their representatives were not selected for key posts. A group calling itself the Libyan Amazigh Congress called for a suspension of relations with the NTC until it "reconciles with the demands of Amazigh Libyans."
, a well-known Muslim cleric who played a key role in funneling arms from Qatar
to the anti-Gaddafi fighters during the civil war, has announced the formation of a party with the provisional name "The National Gathering for Freedom, Justice and Development". According to Sallabi, the party is not Islamist, but respects the general principles of Islam and Libyan culture. Sallabi would not oppose Hamas
' armed struggle against Israel and supports the lifting of laws banning polygamy
. The party has the backing of the head of the Tripoli Military Council, Abdelhakim Belhadj
, as well as tribal leaders and members of the NTC.
On 17 November, the Muslim Brotherhood
held its first public conference on Libyan soil in Benghazi
after having been banned for decades under Gaddafi's government. Suleiman Abdelkader, leader of the Libyan Muslim Brotherhood, said that rebuilding the country "is not a task for one group or one party but for everyone, based on their ability." He also said his organization would not take part in the interim government.
(SNC) as Syria's "legitimate authority". In November, the Libyan authorities met secretly with members of the SNC and offered them money, arms, and potentially volunteer fighters for their insurgency against the government of Bashar al-Assad
. Abdelhakim Belhadj
, head of the Tripoli Military Council, met with leaders of the Free Syrian Army
to discuss sending Libyan fighters to train the army's troops.
On 25 November, NTC chairman Mustafa Abdul Jalil
met with the President of Sudan
, Omar al-Bashir
, thanking the country for its support of the rebels during the civil war. The government of Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court
on charges of genocide
in Darfur
, supplied the Libyan rebels with arms and ammunition during the uprising. Jalil voved to establish ties with Sudan in all fields and promised "high-level security cooperation" with the country.
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
, following the overthrow and killing of Muammar Gaddafi
Muammar Gaddafi
Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar Gaddafi or "September 1942" 20 October 2011), commonly known as Muammar Gaddafi or Colonel Gaddafi, was the official ruler of the Libyan Arab Republic from 1969 to 1977 and then the "Brother Leader" of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya from 1977 to 2011.He seized power in a...
in the 2011 Libyan civil war
2011 Libyan civil war
The 2011 Libyan civil war was an armed conflict in the North African state of Libya, fought between forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and those seeking to oust his government. The war was preceded by protests in Benghazi beginning on 15 February 2011, which led to clashes with security...
.
After the interim National Transitional Council
National Transitional Council
The National Transitional Council of Libya , sometimes known as the Transitional National Council, the Interim National Council, or the Libyan National Council,...
(NTC) declared that the country had been liberated in October, it began a process to form a new government and prosecute former Gaddafi officials. In the absence of an organized military, armed militias of former rebels continued to assert their role as "guardians of the revolution" around the country, and there were reports of vigilante justice and sporadic clashes between rival militias. International organizations voiced concerns over the proliferation of weapons in the region, and the risk that they might fall into the hands of militant Islamists.
The NTC took steps to reconcile the various tribal and regional factions of the country. There were complaints from minority groups that they had been neglected in the appointment of the interim government. Key Islamist figures who had taken part in the uprising announced their intention to form moderate political parties which will run in the upcoming elections.
Uprising and civil war
The popular uprising against the government of Gaddafi began in January 2011 as non-violent protests, simultaneously with other protests in the Arab SpringArab Spring
The Arab Spring , otherwise known as the Arab Awakening, is a revolutionary wave of demonstrations and protests occurring in the Arab world that began on Saturday, 18 December 2010...
. Within weeks, violence broke out in clashes between police and protesters. In Februrary, the National Transitional Council
National Transitional Council
The National Transitional Council of Libya , sometimes known as the Transitional National Council, the Interim National Council, or the Libyan National Council,...
(NTC) was formed in an effort to consolidate efforts for change in the rule of Libya. Gaddafi forces lost control of several cities in eastern Libya, and a number of officials resigned or defected from his government. In March, Gaddafi forces launched a counteroffensive, and regained many of the cities that had been lost to opposition forces. In mid-March, tanks of Gaddafi forces rolled into the main remaining bastion of the opposition forces, Benghazi
Benghazi
Benghazi is the second largest city in Libya, the main city of the Cyrenaica region , and the former provisional capital of the National Transitional Council. The wider metropolitan area is also a district of Libya...
