The National Transitional Council (NTC) was a

transitional government A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, a transitional government or provisional leadership, is a temporary government formed to manage a period of transition, often following state collapse, revoluti ...

established in the

2011 Libyan civil war The Libyan civil war, also known as the First Libyan Civil War and Libyan Revolution, was an armed conflict in 2011 in the North African country of Libya that was fought between forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and rebel groups that were ...

. After rebel forces overthrew the

Libyan Arab Jamahiriya 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. When Idris was in Turkey for medical treatment, the Revolutio ...

Muammar Gaddafi Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi (20 October 2011) was a Libyan military officer, revolutionary, politician and political theorist who ruled Libya from 1969 until Killing of Muammar Gaddafi, his assassination by Libyan Anti-Gaddafi ...

in August 2011, the NTC governed Libya for a further ten months after the end of the war, holding

elections An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated ...

to a

General National Congress The General National Congress or General National Council (GNC; ) was the Legislature, legislative authority of Libya for two years following the end of the First Libyan Civil War. It was elected by popular vote on 7 July 2012, and took power f ...

on 7 July 2012, and handing power to the newly elected assembly on 8 August. The formation of the NTC was announced in the city of

Benghazi Benghazi () () is the List of cities in Libya, second-most-populous city in Libya as well as the largest city in Cyrenaica, with an estimated population of 859,000 in 2023. Located on the Gulf of Sidra in the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean, Ben ...

on 27 February 2011 with the purpose to act as the "political face of the revolution". On 5 March 2011, the council issued a statement in which it declared itself to be the "only legitimate body representing the people of Libya and the Libyan state".The Interim Transitional National Council Decree 3. 5 March 2011. An executive board, chaired by Mahmoud Jibril, was formed by the council on 23 March 2011 after being ''de facto'' assembled as an "executive team" since 5 March 2011. The NTC issued a Constitutional Declaration in August 2011 in which it set up a road-map for the transition of the country to a

constitutional democracy A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of Legal entity, entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed. Wh ...

with an elected government. The council gained

international recognition Diplomatic recognition in international law is a unilateral declarative political act of a state that acknowledges an act or status of another state or government in control of a state (may be also a recognized state). Recognition can be accor ...

as the legitimate governing authority in Libya and occupied the country's seat at the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

. In referring to the Libyan state, the council used simply "Libya". The UN formally recognized the country as "Libya" in September 2011, based on a request from the Permanent Mission of Libya citing the

Libyan interim Constitutional Declaration The Constitutional Declaration is the current supreme law of Libya, introduced due to the overthrow of the Gaddafi government in the Libyan Civil War. It was finalised on 3 August 2011 by the National Transitional Council, and is intended to re ...

of 3 August 2011. In November 2011, the

ISO 3166-1 ISO 3166-1 (''Codes for the representation of names of countries and their subdivisions – Part 1: Country code'') is a standard defining codes for the names of countries, dependent territories, and special areas of geographical interest. It i ...

was altered to reflect the new country name "Libya" in English, "Libye (la)" in French.

Background

Uprising and civil war

After popular movements overturned the rulers of

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

and

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

, Libya's immediate neighbours to the west and east, Libya experienced a full-scale uprising beginning in February 2011. By 20 February, the unrest had spread to Tripoli. Much of Libya had slipped out of Gaddafi's control, falling to anti-Gaddafi forces.

Eastern Libya Cyrenaica ( ) or Kyrenaika (, , after the city of Cyrene), is the eastern region of Libya. Cyrenaica includes all of the eastern part of Libya between the 16th and 25th meridians east, including the Kufra District. The coastal region, als ...

, centered around the second largest city and vital port of Benghazi, was firmly under the control of the opposition. The opposition began to organise themselves into a functioning government. Anti-Gaddafi forces marched on

Sirte Sirte (; , ), also spelled Sirt, Surt, Sert or Syrte, is a city in Libya. It is located south of the Gulf of Sirte, almost right in the middle between Tripoli and Benghazi. It is famously known for its battles, ethnic groups and loyal ...

