LIBYA

Gaddafi death anniversary a possible target for resolving Libyan civil war?

October 20, 2021

Muammar Gaddafi, who ruled the North African country with a dictatorial grip for almost 42 years, was killed 10 years ago by rebel forces backed by NATO air power. His death turned an armed uprising into a civil war, and the decade-long crisis shows no sign of coming to an end.

As of Oct 2020, an uneasy truce was holding in Sirte, where opposing forces face one another with civilians sandwiched between them, according to the UN situation report. According to UNSMIL there has been a sharp decrease in civilian casualties between June and September in 2020, compared with figures for the April-May period.

The oil-rich country remains split between the UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) and the self-proclaimed Libyan National Army (LNA).
There are two rival administrations, with the GNA in the capital, Tripoli. The LNA controls large areas of the east. Each side receives support from outside Libya.

In Oct 2020 UN chief António Guterres termed the conflict a "proxy war", adding in a recent interview with the BBC, that it was "unacceptable."

#23723 Published: September 22, 2021