Libyan Civil War

The Libyan Civil War refers to the interlinked conflicts that have destabilized Libya since February 2011. Analysts generally divide it into two main phases.

The First Libyan Civil War (2011) began with protests in Benghazi on 15–17 February 2011, part of the wider Arab Spring. Opposition forces organized under the National Transitional Council (NTC). On 17 March 2011, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 1973, authorizing a no-fly zone and "all necessary measures" to protect civilians. A NATO-led intervention, Operation Unified Protector, began on 31 March 2011. Muammar Gaddafi was captured and killed near Sirte on 20 October 2011, ending his 42-year rule.

The Second Libyan Civil War (2014–2020) erupted after disputed parliamentary elections in June 2014. The country split between:

• The Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli, formed under the UN-brokered Libyan Political Agreement signed in Skhirat, Morocco on 17 December 2015, and later succeeded by the Government of National Unity (GNU) in 2021.
• The House of Representatives based in Tobruk, aligned with Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA).

External involvement has been extensive and well-documented by the UN Panel of Experts: Turkey and Qatar backed the Tripoli government, while the UAE, Egypt, and Russia (including Wagner Group personnel) supported the LNA. Haftar launched an offensive on Tripoli in April 2019, which collapsed in June 2020.

A ceasefire agreement was signed in Geneva on 23 October 2020 under UN auspices. The Libyan Political Dialogue Forum then selected an interim executive in February 2021. However, planned national elections set for 24 December 2021 were postponed indefinitely, and the country remains effectively divided between rival administrations.

The conflict has produced widespread displacement, a documented migrant-smuggling economy, and recurring arms-embargo violations despite the embargo imposed by UNSC Resolution 1970 (2011).