. At the same time, aircraft of the French Air Force
French Air Force
The French Air Force , literally Army of the Air) is the air force of the French Armed Forces. It was formed in 1909 as the Service Aéronautique, a service arm of the French Army, then was made an independent military arm in 1933...
entered Libyan airspace under the mandate of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973, on the situation in Libya, is a measure that was adopted on 17 March 2011. The Security Council resolution was proposed by France, Lebanon, and the United Kingdom....
, to prevent any attacks on the city. A multinational coalition launched a large scale air-based military intervention
2011 military intervention in Libya
On 19 March 2011, a multi-state coalition began a military intervention in Libya to implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973, which was taken in response to events during the 2011 Libyan civil war...
to disable the Gaddafi government's military capabilities and enforce the UN Security Council resolution. By the end of March, command of the coalition operations had been assumed by NATO under Operation Unified Protector
Operation Unified Protector
Operation Unified Protector was an NATO operation enforcing United Nations Security Council resolutions 1970 and 1973 concerning the 2011 Libyan civil war and adopted on 17 February and 17 March respectively...
.
The following months were characterized by a stalemate on the ground, as opposition fighters were unable to retake cities in western Libya. The stalemate was broken in August as opposition forces advanced on the cities surrounding Tripoli
Tripoli
Tripoli is the capital and largest city in Libya. It is also known as Western Tripoli , to distinguish it from Tripoli, Lebanon. It is affectionately called The Mermaid of the Mediterranean , describing its turquoise waters and its whitewashed buildings. Tripoli is a Greek name that means "Three...
. By the end of August, opposition fighters had captured Tripoli, with little resistance from Gaddafi forces. The opposition then launched a series of campaigns against the last pockets of resistance by Gaddafi loyalists, and in October, Gaddafi and several other leading figures in his government were captured and killed in Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte
Sirte
Sirte is a city in LibyaSirte may also refer to:* Sirte Declaration, a 1999 resolution to create the African Union* Sirte Oil Company, a Libyan oil companyIn geography:* Gulf of Sirte, alias for Gulf of Sidra on Libya's coast...
.
After Gaddafi
On 23 October 2011, the National Transitional CouncilNational Transitional Council
The National Transitional Council of Libya , sometimes known as the Transitional National Council, the Interim National Council, or the Libyan National Council,...
officially declared that Libya had been liberated.
Libya's de facto prime minister, Mahmoud Jibril
Mahmoud Jibril
Mahmoud Jibril el-Warfally , also transcribed Jabril or Jebril or Gebril, is a Libyan politician who served as the interim Prime Minister of Libya for seven and a half months during the 2011 Libyan civil war, chairing the executive board of the National Transitional Council from 5 March 2011 to 23...
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. Jibril then stepped down to make place for elections and was succeeded as interim prime minister by Abdurrahim El-Keib
Abdurrahim El-Keib
Abdurrahim Khaled Abdulhafiz El-Keib, Ph.D., is a professor of electrical engineering, entrepreneur, and Libyan politician from the city of Sabratha...
after a brief period in which his deputy, Ali Tarhouni
Ali Tarhouni
Ali Abdussalam Tarhouni is a Libyan economist and politician. Tarhouni served as the minister for oil and finance on the National Transitional Council, the provisional governing authority in Libya, from 23 March 2011 to 22 November 2011...
, assumed his duties. El-Keib was elected by members of the National Transitional Council, gaining 26 out of 51 votes.
On 31 October, the United Nations mandate authorising international military action in Libya was lifted, and NATO's Operation Unified Protector
Operation Unified Protector
Operation Unified Protector was an NATO operation enforcing United Nations Security Council resolutions 1970 and 1973 concerning the 2011 Libyan civil war and adopted on 17 February and 17 March respectively...
formally ended, in spite of requests by the NTC for military assistance to continue.
Formation of a government
On 22 November, the NTC named its interim government. Osama Al-Juwali, a commander of the military council in Zintan whose forces were responsible for the capture of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, was named defense minister. Fawzi Abdelali, a militia leader from Misrata, was named interior ministerInterior minister
An interior ministry is a government ministry typically responsible for policing, national security, and immigration matters. The ministry is often headed by a minister of the interior or minister of home affairs...
