![]() Jamahiriya was a term coined by Gaddafi, usually translated as "state of the masses". ![]() In 1977, the name was changed to Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. From 1969 to 1977, the name was the Libyan Arab Republic. The name of Libya was changed several times during Gaddafi's tenure as leader. ![]() The fall of the last remaining sites in Sirte under pro-Gaddafi control on 20 October 2011, followed by the subsequent killing of Gaddafi, marked the end of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. Gaddafi's government was overthrown in the wake of the fall of Tripoli to the rebel forces in August, although pockets of resistance held by forces in support of Gaddafi's government held out for another two months, especially in Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte, which he declared the new capital of Libya in September. The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against Gaddafi and his entourage in June 2011. After killings by government forces in addition to those by the rebel forces, a multinational coalition led by NATO forces intervened in March in support of the rebels. The rebel anti-Gaddafi forces formed a committee named the National Transitional Council in February 2011, to act as an interim authority in the rebel-controlled areas. In early 2011, a civil war broke out in the context of the wider " Arab Spring". After the 9/11 attacks, strained relations between Libya and NATO countries were mostly normalised, and sanctions against the country relaxed, in exchange for nuclear disarmament. Despite receiving extensive aid and technical assistance from the Soviet Union and its allies, Gaddafi retained close ties to pro-American governments in Western Europe, largely by courting Western oil companies with promises of access to the lucrative Libyan energy sector. ![]() Gaddafi's behavior, often erratic, led some outsiders to conclude that he was not mentally sound, a claim disputed by the Libyan authorities and other observers close to Gaddafi. Notably, Gaddafi supported anti-Zionist, pan-Arab, pan-Africanist, Arab and black civil rights movements. Gaddafi defended his government's actions by citing the need to support anti-imperialist and anti-colonial movements around the world. All of his actions led to a deterioration of Libya's foreign relations with several countries, mostly Western states, and culminated in the 1986 United States bombing of Libya. Additionally, Gaddafi undertook several invasions of neighboring states in Africa, notably Chad in the 1970s and 1980s. Gaddafi's government was either known to be or suspected of participating in or aiding attacks by these and other proxy forces. ĭuring the 1980s and 1990s, Gaddafi, in alliance with the Eastern Bloc and Fidel Castro's Cuba, openly supported rebel movements like Nelson Mandela's African National Congress, Yasser Arafat's Palestine Liberation Organization, the Provisional Irish Republican Army and the Polisario Front. The increase in prosperity was accompanied by a controversial foreign policy, and increased domestic political repression. ![]() Under Gaddafi, per capita income in the country rose to more than US$11,000, the 5th highest in Africa. Medical care became available to the public at no cost, but providing housing for all was a task the RCC government was unable to complete. Public education in the country became free and primary education compulsory for both sexes. Īfter coming to power, the RCC government initiated a process of directing funds toward providing education, health care and housing for all. After the king had fled the country, the Revolutionary Command Council (RCC) headed by Gaddafi abolished the monarchy and the old constitution and established the Libyan Arab Republic, with the motto " freedom, socialism and unity". Muammar Gaddafi became the de facto leader of Libya on 1 September 1969 after leading a group of young Libyan Army officers against King Idris I in a bloodless coup d'état. ![]()
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