News from Libya

Libya

OCTOBER 24

Libyan pro-government forces on Wednesday seized control of Bani Walid, one of the last bastions of Moamer Qadhafi’s ousted regime, an AFP correspondent in the town said. | Daily Star; Al-Manara Link

A series of internal State Department emails obtained by Fox News shows that officials reported within hours of last month’s deadly consulate attack in Libya that al-Qaeda-tied group Ansar al-Sharia had claimed responsibility. | Fox News

General Yusuf Mangoush joined senior officers from the national army and police, together with a number of Benghazi residents, to celebrate the first anniversary of Libya’s liberation yesterday. | Libya Herald

OCTOBER 23

Libyan officials are trying to negotiate a temporary ceasefire to help facilitate the exit of families who want to flee the fighting inside Bani Walid. Amid reports of random shelling, it is getting increasingly difficult to move about the town. | Libya Herald

The Libyan Muslim Brotherhood’s Justice and Construction Party released a statement relating to the ongoing military campaign in Bani Walid. The party noted that they oppose broadcasting false news and call on the media to go to Bani Walid and report fairly, calling for human rights organizations to monitor those who have been displaced, and demanding transitional justice. | al-Manara Link

The National Forces Bloc has failed to elect a successor to Muhammad Jibril amid the insistence of many members of the bloc that Jibril stay on as head of the bloc. | Qurnya New

OCTOBER 22

Ground forces have begun a full-scale assault against Bani Walid in a major escalation of clashes that began on Tuesday. | Libya Herald

The Libyan Youth Bloc has called for a demonstration against the government for its conduct in Bani Walid, which it said could start a civil war and was based upon ideas of revenge from the people of Misurata. | Qurnya New

OCTOBER 19

Ground forces have begun a full-scale assault against Bani Walid in a major escalation of clashes that began on Tuesday. | Libya Herald

Members of the Libyan National Army destroyed 22 tons of explosives that were left from the revolutionary war against Qadhafi last year. | al-Manara Link

OCTOBER 18

Libyan authorities have singled out Ahmed Abu Khattala, a leader of the Benghazi-based Islamist group Ansar al-Shariah, as a commander in the attack that killed the American ambassador to Libya, J. Christopher Stevens, last month, Libyans involved in the investigation said Wednesday. | New York Times

Forces from the national army are en-route to Bani Walid and due to enter the town today, following a direct order from Chief of Staff Yusuf Mangoush. | Libya Herald

At least ten people have been killed and scores more wounded following an attack on Bani Walid from three separate fronts launched yesterday. | Libya Herald

OCTOBER 17

The Supreme Security Committee (SSC) is set to be dissolved by the end of this year according to Hashim Bishar, head of the SSC’s Tripoli branch. | Libya Herald

The deputy minister of interior for the eastern region has announced the creation of a new investigative committee to look into the string of assassinations that occurred recently in the eastern province. | al-Manara Link

Members of the General National Congress are moving toward support of a bill that would prohibit interest in Libyan banks. | al-Manara Link

OCTOBER 16

No decision will be made on whether or not to develop the National Oil Corporation’s Benghazi branch until after the formation of the new government, the Libya Herald has learned. | Libya Herald

Another military official has been assassinated in Benghazi. Captain Adel Baqramawi was killed around 2:00 a.m. Tuesday morning when a bomb was thrown at his car from a pickup truck. | Libya Herald

The local government of the eastern region of Libya demanded more powers to address the concerns of its citizens. | al-Manara Link

OCTOBER 15

Ali Zidan has been elected the new prime minister of Libya, just one week after the previous incumbent, Mustafa Abushagur, was dismissed by the National Congress in a vote of no confidence. | Libya Herald

The local authorities in Sirte have imposed a nighttime curfew as of Friday in response to downtown clashes between local youngsters from the Warfalla tribe and Misrata. It will remain in operation until further notice. | Libya Herald

Newly elected Prime Minister Ali Zidan said today that the state plans to integrate rebel militias into the army. | al-Manara Link