. Ashour Bin Hayal, a diplomat originally from Derna
Derna
Derna is a commune in northeastern Bihor County, Romania, 50 km from the county seat, Oradea and 35 km from Marghita. It borders the communes of Popeşti, Chişlaz, Brusturi and Spinuş. It is composed of five villages: Derna, Dernişoara, Sacalasău, Sacalasău Nou and Tria.-Demographics:The...
, was named foreign minister
Foreign minister
A Minister of Foreign Affairs, or foreign minister, is a cabinet minister who helps form the foreign policy of a sovereign state. The foreign minister is often regarded as the most senior ministerial position below that of the head of government . It is often granted to the deputy prime minister in...
. Hassan Ziglam, an oil industry executive, was named finance minister
Finance minister
The finance minister is a cabinet position in a government.A minister of finance has many different jobs in a government. He or she helps form the government budget, stimulate the economy, and control finances...
. Ali Hameda Ashour was named justice minister
Justice Minister
A justice ministry is a ministry or other government agency charged with justice. The ministry is often headed by a minister for justice or secretary of justice or secretary for justice; sometimes the head of a department of justice is entitled attorney general.Specific duties may relate to...
. Abdulrahman Ben Yezza, a former executive with the Italian oil and gas company Eni
Eni
Eni S.p.A. is an Italian multinational oil and gas company, present in 70 countries, and currently Italy's largest industrial company with a market capitalization of 87.7 billion euros , as of July 24, 2008...
, was made oil minister.
Prosecution of Gaddafi officials
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, his father's heir apparent, was captured near the town of UbariUbari
Ubari is an oasis town and the capital of the Wadi al Hayaa District, in the Fezzan region of southwestern Libya. It is in the Libyan section of the Sahara Desert...
in the Libyan Desert
Libyan Desert
The Libyan Desert covers an area of approximately 1,100,000 km2, it extends approximately 1100 km from east to west, and 1,000 km from north to south, in about the shape of a rectangle...
by Zintani militiamen on 19 November. His capture was confirmed by the International Criminal Court
International Criminal Court
The International Criminal Court is a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression .It came into being on 1 July 2002—the date its founding treaty, the Rome Statute of the...
(ICC), which issued an arrest warrant for Saif al-Islam Gaddafi and his father during the war. The military council in Zintan said it would hold the Gaddafi son in Zintan until Abdurrahim El-Keib
Abdurrahim El-Keib
Abdurrahim Khaled Abdulhafiz El-Keib, Ph.D., is a professor of electrical engineering, entrepreneur, and Libyan politician from the city of Sabratha...
, the incoming prime minister of Libya, formed a government it considered capable of taking custody of the high-ranking prisoner.
The chief prosecutor of the ICC, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, said that he was "not competing" with Libyan authorities to prosecute Saif al-Islam Gaddafi and that he was happy for the case to be tried in Libya. The ICC said in a separate statement that it had the "exclusive competence" to decide on the continuation of the case before the court, and that if Libyan authorities wish to conduct the prosecutions against Gaddafi in their own country, they must submit a challenge to the admissibility of the case to the ICC.
On 11 November, Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou
Mahamadou Issoufou
Mahamadou Issoufou is a Nigerien politician who has been President of Niger since 7 April 2011. Previously he was Prime Minister of Niger from 1993 to 1994 and President of the National Assembly from 1995 to 1996, and he has stood as a candidate in each presidential election since 1993.Issoufou...
said his government had decided to grant Al-Saadi Gaddafi, one of Muammar Gaddafi
Muammar Gaddafi
Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar Gaddafi or "September 1942" 20 October 2011), commonly known as Muammar Gaddafi or Colonel Gaddafi, was the official ruler of the Libyan Arab Republic from 1969 to 1977 and then the "Brother Leader" of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya from 1977 to 2011.He seized power in a...
's sons wanted by the National Transitional Council
National Transitional Council
The National Transitional Council of Libya , sometimes known as the Transitional National Council, the Interim National Council, or the Libyan National Council,...
on suspicion of war crimes, asylum "on humanitarian grounds".
Lawlessness under the interim government
During the civil war, brigades of armed volunteers sprang up around the country, reporting to local military councils, which became de facto local governments. Civilian leaders say that, after the declaration of liberation, the militias have shifted from merely delaying the surrender of their weapons to actively asserting a continuing political role as "guardians of the revolution". Some of the largest, and most well-equipped brigades are associated with Islamist groups now forming political parties.Reports suggested sporadic clashes between rival militias, and vigilante revenge killings. Civilian residents reported being subjected to looting and robbery by gunmen.
