konflik libya

Libya, an oil-rich nation in North Africa, has been under the firm, if sometimes erratic, control of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi since he seized power in 1969. But in February 2011, the unrest sweeping through much of the Arab world erupted in several Libyan cities. Though it began with a relatively organized core of antigovernment opponents in Benghazi, its spread to the capital of Tripoli was swift and spontaneous, outracing any efforts to coordinate the protests. Colonel Qaddafi lashed out with a level of violence unseen in either of the other uprisings, but the rebels fought back and won tribal leaders and an increasing share of the military to their side, seizing the eastern half of the country.

March 1 Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s forces appeared to make little headway in a concerted assault on rebels in several cities around the country and in a sustained attack in the western city of Zawiyah. Rebels appeared to hold the city after a night of fighting, fending off tanks and artillery vehicles, special forces and regular army troops, and, rebels said, fighter jets. The Pentagon began repositioning Navy warships closer to the Libyan coast to support a possible humanitarian or military intervention.Timeline: Qaddafi

Feb. 28 Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s forces struck back at his opponents on three fronts, with special forces, regular army troops and, rebels said, fighter jets. But the rebels dismissed the attacks as ineffectual, and Colonel Qaddafi faced a growing international campaign to force him from power, as the Obama administration announced it had seized $30 billion in Libyan assets and theEuropean Union adopted an arms embargo and other sanctions. And as the Pentagon began repositioning Navy warships to support a possible humanitarian or military intervention, Secretary of StateHillary Rodham Clinton bluntly told the Libyan leader to surrender power “now, without further violence or delay.” The increasingly tense standoff has prompted a huge exodus of poorly-paid contract workers streaming to Libya’s borders with Tunisia and Egypt.

Feb. 27 The ring of rebel control around Tripoli appeared to be tightening, but in a sign that the fight was far from over, armed government forces were seen massing around the city. In Benghazi, protesters nominated the country’s former justice minister to lead a provisional government, moving to avoid the chaos that some analysts warned would overtake a Libya not ruled by Col.Muammar el-Qaddafi. The United Nations Security Council voted unanimously to impose sanctions on Col. Qaddafi and his inner circle of advisers, and called for an international war crimes investigation into “widespread and systemic attacks” against Libyan citizens.

Feb. 26 A bold play by Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi to prove that he was firmly in control of Libya appeared to backfire as foreign journalists he invited to the capital discovered blocks of the city in open defiance. Witnesses described snipers and antiaircraft guns firing at unarmed civilians, and security forces were removing the dead and wounded from streets and hospitals, apparently in an effort to hide the mounting toll. One day after the United States closed its embassy and imposed unilateral sanctions against Libya, the United Nations Security Council  met in New York to consider imposing international sanctions, including an arms embargo and an asset freeze and travel ban against Col. Qaddafi, his relatives and key members of his government. Timeline: Qaddafi

Feb. 25 In Tripoli, Security forces loyal to Col. Muammar el-Qaddafiused gunfire to try to disperse thousands of protesters who streamed out of mosques after prayers to mount their first major challenge to the government’s crackdown in the capital. Rebel leaders said they were sending forces from nearby cities and other parts of the country to join the fight. International efforts to stem the bloodshed appeared to gain momentum, with the United Nations Security Council scheduled to meet to discuss a draft proposal for sanctions against Libyan leaders and NATO convening an emergency session in Brussels.

Feb. 24 Forces loyal to Col. Qaddafi were reported to be striking back in several cites surrounding Tripoli, as rebellion crept closer to the capital and defections of military officers multiplied. He has called on thousands of mercenaries and irregular security forces, a ruthless and loyal force he has quietly built up over the years, distrustful even of his generals. Clashes were also reported 130 miles east of the capital near Misurata, a city where opposition forces had claimed control. 

Feb. 23 The week-old uprising that has swept Libya appeared headed for a decisive stage, with Col. Qaddafi fortifying his bastion in Tripoli and opponents in the capital saying they were making plans for their first coordinated protest after midday prayers on Feb. 25. The looming signs of a new confrontation came as a growing number of Libyan military officers and officials said that they had broken with Colonel Qaddafi over his intentions bomb and kill Libyan civilians challenging his four decades of rule. The foreign minister of Italy — the former colonial power with longstanding ties — said that nationwide more than 1,000 people were probably dead in the strife. 

Feb. 22 Trying to demonstrate that he was still in control, Colonel Qaddafi appeared on state television.  In a long rambling address, he blamed the unrest on “foreign hands,” a small group of people distributing pills, brainwashing, and the naïve desire of young people to imitate the uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia. Yet the country appeared to slip further into chaos. Opposition forces in eastern Libya, where the rebellion began, moved to consolidate their control. 

Feb. 21 The faltering government of Colonel Qaddafi struck back at the mounting protests as helicopters and warplanes besieged parts of Tripoli - the Libyan capital. The escalation of the conflict came after Colonel Qaddafi’s security forces had earlier in the day retreated to a few buildings in Tripoli, fires burned unchecked, and senior government officials and diplomats announced defections. The country’s second-largest city, Benghazi, remained under the control of rebels. News agencies reported that several foreign oil and gas companies were moving to evacuate some workers from the country.

Feb. 20 Libyan security forces again fired on a funeral processionthrough the city of Benghazi, as residents buried dozens of dead from a crackdown the day before and as a five-day-old uprising against the dictatorship of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi appeared to spread to other cities along the Mediterranean coast. The advocacy groupHuman Rights Watch said it had proof that at least 173 had been killed since the uprising’s start. But several people in Benghazi hospitals, reached by telephone, said they believed as many as 200 had been killed and more than 800 wounded there on Feb. 19 alone. The Libyan government, meanwhile, has attempted to impose a near total blackout on the country. Foreign journalists cannot enter, and internet access has been almost totally cut off.

Feb. 19 Protests continued as the government moved to shut down the Internet. Human rights observers put the death toll in Libya after three days of government crackdowns against protesters at 84.

Feb. 18 The severity of the government's crackdown began to emerge when Human Rights Watch said 24 people had been killed by gunfire and news reports said further clashes with security were feared at the funerals for the dead.

Feb. 17 Protests broke out in several parts of Libya on a so-calledDay of Rage to challenge Colonel Qaddafi's 41-year-old iron rule — the region’s longest. Thousands turned out in the restive city of Benghazi; in Tripoli; and at three other locations, according toHuman Rights Watch. The state media, though, showed Libyans waving green flags and shouting in support of Colonel Qaddafi.

Feb. 16 A crowd armed with gasoline bombs and rocks protestedoutside a government office in Benghazi, Libya's second-largest city, to demand the release of a human rights advocate in Tripoli, the capital. Protesters using social networking sites like Twitter andFacebook then called for nationwide demonstrations to demand Colonel Qaddafi’s ouster. The demonstrators, estimated at several hundred to several thousand, marched to the city’s central square, where they clashed with riot police officers. In the city of Zentan, hundreds marched through the streets and set fire to security headquarters and a police station.

BACKGROUND

Colonel Qaddafi took power in a bloodless coup in September 1969 and has ruled with an iron fist, seeking to spread Libya’s influence in Africa. He has built his rule on a cult of personality and a network of family and tribal alliances supported by largess from Libya’s oil revenues.