OCTOBER 11

Every family in Libya is to be given 1,000 dinars to celebrate Eid al-Adha following a resolution of the National Congress in Tripoli. | Libya Herald

Libya is preparing to bring a wide range of charges against a son of Col. Muammar Qaddafi, and to begin his trial by next February, lawyers for Libya told the International Criminal Court at The Hague on Wednesday. | New York Times

OCTOBER 10

King Abdullah appointed Abdullah Nsour as prime minister to succeed Fayez Tarawneh. | Ammon News

A high level source in the Libyan military noted that “regional” training exercises and regionalism in the armed forces in general were threatening the stability of the country, national security, and national unity. His comments come after a program of training centers being opened by the national army to engage the rebels in different areas was announced. | al-Quryna News

The State Department said Tuesday it never concluded that the consulate attack in Libya stemmed from protests over an American-made video ridiculing Islam, raising further questions about why the Obama administration used that explanation for more than a week after assailants killed the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans. | Associated Press

OCTOBER 9

The Libyan government argued on Tuesday that it should not have to hand over Saif al-Islam Qaddafi to the International Criminal Court because the court in the Hague, Netherlands, does not have jurisdiction in the case. | CNN

At the end of an often-rancorous day’s debate, the National Congress yesterday moved towards consensus on how to select Libya’s next Prime Minister. | Libya Herald

The western Mediterranean 5+5 group of countries finished two days of discussions in Malta yesterday, Saturday, at which they committed themselves to closer cooperation between themselves, particularly on illegal immigration. | Libya Herald

OCTOBER 4

Congressmen have reacted with fury at the proposed government of Prime Minister-elect Mustafa Abushagurand vowed to vote against its ratification. | Libya Herald

Fatal clashes have been reported today between government-controlled forces and militiamen just a few kilometres from Bani Walid. | Libya Herald

Protesters from al-Zawiyah who believed their town was underrepresented in a proposed Libyan government stormed the national assembly on Thursday as it prepared to scrutinize the prime minister-elect's nominations. Libya's first democratic government since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi has already proved controversial as Mustafa Abushagur's nominees exclude the biggest party in congress, the liberal National Forces Alliance (NFA). | Reuters; Al-Manara-Link

OCTOBER 3

The United States is reported to be putting together a list of targets suspected of involvement in the fatal attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi on September 11. | Libya Herald

Fatal clashes have been reported today between government-controlled forces and militiamen just a few kilometres from Bani Walid. | Libya Herald

OCTOBER 2

Mahmoud Jibril has agreed to support the new government of Prime Minister-elect Mustafa Abushagur. The announcement was made this morning on Abushagur’s official Twitter feed. | Libya Herald

Some dozen or so GNC members staged a short walkout this morning at the GNC, sitting in protest of GNC head Mohamed Magrief’s statement that Libya should be a ‘secular’ state. | Libya Herald

The revolutions that swept the Middle East and North Africa also emptied prisons of militants, a problem now emerging as a potential new terrorist threat. Fighters linked to one freed militant, Muhammad Jamal Abu Ahmad, took part in the September 11 attack on U.S. diplomatic outposts in Libya that killed four Americans, U.S. officials believe based on initial reports. Intelligence reports suggest that some of the attackers trained at camps he established in the Libyan Desert, a former U.S. official said. | WSJ

OCTOBER 1

Abdel Hakim Belhadj told al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper that his name has been withdrawn from the race for interior minister and that there were no disagreements concerning this with any of the political groups. | Yahoo News Arabic

Mustafa Abushagur has appointed General Khalifah Hifter as the minister of defense. | Mursa Brigade in Misurata Facebook

A major split has been reported inside Mahmoud Jibril’s National Forces Alliance over whether or not to back the proposed government of Prime Minister-Elect Mustafa Abushagur. Negotiations between Abushagur and the NFA leader are said to be deadlocked, and hopes that Jibril will support the government appear to be fading fast. | Libya Herald

