Casualties of the Libyan civil war
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Estimates of deaths in the 2011 Libyan vary with figures from 15,000 to 30,000 given between March 2 and October 2, 2011. An exact figure is hard to ascertain, partly due to a media clamp-down by the
Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya bo ...
n government. Some conservative estimates have been released. Some of the killing "may amount to
crimes against humanity Crimes against humanity are widespread or systemic acts committed by or on behalf of a ''de facto'' authority, usually a state, that grossly violate human rights. Unlike war crimes, crimes against humanity do not have to take place within the ...
" according to the
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and , is under investigation by the
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.


Deaths caused by government forces

On February 22, the
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gave an estimate that 519 people had died, 3,980 were wounded and over 1,500 were missing.
Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human r ...
has estimated that at least 233 people had been killed by February 22. On February 23,
Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs The Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs is the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Italy. The office was one of the positions which Italy inherited from the Kingdom of Sardinia where it was the most ancient ministry of the government: thi ...
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stated that according to his information 1,000 people had died so far. On February 24, the IFHR said that 130 soldiers had been executed in Benghazi and Bayda, after they mutinied and sided with the protesters. On February 25, Navi Pillay, the
High Commissioner for Human Rights The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, commonly known as the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) or the United Nations Human Rights Office, is a department of the Secretariat of the United Nati ...
of the United Nations, said that reports indicated that "thousands may have been killed or injured"."Libyan Crackdown 'Escalates' – UN"
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. February 25, 2011.


Deaths caused by rebel forces

Among the security forces there had been more than 1,700 dead, including civilians in support of the government, alleged mercenaries and government soldiers. There have been many reports that members of the security forces have been killed by both the government and the opposition. On February 18, two policemen were hanged by protesters in Benghazi. Also, on the same day, 50 black Africans, mostly from
Chad Chad (; ar, تشاد , ; french: Tchad, ), officially the Republic of Chad, '; ) is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic ...
, were executed by the protesters in Bayda. Some of them were killed when protesters burned down the police station in which they locked them up and at least 15 were lynched in front of the courthouse in Bayda. The bodies of some of them were put on display and caught on video. By February 23, the government confirmed that 111 soldiers had been killed. On February 23, a group of 22 government soldiers attempted to make a breakout from an air base near Derna, which had been under siege for days by rebel fighters. Within hours, all of them were captured and eventually 14 of them were shot execution style while a 15th was hanged by the opposition forces. Between February 15 and May 22, 37 former government loyalists were killed in Benghazi in revenge killings by some opposition groups. Toward the end of the Battle of Misrata (February 18, 2011 – May 15, 2011), at least 27 sub-Saharan Africans from Mali, Niger or Chad, who were accused of being mercenaries, were executed by rebel forces.


Deaths caused by Coalition forces

The Libyan official sources claimed that at least between 64 and 90 people were killed during the bombardments on the first two days of the U.N. intervention and another 150 had been wounded. The Vatican news agency claimed that in Tripoli alone, at least 40 civilians died as a result of the bombing campaign. According to the Libyan Health office, the airstrikes killed 1,108 civilians and wounded 4,500 by July 13. *On April 1, NATO airstrikes killed 14 rebel fighters and wounded seven more on the frontline at
Brega Brega , also known as ''Mersa Brega'' or ''Marsa al-Brega'' ( ar, مرسى البريقة , i.e. "Brega Seaport"), is a complex of several smaller towns, industry installations and education establishments situated in Libya on the Gulf of Sidra, ...
. *On April 7, news reports surfaced that NATO bombers killed 10–13 rebels and wounded 14–22 near the eastern oil town of Brega. *On April 27, at least one NATO warplane accidentally attacked the Libyan rebel forces position near the besieged city of
Misrata Misrata ( ; also spelled Misurata or Misratah; ar, مصراتة, Miṣrāta ) is a city in the Misrata District in northwestern Libya, situated to the east of Tripoli and west of Benghazi on the Mediterranean coast near Cape Misrata. With ...
, killing 12 fighters and wounding five others. *On May 13, 11 religious
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s were claimed to be killed and 50 others injured when a NATO airstrike struck a large gathering in Brega praying for peace in conflict-ridden Libya. *On June 19, at least nine civilians were killed in a NATO airstrike on Tripoli. Reporters saw bodies being pulled out of a destroyed building. NATO acknowledged being responsible for the civilians' deaths. *On June 20, The then Libyan government, claimed that 15 civilians including three children had been killed by a NATO airstrike on Sorman. *On July 25, 11 civilians were claimed killed by a NATO airstrike on a medical clinic in Zliten. *On July 30, 3 journalists were killed and 15 wounded in NATO attacks against the Libyan state TV Al-Jamahiriya, which continued to broadcast after the attacks. *On August 9, the Libyan government claimed that 85 civilians were killed in NATO airstrikes on Majer, a village near Zliten. A NATO spokesman confirmed that they bombed Zliten on August 8 and 9, but said that he was unable to confirm the casualties. The Libyan government declared three days of national mourning. Reporters were later taken to a hospital where they saw at least 30 dead bodies including the bodies of at least two young children. The Libyan government claimed that the bodies of others killed in the airstrikes were taken to other hospitals. Commander of the NATO military mission in Libya,
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said "I cannot believe that 85 civilians were present when we struck in the wee hours of the morning, and given our intelligence. But I cannot assure you that there were none at all". * On March 2, 2012, after the conclusion of hostilities, the United Nations Human Rights Council released a comprehensive report concluding that in total 60 civilians were killed and 55 wounded by the NATO air campaign.


