Second Libyan Civil War
The Second Libyan Civil War was a significant military conflict that unfolded in Libya from 2014 to 2020, primarily involving two competing governments: one based in Tripoli in the west and the other in Tobruk in the east. The conflict emerged from the political instability following the ousting of long-time leader Muammar al-Qaddafi during the First Libyan Civil War in 2011. As various factions vied for control, the war was marked by a struggle to dominate the country's valuable oil resources, leading to widespread violence and humanitarian crises, including the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people.
The war featured key events such as the establishment of the Government of National Accord (GNA) in 2015, which aimed to unify the warring factions but ultimately struggled to maintain peace. Fighting intensified despite international efforts for mediation, including a notable cease-fire agreement reached in October 2020. Although a unity government was formed in 2021, the promise of elections remained unfulfilled as the country continued to grapple with political divisions and ongoing tensions. The conflict has had profound implications for Libya's social fabric and regional stability, drawing in various foreign interests and radical groups, notably ISIS, which exploited the chaos to gain a foothold in the region.
Subject Terms
Second Libyan Civil War
Date: May 2014 to the present
Place: Libya
Summary
The Second Libyan Civil War was a military conflict in the North African nation of Libya that began in 2014 and ended in 2020. While there were numerous factions in the conflict, the country was essentially divided between two governments, based in Tripoli in the west and Tobruk in the east. There have been no confirmed estimates on the number of casualties from the war, but it was believed that tens of thousands were killed or injured, while the Council on Foreign Relations reported that hundreds of thousands had been displaced within the nation.
Key Events
- February 15, 2011—A wave of popular protests against the regime of Libyan leader Muammar al-Qaddafi occurs in Benghazi and spreads to other cities. A violent government response leads to the beginning of the First Libyan Civil War.
- October 20, 2011—Ousted president al-Qaddafi is killed by rebel fighters, leading to the end of the First Libyan Civil War.
- June 2014—Libya holds elections to replace the transitional General National Congress (GNC), which stayed on past its electoral mandate; a House of Representatives is elected, but Islamist supporters of the GNC reject the election results and take over the capital city of Tripoli; the House of Representatives relocates to Tobruk in the east, with a state of civil war developing between armed supporters of the Tripoli and Tobruk governments.
- February 2015—The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), present in the country since 2014, establishes control over the port city of Sirte.
- December 2015—The Libyan Political Agreement between the Tripoli and Tobruk governments, brokered by the United Nations, leads to a power-sharing agreement and the formation of the Government of National Accord (GNA).
- August 2016—The Tobruk government withdraws its support for the GNA, leading to a new round of combat between the key factions.
- December 2016—Libyan forces retake control of Sirte from ISIS.
- July 6, 2017—The Libyan National Army, which supports the Tobruk government, takes control of Benghazi back from Islamist militants, including ISIS.
- July 26, 2017—French-brokered cease-fire signed between GNA and the Tobruk government, with possible elections to be held in spring of 2018.
- October 23, 2020—Libyan National Army (LNA) and Government of National Accord (GNA) reach a cease-fire.
- 2021—Unity government formed but elections remained elusive.
Status
Though there were many complex political issues at play, much of the fighting during the Second Libyan Civil War was centered around efforts to capture and control the nation’s lucrative economic institutions, especially the national oil industry and pumping stations. The 2016 attempt to end the war by creating a power-sharing agreement, which led to the formation of the Government of National Accord (GNA), failed to end the war after factions continued struggling for control of key oil-pumping facilities. On July 26, 2017, it was announced that meetings between Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj of the GNA and General Khalifa Haftar of the Libyan National Army, mediated by the French government, resulted in a tentative cease-fire deal with the possibility of new elections in the spring of 2018. Though that cease-fire did not hold, another was reached in October 2020 and, in 2021, a national unity government was formed, though as the 2020s progressed, the country had yet to hold elections.
In-Depth Overview
In 2011, a wave of popular uprisings known as the Arab Spring occurred in countries across the Middle East and North Africa. In Libya, the more-than-four-decade rule of strongman Muammar al-Qaddafi was ended by a popular uprising of multiple militia groups. The United States and several other North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) nations recognized the National Transitional Council, an alliance of rebels, as the official government of Libya and provided air support in the eight-month Libyan Civil War of 2011.
