In this report, 218News reviews the most prominent events that Libya witnessed during the February 17 revolution, which saw its first spark in the cities of the eastern region, and then protests reached most of the Libyan cities.
Demolition of Green Book Monument
The anniversary of the February Revolution is full of events that cannot be forgotten, especially for those who lived through these situations, most notably when protesters in Tobruk destruction of the famous Green Book monument in the city, and before that the cities of Al-Bayda and Benghazi witnessed protests that were met with bullets, while the security authorities also forced civilian elements in the streets of Benghazi.
The vicinity of the Al-Fadil Brigade witnessed clashes between the regime and the revolutionaries, in an event that the people of the city will not forget. The cities of Misurata, Zintan, Zawiya and other cities witnessed a massive uprising, while the lawyers gathered in front of the Courts Complex in Tripoli as well as the Journalists Syndicate, then matters in the capital went out of control on the 20th of the same month, the day on which Gaddafi’s flight to Venezuela was rumored, while his son Saif al-Islam appeared in a speech in which he was trying to absorb the anger of the street, but he failed.
Abdel Fattah Younes Resignation
After the cities of the Eastern Region were completely out of the regime’s control, Major General Abdel Fattah Yunus, who was holding the position of Minister of Interior, announced his resignation and joined the revolutionaries, calling on the army to stand with the people’s demands, and that was on February 22, and on the same day Gaddafi went out on television and attacked the revolutionaries and called them names, as he said in a fiery, enthusiastic speech that he is not president until he resigns.
International Mobilization
On February 24, the international mobilization against the regime appeared at the invitation of the former French President Nicolas Sarkozy and the former US President Barack Obama.
This was considered by Gaddafi a plot against him, and the next day he went out with a speech from the Red Castle in the center of the capital, and called on his supporters to sing and dance and told them to prepare for the decisive battle, and on the same day a massive march took place against the regime in the Arada region, during which a number of civilians: women and men, were killed.
Resolution 1970
On February 26, the Security Council voted unanimously on Resolution 1970 imposing sanctions against Libya and adopted a resolution based on Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter allowing the use of force to implement sanctions, coinciding with the day on which the formation of the National Transitional Council was announced in Benghazi. On the 28th of the same month, the International Criminal Court announced that the regime’s violence against civilians may constitute crimes against humanity, which calls for the start of a comprehensive investigation.
In early March, the leaders of the European Union unanimously announced the adoption of sanctions against Gaddafi, the day the United Nations General Assembly decided to suspend Libya’s membership in its Human Rights Council.
Clashes Intensify
On the fifth of March, with the intensification of the battles on the outskirts of Ras Lanuf and the control of the rebels over the bulk of the oil crescent, the calls for civilians to go out to the streets after the Friday prayer, while it was a day of rage in Tajoura in which the security forces used tear gas, rubber and live bullets to disperse the demonstrators, accompanied by cutting off the authorities for internet services completely to limit the flow of information two weeks after a partial cut-off in several neighborhoods and the interruption of communications in the entire eastern region, the same day that the members of the National Transitional Council met in Benghazi, in which the former Minister of Justice, Counselor Mustafa Abdel Jalil, was chosen as its chair.
International Mobilization against Gaddafi
On the sixth of March, the United Nations intervened to resolve the conflict in Libya, and the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, appointed the former Jordanian Foreign Minister, Abdul-Ilah Al-Khatib, as his special envoy to Libya to conduct urgent consultations with the regime regarding the humanitarian situation.
Meanwhile, states and organizations were working to mobilize nations against the regime, and others were working to support the Transitional Council, considering it the sole representative of the people.
On the seventeenth of March, following an agreement by members of the Security Council, a resolution was approved to impose a no-fly zone over Libya under Resolution 1973, and the next day it was announced France will carry out air strikes against the regime to protect the Libyan people, and then topple the regime, which made Gaddafi issue threats that his forces will invade Benghazi at a time when the United Nations is moving towards issuing a resolution permitting strikes against the regime forces, and hours later, Atlantic countries announced their willingness to participate in imposing a ban Air on Libya to help protect civilians.
Convoy Day
This day was known as the day of the convoy, when Gaddafi’s forces set out in a long convoy of about two kilometers in the direction of Benghazi, and on the same day at dawn on the morning of March 19, an American warship launched a missile on Libyan territory, and France announced that 20 of its aircraft had implemented the air embargo decision on Libya and destroyed many tanks as the regime’s vehicles were on their way to the east of the country, the very same day that NATO forces started operations in Libya.
On March 28, a number of country leaders met in London with the participation of the Secretary-General of NATO, “Andros Fogh Rasmussen” to define the main lines for resolving the crisis in Libya, which is the first international conference on Libya.
Recognition of the Transitional Council
After that, many countries began to recognize the transitional council as the sole representative of the Libyan people, while the regime was still launching strikes on a number of cities controlled by the rebels, and on April 30, the authorities in Tripoli announced that Gaddafi’s son Saif al-Arab and three of his grandchildren had died in a raid launched by NATO aircraft on Gaddafi’s residence, at a time when the alliance denied this, saying that its role was to protect civilians, not to change the regime by force.
Arrest Warrants
On May 26, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, submitted a request to the International Court to issue arrest warrants for Muammar Gaddafi, his son Saif al-Islam, and intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi. Ocampo said: “We have evidence of horrific crimes committed in Libya. We actually got an approval to issue arrest warrants on the 27th of June and to bring the accused to the International Court.”
Killing of Major General Abdel Fattah Younis
On July 28, Counselor Mustafa Abdel Jalil announced the killing of Major General Abdel Fattah Younes and two of his companions, and the Major General had been summoned from the front lines of the clashes to appear before a committee of four judges, while the results of the investigation into the circumstances of his assassination had not yet emerged.
After that, the transitional council’s international recognitions continued, and several countries began to open offices in Benghazi. The transitional council also appointed a number of ambassadors for it in several countries.
Gaddafi Was Killed
On the ground, the revolutionaries continued to march on the Libyan cities, especially in the western region, until a coordinated uprising broke out in the capital, Tripoli, from inside and outside it, which led to its control, while the process continued for nearly three days of clashes with pro-regime forces, then the transitional council arrived in Tripoli, while in some cities, the fighting continued until October, when it was officially announced that the hostilities would end and Gaddafi was killed. As for his sons, a number of them were arrested and others fled.