Legal status

On February 26, 2011, the
United Nations Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the Organs of the United Nations, six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international security, international peace and security, recommending the admi ...
(UNSC) stated in UNSC Resolution 1970, "the widespread and systematic attacks currently taking place in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya against the civilian population may amount to
crimes against humanity Crimes against humanity are widespread or systemic acts committed by or on behalf of a ''de facto'' authority, usually a state, that grossly violate human rights. Unlike war crimes, crimes against humanity do not have to take place within the ...
" and referred "the situation" in Libya since February 15, to the
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(ICC), a permanent tribunal that presently can prosecute individuals for
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,
crimes against humanity Crimes against humanity are widespread or systemic acts committed by or on behalf of a ''de facto'' authority, usually a state, that grossly violate human rights. Unlike war crimes, crimes against humanity do not have to take place within the ...
or war crimes. On March 4, the ICC assigned investigation of the case to Pre-trial Chamber I, consisting of Judge Cuno Tarfusser from
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, Judge Sylvia Steiner from
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and Judge
Sanji Mmasenono Monageng Sanji Mmasenono Monageng (born 9 August 1950) has been a judge of the International Criminal Court (ICC) since 2009. Career Monageng is a national of Botswana. She became a judge in Botswana in 1989. In 2003, Monageng was elected as a Commissioner ...
from
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. NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen stated on March 28 that NATO was impartial and that it interpreted the terms of UNSC Resolution 1973 on the protection of civilians to apply to both rebel and government forces. The
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stated that "the rebels felt they had a 'private understanding' of the NATO mission, elievingthat the western world has joined them in a campaign of regime change." The NATO Secretary General described the possibility that NATO would attack rebel forces who endanger civilian populations as "hypothetical" as of the date of the interview.


Timeline of reported deaths per event


Combatant deaths

Based on the numbers, between 5,904 and 6,626 opposition members/fighters (including some civilian supporters) and between 3,309 and 4,227 Gaddafi loyalists had been killed by October 23, 2011. In addition, another 1,350 opposition fighters and activists have been confirmed as missing in the fighting in the east, 781–900 were reported to be missing in the Battle of Misrata, of which 163 were later confirmed dead when found in two mass graves, 136 went missing during the
Nafusa Mountains Campaign The Nafusa Mountains campaign was a series of battles in the 2011 Libyan Civil War, Libyan Civil War, fought between loyalist Libyan Armed Forces, pro-Gaddafi forces and rebel anti-Gaddafi forces in the Nafusa Mountains and, at a later period, ...
, 74 were missing following the
Battle of Brega–Ajdabiya road The Battle of Brega–Ajdabiya road was a battle during the 2011 Libyan Civil War, Libyan Civil War between forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and anti-Gaddafi forces for control of the towns of Brega and Ajdabiya respectively and the L ...
and up to 700 rebels were missing following the
Battle of Bin Jawad The Battle of Bin Jawad was a battle in the Libyan Civil War between forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and anti-Gaddafi forces for control of the town of Bin Jawad. Battle On 5 March 2011, following the Battle of Ra's Lanuf, rebel ...
, of which 170 were later found in a mass grave, for a total of 2,708–2,827 rebels reported missing. In January 2013, the new Libyan government stated, based on unfinished research, that 4,700 rebel fighters and a similar number of loyalist soldiers were killed during the conflict. An estimated 2,100 rebels and loyalists were missing. No count was given on the number of killed and missing civilians.


Civilian deaths

There had been at least 5,637 to 7,046 reported civilians killed by October 23, 2011. However, a number of civilians were also killed during the Second Battle of Benghazi and during the campaign in the Nafusa mountains, so the number could be far higher. Also, the number of civilians reported to had been killed in NATO air-strikes could be smaller because it was proven that some of the previous government-announced tolls from individual strikes were exaggerated.


Overall deaths

In the end, according to the numbers presented, a total of 14,572 to 18,873 deaths have been reported, of which some have not been independently confirmed. The opposition stated near the end of the war that 25,000 people had been killed and 4,000 had been reported as missing. In January 2013, the new Libyan government, based on figures still being checked, estimated the number of killed to be actually far lower than previous estimates, with 4,700 of the dead being rebel fighters, a similar number loyalist soldiers and an undefined number civilians. An estimated 2,100 rebels and loyalists were missing. Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, which compiles a database of all reported fatalities due to political violence on the African continent, listed 6,109 fatalities from 15 February to 23 October 2011, of which 1,319 prior to NATO intervention. Alan Kuperman, associate professor of Public Affairs at the University of Austin, calculated that about 1,000 Libyans, including civilians, rebels and soldiers, died between the start of the rebellion in mid-February and NATO intervention in mid-March. The
Uppsala Conflict Data Program The Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP) is a data collection program on organized violence, based at Uppsala University in Sweden. The UCDP is a leading provider of data on organized violence and armed conflict, and it is the oldest ongoing data ...
, a public data resource that includes information on different types of organized violence (e.g. actors involved, casualties, date, location, etc.), reported that between 1,914 and 3,466 people were killed during the 2011 fighting. In addition their data shows that between 152 and 168 civilians were deliberately killed by the pro-Gaddafi forces in 2011. A September 2015 study in the African Journal of Emergency Medicine found that 21,490 people were killed between February 2011 and February 2012 as a result of both direct (people killed in combat) and indirect deaths (damage to infrastructure and higher mortality rates).


