An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir September 2016 www.dfmagazine.ie 20 | T he name Muammar Qaddafi is inextricably linked with Libya. having seized control of the country in 1969, Qad- dafi's authoritarian dictatorship lasted more than 40 years before being overthrown in 2011. however, while one cruel chapter in Libya's history was ending, another one, just as brutal, was about to begin. Covering 1.8 million sq kms, Libya is the fourth-largest country in Africa and has a population of just over six million. Located in the Maghreb region of North Africa, the country is bordered by the Mediterranean to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Algeria and Tunisia to the west, and Chad and Niger to the south. The capital, Tripoli, with a population of one million, is located in the west, while Benghazi, the second largest city, is situated in the east. Libya was an early centre for Christianity until the fall of the Roman Empire, which left the country susceptible to invasion. A long period of colonisation by Arab settlers was followed with wars and occupation by Spain and the Ottoman Empire. In the early 20th century the country was colonised by Italy and was an important, strategic area of operations during World War Two. In the aftermath of the war, Italy lost control of the country and Libya became an independent kingdom in 1951. In 1969, a military coup ousted King Idris I, bringing Colonel Muammar Qaddafi to power. Qaddafi shut down American and British military bases in the country before demanding a bigger cut of oil revenues from foreign oil companies operating in oil-rich Libya. He also expelled foreign nationals and Libyans who he be- lieved were a threat to his regime. Libyan intelligence agents also travelled throughout the world, intimidating and assassinating dissident Libyans living in exile. Initially Qaddafi did not seek outside support but eventually began to open negotiations with the USSR. As the Cold War was steadily escalating at this time, Qaddafi's approaches to America's adversary resulted in the US and its allies imposing sanctions. Qaddafi's increasingly eccentric behaviour manifested itself in increasing oppression and ruthlessness. He executed any person or group that threatened his regime and he also financed various groups throughout the world, many of them terrorist organisations. A US airstrike in 1986, ordered after an explosion at a Berlin disco frequented by US servicemen, failed to kill Qaddafi. In 1992 the UN imposed sanctions as a result of investigations into Libya's links to the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, in which 270 people died, and UTA Flight 772 over Niger, which killed 170 people. The Arab Spring movement that deposed the rulers of Tunisia and Egypt paved the way for an uprising in Libya that began on 17th February 2011. The revolt soon developed into a civil war that spread rapidly throughout the country, leaving thousands dead and a country in chaos. The uprising resulted in an international by PAUL O'BRIEN MA A War on Many Fronts

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