Libyan Civil War(s)

The Libyan Civil War is often framed as encompassing two separate but deeply connected conflicts, one that began in 2011 and another that reignited in 2014. The First Libyan Civil War, also widely known as the Libyan Revolution, was triggered by the broader wave of uprisings known as the Arab Spring, which swept across North Africa and the Middle East in early 2011. Inspired by successful uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, protesters in Libya took to the streets demanding political reform, greater freedoms, and the removal of long-time authoritarian leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, who had ruled the country since 1969 through a mix of tribal patronage, repression, and populist ideology.