According to interim interior minister Fawzi Abdelali, the authorities are planning to integrate 50,000 former rebels in the security forces of the defence and interior ministries. Over the long term, 200,000 fighters will be rehabilitated.
Extralegal imprisonments
Hundreds of suspected Gaddafi supporters have been rounded up by revolutionary brigades, often on the basis of only rumour and accusation. According to a report by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, up to 7,000 people, including women and children, are being held in in private jails outside the control of the NTC, "with no access to due process in the absence of a functioning police and judiciary". Many of the prisoners are being subjected to torture and systematic abuse, and there are reports of "women held in detention in the absence of female guards and under male supervision, and of children detained alongside adults." A large number of the detainees are sub-Saharan AfricaSub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa as a geographical term refers to the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara. A political definition of Sub-Saharan Africa, instead, covers all African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara...
ns, in some cases accused or suspected of being pro-Gaddafi mercenaries, and some individuals were "being targeted because of the colour of their skin".
Libyan officials acknowledged that prisoners held by revolutionary forces had been abused, but insisted that the mistreatment had been commited by militias not yet under the control of the new government and that the authorities were trying to eliminate it.
Proliferation of weapons
On 31 October, the United Nations Security CouncilUnited Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...
expressed concern over the proliferation of weapons from Gaddafi's stockpiles, worrying they could fall into the hands of al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
and other militant groups. Officials of the NTC said it was not clear how many weapons were still in circulation.
A report by the United Nations Support Mission in Libya
United Nations Support Mission in Libya
The United Nations Support Mission in Libya is a United Nations advanced mission in Libya, in the aftermath of the 2011 Libyan civil war. UNSMIL is not a military mission, but a political one led by the Department of Political Affairs...
said that Gaddafi's government had accumulated a large stockpile of MANPADs, and that although thousands were destroyed during the 2011 military intervention in Libya
2011 military intervention in Libya
On 19 March 2011, a multi-state coalition began a military intervention in Libya to implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973, which was taken in response to events during the 2011 Libyan civil war...
, there were "increasing concerns over the looting and likely proliferation of these portable defence systems, as well as munitions and mines, highlighting the potential risk to local and regional stability."
In November, a convoy loaded with heavy weaponry was intercepted when trying to cross from Libya into neighboring Niger, according to Nigerien security officials. The officials said the convoy was composed of loyalists of Muammar Gaddafi. Mokhtar Belmokhtar, believed to be one of the leaders of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, acknowledged that his Al-Qaeda franchise had acquired weaponry from Gaddafi's arsenal.
Influence of Islamist and foreign powers
In August, Abdelhakim BelhadjAbdelhakim Belhadj
Abdelhakim Belhadj is the emir of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, and a commander of the anti-Gaddafi forces in the 2011 Libyan civil war.- Early life :...
was appointed commander of the Tripoli Military Council, a grouping of several brigades of rebels involved in taking the capital. Belhadj was the emir
Emir
Emir , meaning "commander", "general", or "prince"; also transliterated as Amir, Aamir or Ameer) is a title of high office, used throughout the Muslim world...
of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group
Libyan Islamic Fighting Group
Libyan Islamic Movement formerly known as The Libyan Islamic Fighting Group also known as Al-Jama’a al-Islamiyyah al-Muqatilah bi-Libya is a group active in Libya which played a key role in deposing Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's regime, allying itself with the National Transitional Council.However...
, a militant Islamist
Islamism
Islamism also , lit., "Political Islam" is set of ideologies holding that Islam is not only a religion but also a political system. Islamism is a controversial term, and definitions of it sometimes vary...
group banned under Gaddafi's rule. In 2004, he was taken into custody by the CIA and rendered to the Gaddafi government, who held him in the Abu Salim prison
Abu Salim prison
Abu Salim prison is a top security prison in Tripoli, Libya which was often described as notorious for mistreatment and human rights abuses by human rights activists and other observers before the overthrow of the government of 40 years standing in 2011....
for seven years, where he claims to have been subjected to torture. Rival commanders have complained that Belhadj has close ties to the Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
i monarchy.