(

Gaddafi Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi (20 October 2011) was a Libyan military officer, revolutionary, politician and political theorist who ruled Libya from 1969 until his assassination by Libyan rebel forces in 2011. He came to power ...

's hometown) on 28 September 2011. Gaddafi loyalists delayed the attack with the use of their snipers. The fight for Sirte ended on 20 October with the capture of the town and the death of Colonel Gaddafi.

Early efforts to form a government

On 24 February 2011, politicians, former military officers, tribal leaders, academics and businessmen held a meeting in the eastern city of Bayda. The meeting was chaired by former justice minister

Mustafa Abdul Jalil Mustafa Abdul Jalil (; also transcribed ''Abdul-Jelil, Abd-al-Jalil'', ''Abdel-Jalil'', ''Abdeljalil'' or ''Abdu Al Jeleil''; born 6 November 1952) is a Libyan politician who was the Chairman of the National Transitional Council from 5 March 201 ...

, who quit the Jamahiriya government a few days before. The delegates discussed proposals for interim administration with many delegates asking for UN intervention in Libya. The podium at the meeting displayed the pre-Jamahiriya flag. On 25 February,

Al Jazeera Al Jazeera Media Network (AJMN; , ) is a private-media conglomerate headquartered in Wadi Al Sail, Doha, funded in part by the government of Qatar. The network's flagship channels include Al Jazeera Arabic and Al Jazeera English, which pro ...

TV reported that talks were taking place between "personalities from eastern and western Libya" to form an interim government for the post-Gaddafi era. The following day, former justice minister Mustafa Abdul Jalil was announced to be leading the process of forming an interim body, to be based in Benghazi. Jalil stated that "Gaddafi alone bore responsibility for the crimes that have occurred" in Libya; he also insisted on the unity of Libya and that Tripoli was the national capital. The efforts to form an alternative government have been supported by the Libyan ambassador in the United States, Ali Suleiman Aujali. The Libyan deputy ambassador to the United Nations, Ibrahim Omar Al Dabashi, stated that he supported a new alternative government "in principle".

Establishment of a national council

A National Transitional Council was formed on 27 February to act as "the political face of the revolution". Its spokesman, Abdul Hafiz Ghoga, made clear at the launch press conference that the national council was not a provisional government and added that the newly formed council was not in contact with foreign governments and did not want them to intervene. He later clarified that an airstrike mandated by the United Nations would not be considered a foreign intervention. An Al Jazeera journalist in Benghazi reported that a fully fledged interim government would not be formed until Tripoli was under opposition control. This contradicted Jalil's statement of the previous day about the formation of a provisional government. These comments were later clarified by the council as Jalil's "personal views". On 5 March, the council issued a statement in which it declared itself to be the "sole representative of all Libya". Mustafa Abdul Jalil was named as chairman of the council. On 10 March,

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

became the first country to recognise the council as Libya's only legitimate government.

Formation of an executive board

On 23 March, the council established an executive board to act as a transitional government for Libya. Jibril, who had served as chairman of the informal "executive team" since 5 March, was appointed as chairman of that board, stating that council would serve as the "legislative body", and the new Executive Board would serve as the "executive body". Jibril led the meeting and negotiations with French President

Nicolas Sarkozy Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa ( ; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012. In 2021, he was found guilty of having tried to bribe a judge in 2014 to obtain information ...

, a meeting that resulted in France officially recognizing the council as the sole representative of the Libyan people.

Instability in 2012

In mid-January 2012, protesters against the NTC stormed its Benghazi headquarters, demanding greater transparency on expenditures, that Gaddafi-era officials be sacked, and that Islamic

sharia law Sharia, Sharī'ah, Shari'a, or Shariah () is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on scriptures of Islam, particularly the Qur'an and hadith. In Islamic terminology ''sharīʿah'' refers to immutable, inta ...

be the source of the country's future constitution. Jalil was in the building, but slipped out the back before protesters broke in and stole computers and furniture. A few days earlier, Abdul Hafiz Ghoga, vice president of the NTC, was surrounded and jostled by a group of university students in Benghazi, before being pulled to safety by supporters.

