Who is behind libyan uprising

By Chris Arsenault. Published On 27 Dec More from News. Vietnam reconsiders methane-emitting rice amid climate crisis. Activist recalls Manila blast as Marcos Jr candidacy looms. US jury can consider Rittenhouse provoked deadly violence: Judge. Gaddafi would continue to launch sporadic attacks on Benghazi in the weeks to come, but would never regain control of the city.

After an initial advance, Gaddafi began pushing the rebels back. His military shelled Ras Lanuf, a key oil port in eastern Libya, and seized the nearby town of Brega; there was also fierce fighting in Ajdabiya, another stop on the road to Benghazi. The resolution called for international military action to protect civilians.

French jets began bombing Libya just hours after the resolution was passed , with bombers from the United States, the United Kingdom and other countries joining shortly afterward. Rebel commanders would frequently complain about the pace of NATO air strikes they wanted more , and several of them missed their intended targets and killed rebel fighters instead.

The seaside city of Misrata was besieged for months by Gaddafi forces; they surrounded it and frequently lobbed mortars downtown. Hundreds of civilians and rebel fighters were killed, and thousands more wounded, during weeks of fighting in the city centre and near the port.

Civilians reported appalling living conditions: scarce food and water, little to no electricity, and a severe shortage of medical supplies.

Rebels began their own counter-offensive on April 25, pushing slowly from the east, seizing the port area and working their way through the city. A fierce battle on May 11 left the rebels with control of the airport, and four days later they declared the battle for Misrata over. Rebel gains in the east slowed down after the Misrata campaign, but they began winning territory in western Libya, allowing them to surround Gaddafi in Tripoli. The rebels began their push in early June, and for several weeks they reported steady gains, capturing scattered villages and seizing much-needed supplies from the Gaddafi troops stationed in the region.

Their advance was halted in early July at the town of Qawalish. It took several advances to seize the town; rebels had to retreat at one point because they ran out of ammunition. Rebels would seize several other important towns, including Tiji and Bir al-Ghanam, after the start of Ramadan in August.

Arab Awakening. Images of a Revolution. That victory allowed them to completely encircle the Gaddafi-controlled capital: All of the major highways leading out of Tripoli now pass through rebel-controlled areas.

But the Libyan leader has been unable to retake these towns, and with reports of fighting on the streets of Tripoli, his grip on power is weaker than ever. Reports confirm the oil plant near Az Zawiyah was taken and rebels were in complete control of Gharyan. With this in mind, it is impossible to speak of these groups as one cohesive entity, with militant groups jostling for position, often violently, disagreements flourishing in the heights of the NTC leadership and overlapping and contested authorities.

Moreover, with some militant groups engaging in torture and other atrocities, 3 and with a complex and important role for Western powers in the conflict, this study becomes even more imperative.

Therefore, to investigate who is ruling Libya, this study will review the groups who participated in the initial February protests whose crackdown by the Gaddafi regime prompted the start of the violent conflict. It will then examine the various groups that make up the militancy in Libya, looking at its main components. Next, it will analyse the interim NTC regime and its most prominent members tracing it through two distinct periods. Finally, this study will examine the role of Libyan exiles in the conflict, pointing to avenues for further study.

Examining demography, class, ideology, legitimacy, the role of Islam and the West, we see that what began as small scale protests mainly in the eastern region of Libya quickly turned violent. We see that the leadership of Libya, essentially self-appointed, is taking the country in a direction towards more close partnership with the West and liberalised economic policy, while Libyan exile groups and Western aid have played a crucial role in the conflict. Furthermore, investigating these groups is crucial in understanding where the new Libya is heading.

These were a combination of anger at pervasive government repression, corruption, widespread dissatisfaction with growing economic inequality and the relative lack of economic development. Ideologically, these individuals were united in their common desire to oust Gaddafi and end his regime. One example of activism in Benghazi was in when protests against the Danish cartoon portrayals of the Prophet Mohammed turned into anti-Gaddafi protests.

A crucial difference between the events in Tunisia and Egypt, on one hand, and Libya, on the other, has been the speed and consistency with which the movement turned to violence, only four days after protests began. The first point that becomes apparent is the sheer number of armed groups existing in Libya. Various sources point to there being between to militant groups, with around , armed Libyans.

Although some militants have a military background, the majority are civilians who gained experience through engagement. Looking at several of the main militant and army groupings engaged in the conflict, the first is the National Liberation Army, also known as the Free Libya Army, which is under the authority of the NTC.

It was armed from looted weapons depots and was also supplied with arms by the French, Egyptian and Qatari armed forces. Other groups are, as already noted, based around cities. On top of this, some of its members were, and still are, high profile al-Qaeda figures. Many, if not most of the frontline fighters, are actually Islamists by background. Just as they have been a fundamental part of the revolution, they will play a fundamental role in the building of the new Libya. Lastly, the role of foreign military forces in the armed conflict is also worth examining.

This support came in the form of improving militant tactics, providing targeting information for NATO warplanes conducting airstrikes, communications, and arms provided by the Qatari and French armed forces. The strikes forced Gaddafi to flee on foot, making it possible that he was captured and seemingly executed by militants.

An unelected council, the NTC convened and held its first meeting on March 5th, , in the city of Benghazi, which would become its stronghold. On May 5th, , it created its executive board. The first period from March to November with a cabinet reshuffle in October covered its operation during the conflict, and the second period from November 22nd, , to the present, where the NTC functions - since moving operations to Tripoli - as the interim government of Libya.

These laws, under which a member constituent assembly General National Congress is to be elected in June , contain several controversial points. Lastly, with supreme irony, this electoral law, drafted under a body led by prominent members of the Gaddafi regime, prohibits anyone connected to that regime to run for a government position. Furthermore, it appears that the NTC has relaxed previous promises to ban its own members from running for office 80 and some of its prominent former members have pledged to contest elections.

Having served as Minister of Justice under the Gaddafi regime, he resigned on February 21st, , in protest over the use of violence against demonstrators. Abdul Jalil has portrayed himself as an Islamic moderate 85 but has sought to appease Islamists in Libya.

His fascination with the US system of government and laws, provided by the US embassy, could signal his desire to emulate the US. Protesters demanded more transparency on the part of the NTC leadership and are frustrated with the slow pace of reform. The importance of this event in the region where NTC influence is greatest, and where the conflict began, cannot be understated.

Indeed, these protests have added to previous criticism of the NTC. Democracy Now! Murphy, D. BBC News online , 16 February Al-Jazeera online , 16 February France 24 online , 16 February According to Libyan diplomat Ahmed Jibril who later joined the protests. He estimates that numbers rose to 50, but this may be an exaggeration.

The average age in Libya is averaged between males and females This is nearly half the average age in the United Kingdom, for example, which stands at CIA, United Kingdom. Brussels, ICG, , p. Chenoweth, E. Wikileaks online , 15 February Hawley, C. BBC News online , 13 December England, A. Financial Times online , 20 March Layton, P. Defence Today online , September Accessed 4 January The Guardian online , 5 September BBC News online , 5 September Black, I.