Ali al-Sallabi
Ali al-Sallabi
Ali al-Sallabi is a Muslim cleric from Libya. He played a key role in funneling arms to the rebels in the 2011 Libyan civil war and has announced the formation of an Islamic party that will follow "Turkish-style moderation" and which will run in the country's upcoming elections....
, an Islamist cleric, who lived in Doha
Doha
Doha is the capital city of the state of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf, it had a population of 998,651 in 2008, and is also one of the municipalities of Qatar...
for four years, was a key conduit for weapons, vehicles and funds from Qatar to the Libyan rebels during the civil war. Rebel commanders outside of Sallabi's circle openly complained that they lacked weapons and medical supplies, leading NTC's head of government, Mahmoud Jibril
Mahmoud Jibril
Mahmoud Jibril el-Warfally , also transcribed Jabril or Jebril or Gebril, is a Libyan politician who served as the interim Prime Minister of Libya for seven and a half months during the 2011 Libyan civil war, chairing the executive board of the National Transitional Council from 5 March 2011 to 23...
, to send an envoy to Doha to lobby for weapons and supplies to be sent through him. But of the 18 planeloads from Qatar, only five were sent through this NTC-approved channel. This led NTC and Western officials to raise concerns that the Qataris seemed to be aiding primarily Islamist leaders at the expense of the NTC. Sallabi, who is well-known as an Islamic scholar and orator in Libya, announced the formation of a party based on Islamic principles, which will run in the democratic elections.
Libya's ambassador to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, Abdel Rahman Shalgham
Abdel Rahman Shalgham
Abdel Rahman Shalgam is a Libyan politician. He was Foreign Minister of Libya from 2000 to 2009.From 1984 to 1995, before taking the office of Foreign Minister, Abdel Rahman Shalgham was Secretary of Libya's People's Bureau to Rome, Italy.From 1998 to 2000 he was appointed Secretary of Foreign...
, criticized Qatar's presence in the country, saying that the emirate wasn't neutral, and had forced itself upon Libya, and that it "might have delusions of leading the region".
Neighbouring states
In November, a NigerNiger
Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
ien soldier was killed in a clash with a convoy of Gaddafi loyalists that crossed into Niger.
Ethnic and tribal reconciliation
During the civil war, many Tuareg nomad tribes in southern Libya supported Gaddafi because of his past support of their people's rebellions in Mali and Niger. This has led to tensions between Tuareg and Arab Libyans, and the NTC has sent out delegations to mediate disputes and reconcile the region with the interim government. The tribes, who roam Libya's vast desert expanses, are important to security in the region's remote areas, which are often exploited as a safe haven by drug traffickers and Islamist militants.Fathi Ben Khalifa, president of the World Amazigh Congress
World Amazigh Congress
The World Amazigh Congress , an international organization which aims to protect the Amazigh identity.In October 2011, Fathi Ben Khalifa was elected president of the Congress, replacing Belkacem Lounes....
, has criticized the NTC for not formally recognizing the Berber people
Berber people
Berbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley. They are continuously distributed from the Atlantic to the Siwa oasis, in Egypt, and from the Mediterranean to the Niger River. Historically they spoke the Berber language or varieties of it, which together form a branch...
, saying that his people is experiencing a "déjà vu feeling", as Libya's rulers also failed to recognize the Berbers when the country gained its independence in 1951, making way for Gaddafi's policies of assimilation
Cultural assimilation
Cultural assimilation is a socio-political response to demographic multi-ethnicity that supports or promotes the assimilation of ethnic minorities into the dominant culture. The term assimilation is often used with regard to immigrants and various ethnic groups who have settled in a new land. New...
. Khalifa claims that the NTC is adhering to "Arab and Islamist" ideologies that caused "much of what has happened in [Libya] for the last decades", and that the council envisions the new Libya being rooted in an exclusively Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic constitution. According to Khalifa, "no [Berber] will accept this situation".
Smaller tribal groups complained they had been neglected in the interim government announced by the NTC on 22 November. Members of the Benghazi-based Awagi and Maghariba tribes protested that their representatives were not selected for key posts. A group calling itself the Libyan Amazigh Congress called for a suspension of relations with the NTC until it "reconciles with the demands of Amazigh Libyans."