Dissolution

In a ceremony on 8 August 2012—held in the evening due to the daytime fast of

Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...

—the NTC formally transferred power to the

. Jalil stepped down as chairman, passing the position to the GNC's oldest member, Mohammed Ali Salim. The NTC was then dissolved, while the GNC members took their oath of office, led by Salim. Hundreds of people gathered in Tripoli's Martyrs' Square with candles symbolizing reconciliation. The date of the transfer—20 Ramadan on the

Islamic calendar The Hijri calendar (), also known in English as the Islamic calendar, is a lunar calendar consisting of 12 lunar months in a year of 354 or 355 days. It is used to determine the proper days of Islamic holidays and rituals, such as the Ramad ...

—had also been selected for symbolic reasons, as 20 Ramadan the previous year had fallen on 20 August, the date that the rebels attacked Tripoli, leading to Gaddafi's flight. As Jalil addressed the crowd, attendees chanted "Allahu Akbar!" or another phrase meaning "The blood of martyrs will not go wasted!" According to

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

, the transfer was "the first

peaceful transition of power A peaceful transition or transfer of power is a concept important to democracy, democratic governments in which the leadership of a government peacefully hands over control of government to a newly elected leadership. This may be after elections o ...

in Libya's modern history", meaning the history since the end of the monarchy.

Aims and objectives

The "Declaration of the founding of the National Transitional Council" stated that the main aims of the council were as follows: *Ensure the safety of the national territory and citizens *Coordination of national efforts to liberate the rest of Libya *Support the efforts of local councils to work for the restoration of normal civilian life *Supervision of the Military Council to ensure the achievement of the new doctrine of the Libyan People's Army in the defense of the people and to protect the borders of Libya. *Facilitate the election of a constituent assembly to draft a new constitution for the country; be put to a popular referendum *Form a transitional government to pave the holding of free elections *Guide the conduct of foreign policy, and the regulation of relations with other countries and international and regional organizations, and the representation of the Libyan people In another statement clarifying the goals for a post-Gaddafi Libya, the council committed itself an eight-point plan to hold free and fair elections, draft a national constitution, form political and civil institutions, uphold intellectual and political pluralism, and guarantee citizens' inalienable human rights and the ability of free expression of their aspirations. The council also emphasized its rejection of racism, intolerance, discrimination, and terrorism. Article 1 further declares Tripoli the state capital and

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

the official language while reserving the linguistic and cultural rights of ethnic minorities as well as the

freedom of religion Freedom of religion or religious liberty, also known as freedom of religion or belief (FoRB), is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice ...

for religious minorities. The stated aim of the NTC was to form a ''de jure'' interim government based in Tripoli and hold elections for a General National Congress to replace it. The GNC would then elect a prime minister, appoint a Constituent Assembly to draft a constitution subject to its approval by the Public National Conference (PNC) and by referendum, and then oversee free elections for a representative government.

Structure and membership

Legislative body

The National Transitional Council claimed to be, and was widely recognized as, the "only legitimate body representing the people of Libya and the Libyan state". Starting off at 33 members, it rose to 51, with proposals to increase its size further to 75 or even 125. Al Jazeera English reported that each city or town under opposition control will be given five seats on the new council and that contact will be established with new cities that come under opposition control to allow them to join the council. The identities of members of the council were not disclosed at the launch conference. Human Rights lawyer Hafiz Ghoga was the spokesperson for the new council. An Al Jazeera English journalist in Benghazi stated that Mustafa Abdul Jalil still had a leadership role within the new council. The council declared that Jalil was the head of the council. The council met formally for the first time on 5 March 2011 when it was announced that the council had 33 members. The names of some of the members were kept secret to prevent threats to their families that were still in Gaddafi-held areas of Libya. In September 2011, some of the NTC's members were in

, while some had moved to the ''de jure'' capital Tripoli. On 8 September, the head of government Mahmoud Jibril became the highest-ranking NTC official yet to move to Tripoli. Prior to Jibril's relocation, Deputy Chairman Ali Tarhouni was the ''de facto'' leader of the NTC in Tripoli.

