The Arab Spring in Libya

Former Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi

On February 15^th, 2011, the Arab Spring arrived in Libya. The Libyan people had tired of Muammar Gaddafi’s 33 year reign as dictator, and sought to emulate the Egyptian and Tunisian protests. Protests occurred in Benghazi, Bayda, Derna and Zintan as the Libyan people expressed their anger towards the tyranny. The results of the Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions were a large source of inspiration for Libyan protesters  fueling the underlying tensions towards Gaddafi’s reign.

The National Transitional Council was established on February 27^th to consolidate efforts to overthrow the Libyan government. The group, although filled with many different factions, supported common goals to coordinate resistance efforts to wrest Libyan control. The NTC was seen as an integral part in the campaign, as they also provided communication efforts to the outside world.

The Libyan immediately responded with high levels of violence. Snipers, artillery, helicopters and warships were soon used against protesters. Under Gaddafi’s orders, hospitals were stormed and injured protestors were summarily killed. Gaddafi also hired ‘death squads’ to attack protesters in Tripoli, giving permission to shoot all who disobeyed orders. Thousands of protesters were killed in these heinous acts of violence.

The international outcry was immediate, as both the United Nations Security Council and NATO sought to enforce a no-fly zone in Libyan airspace to stop Gaddafi’s forces from killing civilians. On March 17^th, 2011, the UNSC approved a no-fly zone that was immediately carried out. From May, 2011 until September, 2011, NATO airstrikes attacked key targets throughout Libya. However, these were severely limited to avoid civilian casualties. Control of ground troops was maintained by coalition forces.