On Friday, Libyans commemorated the 12-year anniversary of their 2011 uprising. Major celebrations took place in many cities, and the capital, Tripoli, saw its citizens take to the streets and decorate the city’s squares with lights and national flags.
Large crowds of people attended music performances by Libyan singers and bands in Tripoli’s central square.
Additionally, as part of the festivities, a sizable military parade was held in the square.
“God willing, we’ll get better and better, I congratulate the Libyan people on the 12th anniversary of the February 17 revolution. If God permits, the entire Libyan population will elect a government next year, and Libya will unify and form a single state. One of the men enjoying themselves on Tripoli’s streets was named Rabie Imran.
Since elections could not be held until December 2021, the anniversary of the uprising coincides with the ongoing political impasse and division of the government.
In the chaos that followed the uprising, the county split into two rival administrations, each supported by various rogue militias and foreign governments.
At the end of the previous year, the UN’s special representative for Libya issued a warning that the country is already showing signs of division and urged powerful nations to exert pressure on rival Libyan leaders to swiftly complete the constitutional framework for elections.
Libya entered a phase of unrest beginning on February 17, 2011, that was reminiscent of the Arab spring that had just begun in many other Arab countries. People began the uprising that ended Colonel Moammar Gadhafi’s 42-year dictatorship, but NATO’s role in the overthrow of Gadhafi is frequently recalled.
On March 19, 2011, a coalition led by France, Britain, and the United States launched the first attacks against Gadhafi’s forces in accordance with a UN resolution to defend civilians. On March 31, NATO took command of the aerial campaign over Libya.