Members

The members of the council included: Council members: *

– chairman of the council * Mustafa Honi – vice chairman of the council * Zubeir Ahmed El-Sharif – Political Prisoners representative *

Omar El-Hariri Omar Mokhtar El-Hariri (; – 2 November 2015) was a leading figure of the National Transitional Council of Libya who served as the Minister of Military Affairs in 2011, during the Libyan Civil War. He controlled the National Liberation Army a ...

– Military Council representative City Representatives: * Hassan Fadeel – City of Ajdabiya * Salih Dirssi – City of Bayda * Ahmed Dayikh – City of Bayda * Mustafa Houni – City of Jufra * Abd al-Qadr Minsar – City of Khoms * Emadaldeen Nussayr – City of Zawiya * Khaled Nassrat – City of Zawiya * AbdAllah Turki – City of

Zintan Zintan (, meaning "small castles") is a city in northwestern Libya, situated roughly southwest of Tripoli, in the area. The city and its surrounding area has a population of 16,024. History The Roman garrison town of Tentheos was on the Naf ...

* Mukhtar Jadal – City of Ajaylat * Ahmed Zway – City of

Kufra Kufra () is a basinBertarelli (1929), p. 514. and oasis group in the Kufra District of southeastern Cyrenaica in Libya. At the end of the 19th century, Kufra became the centre and holy place of the Senussi order. It also played a minor role in ...

* Mustafa Lindi – City of

* Abdullah Moussa Al-Mayhoub – City of

Quba Quba () is a city and the administrative centre of the Quba District (Azerbaijan), Quba District of Azerbaijan. The city lies on the north-eastern slopes of Mount Shahdagh, Shahdag mountain, at an altitude of 600 metres above sea level, on the ...

* Taher Dyab – City of Marj * Mussa Balkami – City of

Ubari Ubari or Awbari () is an oasis town and the capital of the Wadi al Hayaa District, in the Fezzan region of southwestern Libya. It is in the Idehan Ubari, a Libyan section of the Sahara Desert. It was the capital of the former ''baladiyah'' (dis ...

* Mohamed ZaynAbideen – Lower Nafusa * Fathi Mohammed Baja – City of

* Ahmed Al-Abbar – City of

* Salwa Fawzi El-Deghali – City of

* Khaled Sayih – City of

* Mansour Kikhia – City of

* Intisar Ageeli – City of

* Abd al-Basset Naama – City of

Tarhuna Tarhuna (; ), also Tarhoona or Tarhunah, is a Libyan village to the southeast of Tripoli, in the Murqub District. The Tarhuna District, including the city of Msallata, had an urban population of about 296,000 (est. 2003). The population in T ...

* Ihbaybil Doii – City of Jadu * Ashour Bourashed – City of Derna * Khaled Ahmed ShikShik – City of

Zliten Zliten () is a city in Murqub District of Libya. It is located 160 km to the capital of Tripoli. Geography The name Zliten is given to both the city and the whole area. As a city, Zliten is situated east of the capital, Tripoli, and abo ...

* Othman BenSassi – City of Zuwara * Abd al-Majeed Sayf-alNasser – City of Sabha * Mohamed Rimash – City of

* Fraj Shoeib – City of

Shahhat Shahhat or Shahat (, ) is a town in the Jabal al Akhdar, District of Jabal al Akhdar in northeastern Libya on the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast. It is located east of Bayda, Libya, Bayda. History The ancient and medieval city of Cyren ...