SEPTEMBER 28

Organizers have cancelled a second demonstration billed for this afternoon in Benghazi, calling for an end to militia rule in Libya. | Libya Herald

Mustafa Abushagur has sought to quash rumors that Mahmoud Jibril’s National Forces Alliance has backed out of joining his cabinet, saying that the coalition “will support the government.” | Libya Herald

The Security Directorate in Benghazi was attacked by unknown assailants today, who set off a bomb outside. | Libya Herald

SEPTEMBER 27

Benghazi’s congressmen and women have called on the government to go further in establishing full control over the city by disbanding all militias and incorporating their members into the security services as individuals. | Libya Herald

The National Congress has threatened to dismiss Mustafa Abushagur as prime minister-elect if he fails to submit his proposed government by October 7. | Libya Herald

SEPTEMBER 26

Abdul Hakim al-Hasadi, an Islamic leader in Libya, criticized Islamists that are attacking Mahmoud Jibril, saying that Muslims must look at the outside and not create doubts about what is in people’s hearts, and that Jibril never said that he is against Islamic sharia law. | Libya Future Party

Libyan authorities have given armed groups two days to vacate military bases and compounds as they seek to capitalize on the wave of people power that drove an Islamist militia from Benghazi over the weekend. | Guardian

At least one Islamist militia group in Benghazi is resisting attempts to have it disbanded. The Rafallah al-Sahati brigade is reported to have ‘arrested’ several protesters who took part in Friday’s rally that drove other militias from the city. | Guardian

SEPTEMBER 25

On Monday, an official announcement said two of the most powerful militias—the February the 17th Brigade and the Rafaala al-S'hati Brigade—had been assigned new bosses, officers from the Ministry of Defense. The idea is to bring the militias under more direct state control, but it's unlikely to work. | CBS News

Former Libyan rebel fighters calling for more recognition from the North African country's new rulers briefly exchanged fire outside the national congress in Tripoli on Tuesday, members of the national assembly said. | Reuters

Benghazi Youth for the Revolution have called for protests this Friday under the banner of “The Friday of Loyalty: No to Sedition and Yes to the Unity of the Nation.” | Al-Manara Link

SEPTEMBER 24

All brigades in Benghazi are to come under full control of the National Army, following an agreement that was struck between leading political and military figures together with local militia leaders. | Libya Herald

A truck carrying weapons, ammunition, and rocket-propelled grenades was intercepted at Bayda. The truck is understood to have been travelling from Derna to Benghazi, when it was stopped and seized in the Mohamed Hamri area. | Libya Herald

Interior Minister Fawzi Abdelal met yesterday with the head of the U.S. investigation team sent to Libya following the death of Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans. At least eight men are known to have been arrested so far, and as many as 50 others are said to be under investigation. | Libya Herald

SEPTEMBER 21

Four existing ministers are to remain in the government of Mustafa Abushagur, pending approval by the National Congress, sources close to the prime minister-elect have told the Libya Herald. Those reported to be staying are Electricity Minister Awad Barasi, Communications Minister Anwar Al-Fitouri, Oil Minister Abdulrahman Ben Yezza and Education Minister Suleiman Al-Sahli. | Libya Herald

The United States has reiterated the need for greater security and accountability in Libya following the death of US Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three of his staff in Benghazi on September 11. | Libyan Herald

SEPTEMBER 20

The Ansar Al-Sharia brigade has declared its intention to organise a mass protest in Benghazi’s Kish Square this Friday, putting it on a collision course with a previously announced march to commemorate the death of US Ambassador Chris Stevens, which is to be held at the same location. | Libya Herald

Mustafa Abushagur will submit his chosen cabinet on September 30 to the General National Congress for approval. | Libyan Herald

Police in Benghazi are defying the Government in Tripoli by refusing to serve under Colonel Salah Doghman, the man appointed to take over security in the city following last week’s fatal attack on the US Consulate. | Libyan Herald

