Who was Colonel Gaddafi?
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| Colonel Gaddafi, the longtime dictator of Libya |
Colonel Gaddafi, the central character during Libyan Civil War, ruled Libya from 1969 to 2011 as a military dictator. He rose to the power in 1969 after ousting the Western-backed Shah Idris through a bloodless coup. In 1977 he introduced a system of direct democracy and adopted a more symbolic role for himself, however, he still retained authority over the government and military. After ruling Libya for almost half a century, he was deposed and killed by the militants of the foreign-funded National Transitional Council.
Background of the Escalating Libyan Civil War
The ongoing Libyan Civil War which started with the crackdown of the Libyan security forces on the anti-government protesters in Benghazi in 2001 soon spread to the nearby cities. Within few days of the crackdown the number of those protesting increased to thousands with hundreds being killed by the pro-regime forces.
In March 2011 the United Nations Security Council authorized a no-fly zone over Libya and NATO began airstrikes against the Libyan government. Towards the end of July, the National Transitional Council was accepted as the legitimate government by the international contact group.
On the 20th of October, Colonel Gaddafi was killed by the NTC militants in his hometown and later his son, Saif Gaddafi, was arrested who had gone into hiding after the death of his father. The death of these two top-notch leaders of the Libyan setup and the control of NTC over the whole Libyan territory provided a new dimension to the bloody Libyan Civil War.
Post-Gaddafi dimension of the Libyan Civil War
With the ouster and death of Colonel Gaddafi, Libya descended into chaos as expected. The government of National Transitional Council was unable to control the situation and hence handed over powers to the newly elected General National Congress government. The GNC soon got split into these two rival governments: the Islamists-dominated Western and the democratically elected Eastern government.
On the 17th of December, 2015 Fayez Siraj was nominated as the prime minister of Libya under the supervision of the United Nations. This appointment practically divided the country into three rival governments with each claiming to the people’s representative.
How US-RUSSIAN global rivalry entered the turf of Libyan Civil War?
The war in Libya which started as a revolution has now become a battleground for the international proxies. Among the backers of different groups inside Libya, Russia and USA are the primary ones. The longtime dictator of Libya, Colonel Gaddafi, was a pro-soviet in his stance and hence was considered to be an opponent of the US. The American establishment played a key role in supporting the National Transitional Council’s revolution against Gaddafi and in overthrowing his regime.
Till 2014, the Libyan government formed by the militias was divided based on sects, ethnicities, inclinations and interests. This division gave rise to two rival governments in Libya; General National Congress and House of Representatives. Towards the end of December 2015, another government was formed under Libyan political agreement with Fayez Siraj as the prime minister. This nomination from the United Nations gave a new dimension to the Libyan conflict when both the opposing governments in Libya refused to accept Fayez’s legitimacy.
The United States of America has repeatedly supported the UN-backed government in Libya and has asked other countries to do so as well, but most of the countries are not willing due to Siraj’s lack of control on the ground.
On the other hand, Russia has found a close ally in the Libyan Civil War in the shape of Khalifa Haftar. On the 11th of January, the Libyan strongman visited the Russian aircraft carrier, and it is said that he reached a deal with the Russian establishment. The support of Russians for the Khalifa Haftar, an opposer of Un-backed government, has severely eroded chances of Fayez Siraj as the unanimous prime minister of Libya.
What next to come in the Libyan war?
Will the UN-backed government be able to assert its control on the ground? Will the government of Fayez Siraj be able to solve the Libyan civil war through a political process? Will the Libyan revolution bear its fruits? These are critical questions, and the answers depend heavily on the international rivalry on the Libyan turf. If USA and Russia kept on supporting rival governments in the Libyan conflict, the war would never come to an end.
The Libyan civil war has taken an ugly shape in the form of three parallel governments, an unknown number of militias, opposing tribes and as the breeding ground for the extremist militants. It is now high time to set aside differences and come to the table to solve the conflict which has destroyed the very fabric of Libyan society.
About Muhammad Asim
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