* Ali al-Juwani – City of

Sabratha Sabratha (; also ''Sabratah'', ''Siburata''), in the Zawiya DistrictFarhat Shirshari – City of Sorman * Othman Mgayrhi – City of

Tobruk Tobruk ( ; ; ) is a port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near the border with Egypt. It is the capital of the Butnan District (formerly Tobruk District) and has a population of 120,000 (2011 est.)."Tobruk" (history), ''Encyclop� ...

* Alameen Bilhaj – City of Tripoli * Abd al-Razzag Aradi – City of Tripoli * Mohamed Hrayzi – City of Tripoli * Abd al-Razzag Abuhajar – City of Tripoli * Ali Shitwi – City of Tripoli * AbdAllah Banoon – City of Tripoli * Abd al-Nasser Salem – City of Tripoli * Abd al-Basset Abadi – City of Tripoli * Abd al-Nasser Nafaa – City of Tripoli * Salih Darhub – City of Tripoli * Osama AbuKraza – City of Tripoli * Milad Oud – City of Tripoli * Ali Manaa – City of

Ghadames Ghadames or Ghadamis ( Ghadamsi: ⵄⴰⴷⴻⵎⴻⵙ / ''Ɛadēməs'' �adeːməs , ) is an oasis town in the Nalut District of the Tripolitania region in northwestern Libya. Ghadamès, known as 'the pearl of the desert', stands in an oa ...

* Idris AbuFayid – City of – Gharyan * Jamal Issa – City of Kabaw * Ali Gamma – City of Murzuk * Abd al-Hadi Shaweesh – City of Murzuk * Ramadan Khaled – City of Msallata * Ibrahim BenGhasheer – City of

Misrata Misrata ( ; , Libyan Arabic: ; also spelled Misratah and known by the Italian spelling Misurata) is a city in northwestern Libya located in the Misrata District, situated to the east of Tripoli on the Mediterranean coast near Cape Misrata. ...

* Suleiman Al-Fortia – City of

* Mohamed Elmuntasser – City of

* Salem Gnan – City of Nalut * Hassan Sghayir – City of al Shatii * Saad Nasr – City of al Shatii * Abd al-Razzaq Madi – City of Yafran * Mubarak al-Futmani – City of Bani Walid **AbdAllah Banoon of Tripoli resigned to form a political party.

Executive Board

On 5 March 2011, a crisis committee was set up to act as the executive arm of the council. An Executive Board was announced on 23 March 2011.
. National Transitional Council. It originally had 15 members, but a minor reorganisation apparently removed the post of Military Affairs from the council proper and created a successor position for Defence on the board, expanding the bureau to 16 members. The executive board was dismissed on 8 August 2011 due to administrative mistakes in investigating the assassination in July of Free Libyan Army commander General Abdul Fatah Younis, Abdel-Fatah Younes. Chairman Mahmoud Jibril, the only designated member of the executive board who was not fired, was tasked with forming a new Board.

Members (March–August 2011)

Prior to the re-shuffle in August 2011, the board members were: * Mahmoud Jibril –

Chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...

and head of international affairs * Ali Al-Issawi – vice-chairman *Ahmed Hussein Al-Darrat – Internal Affairs and Local Government *

Jalal al-Digheily Jalal Muhammad Mansur al-Digheily, sometimes transliterated al-Dogheily () is a Libyan politician who served as the Defence Minister of Libya under the National Transitional Council during the 2011 Libyan civil war. Digheily succeeded Omar El-Ha ...

– Defence (formerly Military Affairs) *Mahmoud Shammam – Media *Naji Barakat – Health *Mohammed Al-Allagi – Justice and Human Rights *Hania Al-Gumati – Social Welfare *Abdullah Shamia – Economic *

Ali Tarhouni Ali Abdussalam Tarhouni (; born 1951) is a Libyan economist and politician. Tarhouni served as the minister for oil and finance on the National Transitional Council, the provisional governing authority in Libya, from 23 March to 22 November 2011 ...