SEPTEMBER 19

Ansar al-Sharia, the militia suspected of involvement in last Tuesday’s deadly assault on the US Consulate in Benghazi has warned Libya would become “an inferno for US troops” if the American military intervened in response to the attacks. | Libya Herald

FBI investigators are in Libya to investigate the deaths of four Americans killed when the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi was attacked, the State Department said. | UPI

Mahmoud Jibril said that Libyan sovereignty is being threatened more than ever before with aircraft met hovering around the clock above the sky. He said he is boycotting the current government and that members were threatened not to vote for him as Prime Minister. | Libya Now

SEPTEMBER 18

Talks have been held between Prime Minister-elect Mustafa Abushagur and a number of political parties and independent figures about forming the new government. | Libya Herald

Mahmoud Jibril's National Forces Alliance has refused to join the government of Mustafa Abushagur, stating that he will be in the opposition. | Al-Manara Link

SEPTEMBER 17

Army Chief of Staff Yousef Mangoush said that a planned initiative to collect weapons that remain in the hands of militias and private citizens has been postponed, after the government had promised to begin the initiative on September 16. | Libya Herald

The Deputy Interior Minister for the Eastern Region, Wanis al-Sharif, has been sacked. Even before last Tuesday’s brazen attack against the U.S. embassy there had been growing criticism of Sharif’s handling of security in Benghazi. | Libya Herald

Air traffic controllers at Tripoli's international airport staged a strike on Sunday that halted most flights in and out of Libya before resuming work later that night. | Reuters

SEPTEMBER 14

Ansar al-Sharia, the militant group believed to be behind Tuesday’s fatal attacks on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, is to be disbanded, by force if necessary, a reliable source close to Prime Minister-elect Mustafa Abushagur has told the Libya Herald. | Libya Herald

For the second day running, demonstrations have taken place in Benghazi in protest of the killing of U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three U.S. diplomatic staff, showing Libyan solidarity with America. | Libyan Herald

SEPTEMBER 13

The Muslim Brotherhood’s Justice and Construction Party congratulated Mustafa AbuShaghur for winning the Prime Minister race on Wednesday. | Justice and Construction Party

United States President Barack Obama has sent two warships to the Libyan coast, after condemning as “outrageous and shocking” the murder of US Ambassador Chris Stevens and three of his staff on Tuesday. | Libyan Herald

SEPTEMBER 12

The U.S. ambassador to Libya and three embassy staff were killed as they rushed away from a consulate building in Benghazi, stormed by al-Qaeda-linked gunmen blaming America for a film that they said insulted the Prophet Mohammad. | Reuters

The Muslim Brotherhood on Wednesday condemned the violence in Egypt and Libya that resulted in the death of a U.S. ambassador and three other Americans as the U.S. tightened security worldwide at embassies and Libya's president apologized for the attack. | USA Today

The Muslim Brotherhood in Libya stated that they condemn the attack on the embassy in Benghazi because Muslims are people of peace, but that the United States and its society which has such low morals must understand the emotional effect it can have on Muslims. The Brotherhood has called for mass protests against the United States by all Muslims on Friday. The Brotherhood’s Justice and Development Party said they condemn the attack by the strongest terms and that it illustrates the lack of security in Libya. | Muslim Brotherhood Youth of Libya; IkhwanOnline; Justice and Development Party

SEPTEMBER 11

Muhammad al-Barasi, the Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate for prime minister, offered his platform and vision for Libya todaystating the need to involve the private sector in efforts at developing electricity, transportation, and telecommunication. He also called for an anti-corruption body and local administration law. | al-Manara Link; Revolution News Tripoli

The trial of Mohamed Zway, the former secretary of the General People’s Congress, and Abdul-Ati al-Obeidi, the secretary of the People’s Committee for Foreign Liaison and International Cooperation, opened in Tripoli on Monday. | Libyan Herald

Libya's interim president has visited a mountain town controlled by fighters loyal to slain dictator Muammar Qaddafi in a reconciliation bid aimed at reintegrating it with the rest of the country, officials said. | Fox News

