Libyan civil war (2011)

First Libyan Civil War
Part of the Arab Spring and Libyan Crisis since 2011
From left to right: Armed pro-government supporters; Pro-government protesters gathered in Green Square, now known as Martyrs' Square; anti-Government protesters in Benghazi; Libyan rebels on a captured T-55 tank.
Date 15 February – 23 October 2011 (8 months, 1 week and 1 day) Location Libya Result NATO/Anti-Gaddafi victory Overthrow and collapse of the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Killing of Muammar Gaddafi and end of his rule over Libya on 20 October 2011 Start and continuation of the Libyan Crisis Assumption of interim control by National Transitional Council; remains in power until August 8, 2012 UN authorisation of NATO led military intervention Diplomatic recognition of NTC as sole governing authority for Libya by 105 countries, UN, EU, AL and AU Factional violence in the aftermath of the war leading to another civil war in 2014[17] Rise and spread of Madkhalism in Libya[18]
Belligerents
Anti-Gaddafi forces National Transitional Council Defected army units National Liberation Army Tripoli Brigade Free Libyan Air Force NFSL Armed protesters Local militias Anti-Gaddafi tribes[1][2][3][4][5] Toubou Front for the Salvation of Libya Fighters from the Awlad Suleiman tribe Foreign mercenaries (alleged)[6][7] Foreign Military advisors  Qatar[3][4][5] United Nations Security Council  NATO NATO Command US Air Force NATO members  Bulgaria  France  Italy  Netherlands  Belgium  Canada  Denmark  Romania  Spain  Turkey  United Kingdom  United States  Norway[8] Other countries  Sweden  Jordan[9]  United Arab Emirates[10] Minor border clashes:  Tunisia Tunisian Army Tunisian Police	Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Remnants of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (After August 28) Gaddafi Loyalists Libyan Armed Forces Libyan Army Elements of the Khamis Brigade Libyan Navy Libyan Air Force Paramilitary forces Libyan Police Pro-Gaddafi tribes and militias[1][2][11] Loyalists from the Warfalla, Magarha and Tuareg Tribes Foreign mercenaries (alleged)[12][13][14][15][16]
Commanders and leaders
Mustafa Jalil[19] Omar El-Hariri[20] Jalal al-Digheily Khalifa Haftar Abdelhakim Belhaj Abdul Fatah Younis † Suleiman Mahmoud[21] Ali Attalah Obeidi † Hussein Darbouk † Ali al-Sallabi Sadiq Al-Ghariani Mohammed Ali Madani † Osama al-Juwaili Daou al-Salhine al-Jadak † Mustafa Bin Dardef † Abdel-Hakim al-Hasidi Ismail al-Salabi Abdullah Naker Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani Hamad bin Ali Al Attiyah Robert Gates Leon Panetta James G. Stavridis Ralph Jodice J.C.C. Bouchard[22]	Muammar Gaddafi † Saif al-Islam Gaddafi (POW) Khamis Gaddafi † Mutassim Gaddafi † Abdullah Senussi Saadi Gaddafi Saif al-Arab Gaddafi †[23] Abu-Bakr Yunis Jabr † Mansour Dhao (POW) Massoud Abdelhafid Mahdi al-Arabi (POW) Ali Kanna Khweldi Hameidi Ali Sharif al-Rifi Tayeb El-Safi Ahmed al-Gaddafi al-Qahsi † Tohami Khaled Salih Rajab al-Mismari Sayyid Gaddaf al-Dam (POW) Muftah Anaqrat † Hasan al-Kabir al-Gaddafi Mohammed Abdullah al-Senussi † Abdel Rahman Abdel Hamid (POW)
Strength
200,000 volunteers by war's end (NTC estimate)[24] International Forces: Numerous air and maritime forces (see here)	20,000[25]–50,000[26] soldiers & militiamen
Casualties and losses
5,904–6,626 killed (other estimates: see here)	3,309–4,227 soldiers killed (other estimates: see here)
Total casualties (including civilians): 30,000+ killed[27][28] 4,000 missing[28] 50,000 wounded[29] 7,000 captured [30] (other estimates: see here)
*Large number of loyalist or immigrant civilians, not military personnel, among those captured by rebels,[31] only an estimated minimum of 1,692+ confirmed as soldiers[32]

The Libyan civil war or the 2011 Libyan revolution,^[33] also known as the First Libyan Civil War^[34] was an armed conflict in 2011 in the North African country of Libya that was fought between forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and rebel groups that were seeking to oust his government.^[35][36] The war was preceded by protests in Zawiya on 8 August 2009 and finally ignited by protests in Benghazi beginning on Tuesday, 15 February 2011, which led to clashes with security forces who fired on the crowd.^[37] The protests escalated into a rebellion that spread across the country,^[38] with the forces opposing Gaddafi establishing an interim governing body, the National Transitional Council.

The United Nations Security Council passed an initial resolution on 26 February, freezing the assets of Gaddafi and his inner circle and restricting their travel, and referred the matter to the International Criminal Court for investigation.^[39] In early March, Gaddafi's forces rallied, pushed eastwards and re-took several coastal cities before reaching Benghazi. A further UN resolution authorised member states to establish and enforce a no-fly zone over Libya, and to use "all necessary measures" to prevent attacks on civilians,^[40] which turned into a bombing campaign by the forces of NATO against Libyan military installations and vehicles. The Gaddafi government then announced a ceasefire, but fighting and bombing continued.^[41][42] Throughout the conflict, rebels rejected government offers of a ceasefire and efforts by the African Union to end the fighting because the plans set forth did not include the removal of Gaddafi.^[43]

In August, rebel forces launched an offensive on the government-held coast of Libya, backed by a wide-reaching NATO bombing campaign, taking back territory lost months before and ultimately capturing the capital city of Tripoli,^[44] while Gaddafi evaded capture and loyalists engaged in a rearguard campaign.^[45] On 16 September 2011, the National Transitional Council was recognised by the United Nations as the legal representative of Libya, replacing the Gaddafi government. Muammar Gaddafi evaded capture until 20 October 2011, when he was captured and killed in Sirte.^[46] The National Transitional Council declared "the liberation of Libya" and the official end of the war on 23 October 2011.^[47][48]

In the aftermath of the civil war, a low-level insurgency by former Gaddafi loyalists continued. There were various disagreements and strife between local militias and tribes, including fighting on 23 January 2012 in the former Gaddafi stronghold of Bani Walid, leading to an alternative town council being established and later recognized by the National Transitional Council (NTC).^[49][50] Madkhalism had become influential among many militias, leading to further division. A much greater issue had been the role of militias which fought in the civil war and their role in Libya's new dispensation. Some refused to disarm, and cooperation with the NTC had been strained, leading to demonstrations against militias and government action to disband such groups or integrate them into the Libyan military.^[51] These unresolved issues led directly to a second civil war in Libya.