Despite the 14 years from the outbreak of the Libyan civil war which led to the overturning and to thekilling of gaddafi and numerous members of his family, the Libya It is a country completely sunk in political disorder. Officially there are two governments, the Government of National Unity (Acquartierato in the capital Tripoli) and the Government of national stability (based in Tobruk), which claim sovereignty throughout the Libyan territory. In practice, however, those who really decide what happens in the area are local militias, mafia gangs and other powerful groupswith little transparent relationships. They are the real protagonists behind the scenes, who influence political balance.
Libya, a land with tribal identity
There Libyaa state of North Africa overlooking the Mediterranean, boasts a ancient history and a archaeological heritage and cultural unique and very varied testified by the presence of imposing archaeological complexes of Greek, Phoenician/Carthaginian and Roman origin Located in the towns of Tolemaid, Cirene, Sabratha and, above all, Leptis Magna. The invasions, migrations and foreign dominations have shaped a territory where, over time, several peoples have mixed. In the regions of Tripolitania and Cyrenaica, the Arab-Berbera influence met with the nomadic traditions of the Tuareg and Tebu, who live mainly in the Fezzan desert and in the Oasis of Al-Cufra. Beyond ethnic-cultural belonging, however, the true identity of the Libyan populations is of tribal nature With 20 large confederations, in turn it divided into numerous minor and clan tribes, to divide the territory and its resources. THE’Islam He played a fundamental role in unwinding these different populations, becoming a common point of reference; After the expulsion of the Jewish community between 1947 and 1967, in fact, there are no more significant religious groups in the country. Although in the course of the history numerous kingdoms and empires have managed to take control of Libya in whole or in part, nobody has been successful in giving the territory an organization even comparable to that of a modern state, preferring to rely on local potentates and religious confraternities such as powerful “Senussia“Which he ruled for a long time that area on behalf of the authorities of the Ottoman Empire. The only ones who attempted to give the country an accomplished physiognomy and an administrative organization in step with the times were the Italian colonizersespecially in the Mussolinian period, but without being able to affect the ancient identity and practical practices too much.
Gaddafi’s regime
On September 1, 1969 with the “Al-Fatah Revolution” (actually a coup d’etat full -blown), a group of young officials of the Armed Forces organized in the “movement of free officers”, under the guidance of the young Colonel Mu’ammar Gaddafihe took power by laying the old king Idris I. shrewd and ruthless man, Gaddafi established a revolutionary regime and heavily anti -western which would last for 42 years, until 2011, suffocating any item of dissent But by dragging the country on the other hand in modernity and making it enter the great international politics so much so that there were periods in which it seemed possible that the fiery leader of Tripoli could collect the scepter of the “Panorabism“That had once belonged to the Egyptian Nasser.
The petrolium It was the real engine that pushed Libya and Gaddafi to be protagonists on the international scene in the 70s and 80s. Thanks to the money obtained from his sale, Gaddafi was able to finance development policies, regain, launch himself into military interventions (such as the Chad war) and support guerrilla movements all over the world. His Foreign policy openly destabilizing was contrasted by United States and from the France who repeatedly tried to hit the Libyan interests at a military level in order to reduce the “colonel” to more myth advice when not to eliminate it once and for all. In this context, both the French military intervention in support of the Chad against Libya (“Tacaud Operation” 1978-80, “Manta Operation” 1983-84 and “Operation épervier” 1986-Fine of the conflict) must be interpreted in this context, both the Aerial Bombardment of Libya by the United States on the night of April 15, 1986 (“Operation El Dorado Canyon”). With some western governments the relationships of Libya were tense and sometimes even conflicting, but with others, such as theItalyGaddafi found a “curious” ally. Italy, former colonial power, has always had an eye for Libya, especially for affairs related to hydrocarbons. Although Gaddafi expelled 20,000 Italians in 1970, confiscating assets for over 400 billion lire, in 1976 he made a big blow: bought 10% of Fiat sharesentering arrogance in the world of industry and finance. And then there were the continuous ups and downs in its relations with various first Italian ministers, including Silvio Berlusconi.
Civil wars in Libya and endless chaos
In February 2011, at the same time as what was happening in the other “Arab world” countries, Libya was also hit by the oragan of the so -called “Arab springs” degenerated soon in one dramatic civil war which caused the death of tens of thousands of people and also caused the intervention of a International American driving coalition. However, contrary to the optimistic forecasts of many observers, the death in battle of Gaddafi (which took place on October 20, 2011) did not lead to a new era of peace and stability.
When the Gaddafi regime collapsed, everything underwent was to the surface: the old ones tribal divisions, Which had been hidden or repressed for years, they took over. The country went shattered and were born Two rival governments. On the one hand, there is the Government of National Unity (Gun), in Tripoli, and on the other the Government of national stability (GSN), which has its base in Tobruk and leans on the powerful general Khalifa Haftar. Both claim control of all Libya.
These rivalries have made it impossible to restore a semblance of normality and the armed violence between the different factions between the end of 2011 and the beginning of 2014 finally resulted in a new civil war if possible even more intricate than the first. Destruction and mourning aside, the “Second Libyan Civil War“It was also characterized by the descent on the field of new international actors such as the Türkiye and the Russia who have made themselves open guarantees of their sponsors on the ground (Turkey against the Gun and Russia of the GSN). Libya has become a “strategic node” for the world powers, but despite the temporary agreements of 2020, there true peace still seems far away. With over 100,000 deaths and more than 14 years of conflict, the country has remained a sort of virtual entity, vulnerable to external influences. Today’s Libya is only a distant memory of the stability and prosperity he had under Gaddafi.