SEPTEMBER 10

The Tripoli Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit delayed the prosecution of senior officials of the former regime on Monday including that of Muhammad Yusuf al-Azwai who is accused of funneling funds to the Lockerbie massacre.  | Libya Channel

SEPTEMBER 6

Libyans detained in the aftermath of 9/11 have leveled new allegations of torture and illegal rendition against the United States. | Libya Herald

Prime Minister Abdurrahim al-Kib has rebutted calls for Abdullah Senussi to be handed over to the International Criminal Court for trial, insisting that he will receive a fair trial inside Libya. | Libya Herald

On Wednesday, the Libyan Foreign Ministry announced that it had resumed diplomatic relations with the Republic of Iraq, which had been cut off by the previous regime. | Qurnya News

SEPTEMBER 5

Libya’s former spy chief and brother-in-law of deposed leader Muammar Qaddafi has been extradited from Mauritania and has now arrived in Tripoli, where he has been transferred to Hadba al-Khadra prison. | Libyan Herald

The resumption of production at the Ras Lanuf oil refinery indicates that the National Oil Corporation (NOC)’s downstream and oil marketing operations may finally be returning to normal after an extended period during which its pricing strategy appeared to defy the market. | Libyan Herald

Libya pardoned Egyptian fishermen accused of entering Libyan national waters.| al-Qurnya

SEPTEMBER 4

The National Congress has announced a raft of new measures regulating the selection of the prime minister and other senior government officials, including pushing back the date on which a final decision must be made by four days. | Libyan Herald

Libyan authorities have arrested armed gunmen from a group calling themselves “the followers of Qadhafi” in Sirte, Libya. | Qurnya News

The Ministry of Education has announced it is studying a law capping the maximum cost of private school education in Libya. | Al-Manara Link

AUGUST 29

The director-general of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, has demanded an immediate end to the destruction of Sufi Shrines in Zlitan, Misrata, and Tripoli. | Libyan Herald

Ibrahim Sahid, a member of the Libyan National Congress, said that recent attacks show that the higher security council for Libya has failed in its job. | Al-Manara Link

AUGUST 30

The League of Libyan Ulema has issued a statement condemning the recent desecration of Sufi shrines, drawing clear links between those responsible and officials within Libya’s security services. | Libyan Herald

The National Congress has officially announced that ministers will be nominated to form a new government no later than September 8. Under the Constitutional Declaration of August 3, 2011, the Congress was given a maximum of 30 days to appoint a new prime minister and cabinet from the date of its first sitting. | Libyan Herald

The National Congress has suspended three members for their links to the old regime. | Qurnya News

AUGUST 29

The director-general of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, has demanded an immediate end to the destruction of Sufi Shrines in Zlitan, Misrata, and Tripoli. | Libyan Herald

Ibrahim Sahid, a member of the Libyan National Congress, said that recent attacks show that the higher security council for Libya has failed in its job. | Al-Manara Link

AUGUST 28

Libyan Interior Minister Fawzi Abdelali said on Tuesday he was withdrawing his resignation, announced Sunday, amid criticism over a surge of violence, including the destruction of shrines. | al-Ahram

After weeks of what seemed like an official information vacuum, the General National Congress (GNC) elected an official spokesperson Sunday night. Omar Hmaidan, GNC member for Zlitan and member of Mahmoud Jibril’s National Forces Alliance (NFA), took a few sentences to get over his press conference debut nerves before clicking into gear. | Libya Herald

Al-Azhar has condemned the destruction of Sufi grave sites in Libya. | al-Qurnya News

AUGUST 27

The prime minister, the minister of defense and the interior minister are to be questioned by the National Congress tomorrow morning over their handling of the recent desecration of shrines by suspected Salafist extremists. The army chief of staff and several other officials have also been called. | Libya Herald