– Finance and Oil * Anwar Fituri – Transportation and Communications *Abulgassim Nimr – Environment *Atia Lawgali – Culture and Community *Abdulsalam Al-Shikhy – Religious Affairs and Endowments *Ahmed Al-Jehani – Reconstruction and Infrastructure *Suliman El-Sahli – Education

Members (October 2011)

A new cabinet was unveiled in early October 2011, though not all of its members were announced at once. Individuals confirmed to be part of the new board included Mahmoud Jibril as prime minister,

as deputy prime minister, and

as defence minister. On 23 October, Jibril resigned as Mustafa Abdul Jalil declared an end to the Libyan civil war, and Abdurrahim El-Keib succeeded him as prime minister on 31 October. The executive board was dissolved on 22 November 2011 as per the Interim constitution which stated that the executive board must be dissolved upon the formation of the Interim Government.

Interim government

El-Keib unveiled the

interim government A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, a transitional government or provisional leadership, is a temporary government formed to manage a period of transition, often following state collapse, revolut ...

on 22 November 2011: * Abdurrahim El-Keib – Prime Minister * Mustafa A.G. Abushagur- Deputy Prime Minister * Hamza Abu Faris – Minister of Awqaf & Islamic Affairs * Ali Ashour – Minister of Justice * Anwar Fituri – Minister of Communications and Information Technology * Mustafa Rugibani – Minister of Labor * Fatima Hamroush – Minister of Health * Fawzi Abdel A'al – Minister of Interior * Awad Beroin – Minister of Energy * Taher Sharkas – Minister of Trade and Commerce * Sulaiman al-Sahli – Minister of Education * Ashour Bin Khayal – Minister of Foreign Affairs * Osama al-Juwali – Minister of Defense * Isa Tuwaijir – Minister of Planning * Mabrouka Jibril – Minister of Social Affairs * Abdulrahman Ben Yezza – Minister of Oil * Hasan Zaglam –

Minister of Finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfolio ...

* AbdulHamid BuFruja – Minister of Agriculture * Mahmoud Fetais – Minister of Industry * Naeem Gheriany – Minister of Scientific Research and Higher Education * Ahmed Attiga – Investment Authority * Abdul Rahman Habil – Minister of Culture and Civil Society * Awad al-Baraasi – Minister of Electricity * Ashraf bin Ismail – Martyrs Authority * Mohammad Harari – Minister of Local Government * Ibrahim Alsagoatri – Minister of Housing * Yousef Wahashi – Minister of Transportation * Fathi Terbil – Minister of Youth * Ibrahim Eskutri – Minister of Construction

Local government

During the war, in opposition-held Benghazi, a 15-member "local committee" made up of lawyers, judges and respected local people was formed in order to provide civic administration and public services within the city. Residents have organised to direct traffic and collect refuse. Many shops and businesses have opened again. A newspaper and two local radio stations were also established. Similar "local committees" were formed in other cities controlled by opposition groups.

Commercial bodies

The council established the following commercial bodies to manage its financial affairs: * The Central Bank of Benghazi – to act as the "monetary authority competent in monetary policies in Libya" * Libyan Oil Company – to act as the "supervisory authority on oil production and policies in the country"

Armed forces

The

anti-Gaddafi forces The anti-Gaddafi forces, also known as the Libyan opposition or Libyan rebels, were Libyan groups that opposed and militarily defeated the government of Muammar Gaddafi during the First Libyan Civil War in 2011, killing him in the process. The A ...

were Libyan armed forces which were constituted during the 2011 war by defected military members and armed citizens in order to engage in battle against remaining members of the Jamahiriya's armed forces, hired mercenaries and paramilitary loyal to the rule of

. The National Liberation Army, formerly known as the Free Libyan Army, was the NTC's military arm, with the small Free Libyan Air Force operating assets including captured and defected fighter jets and helicopters.