Deaths overall

The total number of people killed includes protesters, armed belligerents, and civilians:


Notable deaths, disappearances and other cases

*
Ali Hassan al-Jaber Ali Hassan al-Jaber (; 12 December 1955Libya Live Blog - March 13
, Qatari journalist of
Al Jazeera Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazeera ...
, killed *
Mohammed Nabbous Mohamed "Mo" Nabbous (محمد نبوس ‎; 27 February 1983 – 19 March 2011) was a Libyan information technologist, blogger, businessperson and civilian journalist who created and founded Libya Alhurra TV. At the outbreak of the Libyan ...
, Libyan journalist and founder of
Libya Alhurra TV Libya Alhurra TV ( ar, قناة ليبيا الحرة), meaning Free Libya TV, is an Internet television channel founded by Mohamed Nabbous on 19 February 2011 at the start of the Libyan Civil War. It was the first private television station in B ...
, killed * Kais al-Hilali, Libyan political cartoonist famous for painting anti-Gaddafi mural, killed * Tim Hetherington, British-American photojournalist, killed * Chris Hondros, American photojournalist, killed * Ahmed Eyzert, engineer who discovered and masterminded the "invaluable" technique of using
Google Earth Google Earth is a computer program that renders a 3D computer graphics, 3D representation of Earth based primarily on satellite imagery. The program maps the Earth by superimposition, superimposing satellite images, aerial photography, and geog ...
satellite imagery with coordinates to enhance artillery accuracy, killed *
Saif al-Arab Gaddafi Saif al-Arab Gaddafi ( ar, سيف العرب القذافي, ''lit. Sword of the Arabs; of the Gaddafa''; 1982 – 30 April 2011) was the sixth son of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. From around 2006 to 2010, Saif al-Arab spent much of h ...
, son of
Muammar Gaddafi Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi, . Due to the lack of standardization of transcribing written and regionally pronounced Arabic, Gaddafi's name has been romanized in various ways. A 1986 column by ''The Straight Dope'' lists 32 spellin ...
, killed along with three of Gaddafi's grandchildren in a NATO air-strike * Iman al-Obeidi, Libyan postgraduate law student, alleged rape case with media and governmental response * Rana Akbani, Syrian journalist in government custody from March 28 to April 14 *
Anton Hammerl Anton Hammerl (12 December 1969 – 5 April 2011) was a photojournalist shot and killed by troops loyal to Muammar Gaddafi outside of Brega while covering the Libyan Civil War on 5 April 2011. After his death, Hammerl's family was led to believe b ...
, South African photographer, missing and presumed killed on April 5 *
Manu Brabo Manu Brabo (1981) is a Spanish photojournalist who was captured in Libya along with three other journalists while covering the Libyan Civil War in 2011 and who was part of the Associated Press team to win the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News P ...
, Spanish photographer in government custody from April 5 to May 18 * James Foley, American journalist in government custody from April 5 to May 18 * Clare Morgana Gillis, American journalist in government custody from April 5 to May 18 * Nigel Chandler, British journalist released from government custody on May 18 *
Khamis Gaddafi Khamis Gaddafi (27 May 1983 – 29 August 2011) was the seventh and youngest son of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, and the military commander in charge of the Khamis Brigade of the Libyan Army. He was part of his father's inner circle. ...
, son of Muammar Gaddafi, killed when his vehicle was destroyed on August 29 *
Muammar Gaddafi Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi, . Due to the lack of standardization of transcribing written and regionally pronounced Arabic, Gaddafi's name has been romanized in various ways. A 1986 column by ''The Straight Dope'' lists 32 spellin ...
, Libyan leader from 1969–2011, killed in hometown of Sirte on October 20 *
Mutassim Gaddafi Mutassim Billah Gaddafi ( ar, المُعْتَصِمٌ بِٱللهِ ٱلْقَذَّافِيّ, also transliterated as Al-Moa'tassem Bellah Al-Qaddafi or Al-Mutasim Billah al-Qadhafi; 18 December 1974 – 20 October 2011) was a Libyan Army ...
, son of Muammar Gaddafi, killed alongside his father on October 20


See also

Casualty recording Casualty recording is the systematic and continuous process of documenting individual direct deaths from armed conflict or widespread violence. It aims to create a comprehensive account of all deaths within a determined scope, usually bound by ti ...


References

{{Libyan civil war Libyan civil war (2011) War crimes in Libya