An Imam has been beaten and abducted by Salafists involved in the destruction of Tripoli’s Al-Sha’ab shrine, following a series of violent confrontations with protesters seeking to protect the site this afternoon. The Imam, whose identity and whereabouts remain unknown, had visited the site in an attempt to reason with the Salafists and persuade them to desist in further destruction. | Libya Herald

AUGUST 23

Several men were killed and others wounded in a series of clashesthat have taken place over the past 24 hours between armed groups and government security forces in Tarhuna. | Libya Herald

Protests in Libya have called for the Egyptian government to hand over former elements of the regime of Moammar Qaddafi to the Libyan government. | Al-Manara Link

Foad Abdul-Aal, the interim minister of justice, stated that the suspect involved in targeting the Egyptian consulate in Benghazi has been arrested. | Qurnya News

AUGUST 22

Total Energy E&P has stated its desire to invest in Libyan oil. | al-Manara Link

The U.S. Embassy in Tripoli will reopen visa services on August 27th according to U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens. Stevens said the reopening of the consular section of the embassy will enhance ties, especially business relationships, between Libya and the United States. | al-Qurnya News

AUGUST 21

Undersecretary of the Interior Omar al-Khaddoura said that those arrested for the blasts that targeted Tripoli on Eid al-Fitr have admitted their responsibility for the crime. | al-Qurnya

More bombs were found in Tripoli today, according to the Supreme Security Council. This comes two days after Sunday’s attack that left two people dead. | Libya Herald

Seven Libyans have been freed from Tunisian prisons after receiving special Eid al-Fitr pardons from the country’s president, Moncef Marzouki. | Libya Herald

AUGUST 20

Libyan forces have arrested 32 alleged pro-Qaddafi militants in connection with twin car bombings that hit Tripoli on Sunday. | BBC

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi phoned his Libyan counterpart Ashour ben Khiyal to attempt to secure the release of seven Iranian hostages taken in Benghazi who are members of the Red Crescent Society. | al-Manara Link

Abdul Rahim al-Keeb, the head of the Libyan interim government, called on Libyans in the national congress to unite for the sake of the country. He noted that the interests of the country were above all else and warned of attempts by the former regime to get back into power. | Qurnya News

AUGUST 16

The International Committee of the Red Cross says it is reaching out to Libyans to counter suspicions about the relief agency’s work in eastern and central Libya, following attacks there. The ICRC suspended its activities in the eastern city of Benghazi and the central city of Misrata earlier this month after assailants launched five attacks in less than three months on the agency’s offices and residence. | Washington Post

Libya's revolution has led to renewed demands from the country's Berber minority for cultural and language rights and full integration into the Arab-majority country. Said Henshir says the Berbers don't want any special status in Libya, only the recognition that their bonds with other Libyans were sealed during the revolution. |  VOA

AUGUST 15

Libyan goodwill towards the Western world has reached unprecedented highs in the wake of NATO’s support for last year’s revolution, according to a new Gallup opinion poll. 75 percent of Libyans supported the NATO intervention, dwarfing levels of support elsewhere in the region. | Libya Herald

AUGUST 14

Veteran fighters of last year's civil war in Libya have come to the front-line in Syria, helping to train and organize rebels under conditions far more dire than those in the battle against Moammar Gaddafi. | Reuters

The first law passed by the newly-elected National Congress bars Libyan citizens who also hold dual nationality from holding high office in Congress. The decision will narrow down the choices for the role of the next prime minister of Libya. | Libya Herald

Libya’s largest refinery Ras Lanuf will reopen by August 28 after months of delays that freed up additional volumes of crude oil for export, according to a senior National Oil Corporation (NOC) official. | Reuters

AUGUST 13

The head of Libya's newly-empowered national assembly Mohamed al-Megaryef pledged to remain neutraland seek to unite ranks in the country, where post-revolution divisions are still deep on Friday. | AFP

A group of Egyptian protestors caused the brief closure of the Libyan border crossing at Salloum. | Libya Herald