was the first military affairs minister the NTC named, holding that position from 23 March 2011 forward. By 19 May 2011, however,

had replaced El-Hariri. Then on 8 August 2011, Digheily along with 14 other members of the executive board were fired and the position left vacant, but was reappointed in early October 2011 after continuing in the role of interim defense minister for almost two months. Then on 22 November 2011, the executive board was dissolved for the formation of the Interim Government and Osama al-Juwali became the new Defense Minister. On 1 April 2011,

Abdul Fatah Younis Abdul Fatah Younis Al-Obeidi (; , sometimes transliterated ''Fattah Younis'' or ''Fattah Younes'' or ''Fatah Younes''; 1944 – 28 July 2011) was a Libyan military officer and politician. He served as Libya's interior minister until his resignat ...

was announced as commander of the NTC's forces, in an attempt to form an organized fighting structure due to a string of failures. Younis was killed in an attack on 29 July 2011 which was variously blamed on pro-Gaddafi agents, rogue rebel militiamen, and the NTC itself. Suleiman Mahmoud, Younis's top lieutenant, replaced him as army commander.

Foreign relations

In July 2011, the Libya Contact Group of representatives of many nations announced its participants' agreement to deal with the National Transitional Council as the "legitimate governing authority in Libya". The council also received the backing of the

Arab League The Arab League (, ' ), officially the League of Arab States (, '), is a regional organization in the Arab world. The Arab League was formed in Cairo on 22 March 1945, initially with seven members: Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt, Kingdom of Iraq, ...

and the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

. On 16 September 2011, the

United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; , AGNU or AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. Currently in its Seventy-ninth session of th ...

voted to award Libya's UN seat to the NTC. On 20 September 2011, the

African Union The African Union (AU) is a continental union of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, on 9 September 1999, calling for the establishment of the African Union. The b ...

officially recognised the NTC as the legitimate representative of Libya.

Mohammed El Senussi Prince Mohammed El Senussi (; Sayyid ''Mohammed er-Rida bin Seyyed Hasan er-Rida el-Mahdi es-Senussi''; occasionally spelled as "...Al Senussi", "as-Senussi", "al/el-Senussi"; born 20 October 1962) is the son of Crown Prince Hasan as-Senussi of ...

, the

pretender A pretender is someone who claims to be the rightful ruler of a country although not recognized as such by the current government. The term may often be used to either refer to a descendant of a deposed monarchy or a claim that is not legitimat ...

to the throne of Libya, also voiced his support for the NTC. While NTC forces were working to secure military victory on the ground, the NTC's chairman, Mustafa Abdul Jalil, was working to foster good diplomatic relations overseas. Before Gaddafi was killed Abdul Jalil negotiated a deal with the British government to pay millions in compensation to victims of IRA attacks that used Jamahiriya-supplied arms.

Military intervention

United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973 Resolution 1973 was adopted by the United Nations Security Council on 17 March 2011 in response to the First Libyan Civil War. The resolution formed the legal basis for military intervention in the Libyan Civil War, demanding "an immediate ce ...

authorised a multi-national effort to establish a no-fly zone. On 19 March, British, French and US air forces began attacking targets in Gaddafi-controlled Libya, thereby initiating the UN military intervention. Operations were led by

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

under

Operation Unified Protector Operation Unified Protector was a NATO operation in 2011 enforcing United Nations United Nations Security Council, Security Council United Nations Security Council resolution, resolutions United Nations Security Council Resolution 1970, 1970 and ...

, after initially being led by a joint UK, US and French command. Non-NATO states such as

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

, and the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

also contributed to the military mission.

References

External links

* , official website of Libya's mission to the United Nations {{Authority control Government of Libya Libyan civil war (2011) 2011 establishments in Libya 2012 disestablishments in Libya Organizations of the Arab Spring Provisional governments Political history of Libya