Libya has been witnessing several conflicts since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi's regime, while representatives of the two conflicting authorities in the west and east of the country signed a ceasefire agreement.
In this report, we review the most recent development from 2011 until today, and we go through the most prominent dates that made major transformations in Libya.
The start of the revolution and the killing of Gaddafi (2011-2012)
February 2011
protests erupted in Benghazi that the Gaddafi regime faced with violent repression, before spreading to other areas.
March 2011 A
coalition led by Washington, Paris, and London launched an attack that represented an intense aerial bombardment of the headquarters of Gaddafi's forces, after he was given the green light by the United Nations.
October 2011
Gaddafi was killed in the last attack by the opposition on his hometown of Sirte, east of the Libyan capital, and three days later, the National Transitional Council, the political tool of the "revolutionaries" at the time, announced the "complete liberation" of the country.
August 2012
The National Transitional Council handed over its powers to the General National Congress (parliament), which was elected a month earlier.
Two Rival Governments (2014-2016)
May 2014
, retired Major General Khalifa Haftar, close to Egypt and the UAE, announced the start of an operation against armed Islamist groups in eastern Libya. Officers from the Eastern Province joined the ranks of the Libyan National Army that he formed.
In June 2014
, a new parliament was elected, the majority opposing the Islamists who boycotted it.
August 2014
After weeks of bloody battles, the "Libya Dawn" coalition, which included many armed factions, including Islamic groups, took control of the capital, Tripoli, and revived the "General National Congress", the outgoing parliament, a government was formed, and Libya has two parliaments and two governments .
December 2015
After months of negotiations, representatives of civil society and representatives in Skhirat, Morocco, signed an agreement sponsored by the United Nations, and the Government of National Accord was announced.
March 2016
, the head of this government, Fayez al-Sarraj, succeeded in moving to Tripoli, but in the east the parallel government supported by Haftar and parliament remained against him.
Haftar attacks (2017-2019)
July 2017
Haftar, who had been promoted a month earlier to the rank of Marshal, announced the "complete liberation" of Benghazi from what he called terrorist groups, and was able to count on the support of neighboring Egypt and the Emirates before approaching Russia.
June 2018
Haftar's forces managed to take control of Derna, the only city in the east that was beyond his control.
January 2019
Haftar began the invasion of the south, and by gaining the support of the local tribes, he took control without battles over El Sharara, one of the largest oil fields in the country.
April 2019
- Haftar orders his forces to "advance" toward Tripoli, where they encounter violent resistance from forces loyal to the Government of National Accord.
- The Accord Government announced the start of a "counterattack" against the forces loyal to Haftar.
The outbreak of the fighting coincided with the visit of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, to Libya, days before the convening of the "National Conference" for which the United Nations was prepared and called for a political roadmap to get the country out of its crisis.
- US President Donald Trump said that he discussed with Haftar a "common vision" about Libya.
Foreign interventions (2019-2020)
November 2019
- The New York Times reports about the deployment of mercenaries from the Russian Wagner Group for Private Security in Libya.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Fayez al-Sarraj, head of the Government of National Accord, signed an agreement for military and security cooperation.
December 2019:
According to a report issued by the United Nations, several companies and countries are accused of violating the embargo imposed in 2011 by delivering weapons or sending fighters to the two camps.
January 2020
- Ankara announced the start of the deployment of Turkish soldiers in support of the Tripoli government, and increased Turkish military support for the Government of National Accord allowed for a series of achievements.
At the initiative of Ankara and Moscow, a truce came into effect after months of fighting on the outskirts of Tripoli, however Haftar refused to sign a formal ceasefire agreement.
- The main countries concerned with the conflict committed themselves at the Berlin conference to respect the arms embargo and not to interfere in Libyan internal affairs.
May 2020
- A report of United Nations experts confirmed that mercenaries from the Russian "Wagner" company, which is said to be close to the Kremlin, are in Libya, and it also revealed the presence of Syrian fighters supporting Haftar.
Forces loyal to the Government of National Accord took control of the Al Wattaya air base, then took control of 3 camps south of Tripoli, which represented new setbacks for Haftar's forces after losing coastal cities in the west of the country in mid-April.
Government of National Accord (2020)
June 2020
- Forces loyal to the Government of National Accord announced that they had regained control of the entirety of the West, inflicting a severe defeat on Haftar's forces, who were expelled from their last stronghold in the region.
In addition to its control, after violent battles, on Tripoli International Airport, which has been out of service since 2014, and then on the entire administrative borders of Greater Tripoli.
- Forces loyal to the Government of National Accord launched an operation to retake the strategic city of Sirte between east and west.
- Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi warned of "direct intervention" of the Egyptian forces in Libya, if the forces loyal to the Libyan government continued to advance towards Sirte.
- The United Nations has expressed its concern over "horrific" reports of mass graves found in the city of Tarhuna, south of Tripoli and under the control of Haftar's forces.
August 2020
The two competing authorities separately announced the organization of upcoming elections in the country and an immediate ceasefire on all Libyan territories, in a "consensus" welcomed by the United Nations and Sisi.
Talks
October 2020
- At the end of a second round of dialogue in Morocco, representatives of the two parties to the conflict announced that they had reached "comprehensive understandings" to unify the country's institutions.
The two parties agree to open the most important internal land and air corridors and to increase oil production.
- The two parties to the conflict signed a national and permanent ceasefire agreement with "immediate effect" after talks that lasted for 5 days in Geneva under the auspices of the United Nations.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan doubted the possibility of continuing the agreement.