The First Libyan Civil War left the nation in a fragile state, with a number of separate rebel groups wanting to play a role in structuring a new government. A General National Congress (GNC) was elected in 2012 with an eighteen-month mandate to create a new constitution for the country; however, its work incomplete, the GNC continued in power past the end of its term until new elections in 2014 elected a House of Representatives (also known as the Council of Deputies) to govern the country. Liberal, prodemocracy candidates won more seats than traditionalist, Islamic candidates in the House of Representatives, and a coalition of Islamist military leaders denounced the elections as illegitimate and influenced by foreign powers. They instead backed a new version of the GNC and took military control of the capital city of Tripoli, driving the House of Representatives east to the city of Tobruk, where a government was formed under the leadership of President Aguila Saleh Issa, Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thani, and General Khalifa Haftar, who formed a military wing known as the Libyan National Army (LNA). The Tobruk government saw the GNC as influenced by Islamist elements, while the GNC saw the Tobruk government, especially Haftar, as too close to the former al-Qaddafi regime; in addition, the two sides competed for the country’s oil wealth. The conflict that ensued provided an opportunity for radical Islamist groups—most prominently the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)—to gain a foothold in Libya. ISIS was able to capture the cities of Benghazi and Sirte, the latter of which was, for a time, the group’s most important stronghold in North Africa.
In late 2015, the United Nations (UN) hosted a series of peace talks between the GNC (the Tripoli government) and the House of Representatives/LNA (the Tobruk government), resulting in a new transitional government, the Government of National Accord (GNA), initially based in Tunisia. Most of the NATO and UN nations—hoping to see a return of stability and oil production to the country—shifted their recognition to the GNA as the official government of Libya in 2016, under the leadership of interim prime minister Fayez al-Sarraj. The military arm of the newly formed GNA was able to recapture the city of Tripoli, and GNA established itself there in March 2016. Forces loyal to the new GNA government were also able, with foreign military support, to remove ISIS from the city of Sirte later in 2016.
However, the GNA was not been able to bring unity to the country, as a proposed slate of cabinet ministers it put forward was rejected in August 2016 by the House of Representatives in Tobruk, constituting a withdrawal of support for the GNA and refusal to cede power by the eastern government. In 2017, fighting among forces loyal to the GNA, the Tobruk government, and other factions intensified, with Russia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates backing the Tobruk government against the UN–backed Tripoli government. On October 23, 2020, the LNA and GNA agreed to a cease-fire, and though a unity government was created in 2021, as the 2020s progressed, Libya had still not seen elections.
Key Figures
Khalifa Haftar: Military leader of the LNA, which supported the government of the House of Representatives in Tobruk.
Muammar al-Qaddafi: Former leader of Libya until his death in October 2011 during the First Libyan Civil War.
Fayez al-Sarraj: Prime minister of the GNA, based in Tripoli.
Bibliography
Civil war in Libya (2017, September 18). Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved from https://www.cfr.org/global/global-conflict-tracker/p32137#!/conflict/civil-war-in-libya
El-Gamaty, G. (2016, April 27). Libya: The story of the conflict explained. Al-Jazeera. Retrieved from http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/04/libya-story-conflict-explained-160426105007488.html
Emig, A. (2023, August 16). Libya's elusive elections: Will 2023 be the year for elections? Wilson Center. Retrieved Oct. 16, 2023, from https://www.wilsoncenter.org/blog-post/libyas-elusive-elections-will-2023-be-year-elections
Libya profile—Timeline. (2017, July 13). BBC News. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13755445
A quick guide to Libya’s main players. (n.d.). European Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved from http://www.ecfr.eu/mena/mapping‗libya‗conflict
Rival leaders in Second Libyan Civil War commit to ceasefire brokered by Macron. (2017, July 26). Intelligencer Post. Retrieved from http://www.intelligencerpost.com/rival-leaders-second-libyan-civil-war-commit-ceasefire-brokered-macron/
That it should come to this. (2015, January 10). The Economist. Retrieved from https://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21638123-four-year-descent-arab-spring-factional-chaos-it-should-come
Wintour, P. (2017, Mar 7). Libya falls back into civil war as rival sides fight to control oil terminals. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/07/libya-civil-war-oil-terminals-benghazi-defence-brigade-sidra-ras-lanuf