Islamic movement
Ali al-SallabiAli al-Sallabi
Ali al-Sallabi is a Muslim cleric from Libya. He played a key role in funneling arms to the rebels in the 2011 Libyan civil war and has announced the formation of an Islamic party that will follow "Turkish-style moderation" and which will run in the country's upcoming elections....
, a well-known Muslim cleric who played a key role in funneling arms from Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
to the anti-Gaddafi fighters during the civil war, has announced the formation of a party with the provisional name "The National Gathering for Freedom, Justice and Development". According to Sallabi, the party is not Islamist, but respects the general principles of Islam and Libyan culture. Sallabi would not oppose Hamas
Hamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
' armed struggle against Israel and supports the lifting of laws banning polygamy
Polygamy
Polygamy is a marriage which includes more than two partners...
. The party has the backing of the head of the Tripoli Military Council, Abdelhakim Belhadj
Abdelhakim Belhadj
Abdelhakim Belhadj is the emir of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, and a commander of the anti-Gaddafi forces in the 2011 Libyan civil war.- Early life :...
, as well as tribal leaders and members of the NTC.
On 17 November, the Muslim Brotherhood
Muslim Brotherhood
The Society of the Muslim Brothers is the world's oldest and one of the largest Islamist parties, and is the largest political opposition organization in many Arab states. It was founded in 1928 in Egypt by the Islamic scholar and schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna and by the late 1940s had an...
held its first public conference on Libyan soil in Benghazi
Benghazi
Benghazi is the second largest city in Libya, the main city of the Cyrenaica region , and the former provisional capital of the National Transitional Council. The wider metropolitan area is also a district of Libya...
after having been banned for decades under Gaddafi's government. Suleiman Abdelkader, leader of the Libyan Muslim Brotherhood, said that rebuilding the country "is not a task for one group or one party but for everyone, based on their ability." He also said his organization would not take part in the interim government.
Foreign relations
On 19 October, the NTC became the first government in the world to recognize the Syrian National CouncilSyrian National Council
The Syrian National Council or SNC is a Syrian opposition coalition created during the 2011 Syrian uprising against the government of Bashar al-Assad.-Background:...
(SNC) as Syria's "legitimate authority". In November, the Libyan authorities met secretly with members of the SNC and offered them money, arms, and potentially volunteer fighters for their insurgency against the government of Bashar al-Assad
Bashar al-Assad
Bashar al-Assad is the President of Syria and Regional Secretary of the Ba'ath Party. His father Hafez al-Assad ruled Syria for 29 years until his death in 2000. Al-Assad was elected in 2000, re-elected in 2007, unopposed each time.- Early Life :...
. Abdelhakim Belhadj
Abdelhakim Belhadj
Abdelhakim Belhadj is the emir of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, and a commander of the anti-Gaddafi forces in the 2011 Libyan civil war.- Early life :...
, head of the Tripoli Military Council, met with leaders of the Free Syrian Army
Free Syrian Army
The Free Syrian Army is the main opposition army group in Syria. It is composed of defected Syrian Armed Forces personnel, who have been active during the 2011 Syrian uprising...
to discuss sending Libyan fighters to train the army's troops.
On 25 November, NTC chairman Mustafa Abdul Jalil
Mustafa Abdul Jalil
Mustafa Abdul Jalil or Abdul-Jalil is the Chairman of the National Transitional Council of Libya, and as such serves as head of state in Libya's caretaker government which was formed as a result of the 2011 Libyan civil war. He is also a spokesman for the city of Bayda...
met with the President of Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
, Omar al-Bashir
Omar al-Bashir
Lieutenant General Omar Hassan Ahmad Al-Bashir is the current President of Sudan and the head of the National Congress Party. He came to power in 1989 when he, as a brigadier in the Sudanese army, led a group of officers in a bloodless military coup that ousted the government of Prime Minister...
, thanking the country for its support of the rebels during the civil war. The government of Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court
International Criminal Court
The International Criminal Court is a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression .It came into being on 1 July 2002—the date its founding treaty, the Rome Statute of the...
on charges of genocide
Genocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
in Darfur
Darfur
Darfur is a region in western Sudan. An independent sultanate for several hundred years, it was incorporated into Sudan by Anglo-Egyptian forces in 1916. The region is divided into three federal states: West Darfur, South Darfur, and North Darfur...
, supplied the Libyan rebels with arms and ammunition during the uprising. Jalil voved to establish ties with Sudan in all fields and promised "high-level security cooperation" with the country.