A fire, probably started deliberately, was the trigger for the Fornaj prison riot, in which eight detainees escaped. In all, 26 prisoners managed to breach the security barriers. | Libya Herald

AUGUST 10

A fierce row broke out in the National Congress after one congressman walked out of the handover ceremony because the young woman hosting the event was not wearing a headscarf. | Libya Herald

National Front leader Mohammed Magarief has triumphed in the race to become speaker of the National Congress, overturning an earlier lead by rival Ali Zidan. | Libya Herald

AUGUST 9

Eighteen months after the National Transitional Council first emerged to lead the revolution against Muammar Qaddafi, it formally handed power to the National Congress this morning. This marked the first peaceful transition of power in Libya’s modern history. | Libya Herald

Libya’s Prime Minister Abdel-Rahim al-Keeb called for the realization of an “active and serious” Arab Maghreb Union on Wednesday, during a visit to Morocco. | Daily Star

AUGUST 8

A leading member of the new National Congress who did not want to be named told a Libya Herald source today that it will elect a leader and two deputies when it meets for its first on Wednesday. | Libya Herald

AUGUST 7

Mauritania’s president has said that Abdullah Al-Senussi, Qaddafi’s brother-in-law and former head of intelligence, must face charges of illegal entry before any extradition can be considered. | Libya Herald

Libya’s interim authorities said they would hand over power to a newly elected congress Wednesday, less than a year after its fighters overthrew the regime of Moammar Gadhafi. The news came as the authorities announced the killing of suspects in a string of recent bombing attacks. | Daily Star

Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Rahim al-Keeb is headed to an official visit to Morocco. The visit will focus on the situation in the Maghreb, Sahel, Mali, and Sahara regions in addition to strengthening economic cooperation. The delegation also includes the Libyan general chief of staff of the army. | Al-Manara Link

AUGUST 6

The Muslim Brotherhood has been officially approved as a civil institution in Libya by the Ministry of Culture and Civil Society. It submitted its application on 24 May. It is registered as a community services and public awareness organization. | Libyan Herald

The NTC will disband on August 8 when it hands over power to the National Congress. The ceremonial handover will take place at the Ghabet Alnaser Convention Centre next to the Rixos Hotel in Tripoli within the context of the first meeting of the Congress. | Libya Herald

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has suspended operations in Misrata and Benghazi following a grenade and rocket attack on its Misrata base on Sunday morning. | Libya Herald

AUGUST 2

Benghazi-based supporters of federalism have formed a political party in support of their ideas. According to the Federal Alliance of Benghazi, the aim of the Libyan Unionist Party is a federal system in Libya based on the country’s three historic regions—Tripolitania, Cyrenaica and Fezzan. It will campaign against any discrimination between them. | Libya Herald

An explosion early this morning damaged a building near Dubai Street in Benghazi’s Fuwayhat district. | Libya Herald

AUGUST 1

It is reported in Misrata that the chairman of Misrata Local Council (MLC), Yusef Ben Yusef, and vice chairman Mohamed Al-Jamal have submitted their resignations and that Mohamed Ahmed Sualim, a councillor for the city’s Al-Ghiran district, will act as interim leader until fresh elections for the two posts can be organized. | Libya Herald

Saadi Qaddafi has applied for his UN-imposed travel ban to be temporarily lifted so he can leave Niger where he is currently living in exile. | Libya Herald

Libya, Tunisia and Egypt have taken a further step towards closer economic cooperation, issuing “The Cairo Declaration” which includes the plan that entry visas will be abolished for their citizens. | Libyan Herald

JULY 31

The local administration law, prepared by the Ministry of Local Government, was published by the NTC on Thursday after it was passed by the legal department without any major changes. | Libya Herald

The army has said the assassination of Colonel Suleiman Buzraidah in Benghazi on Saturday evening was designed to undermine national security and create chaos in the country. | Libya Herald

Khalifah Hifter, a prominent Libyan dissident who broke off of the Qadhafi regime in the mid-1980s, has said that Libya needs to rise above tribal and narrow interests and agendas and ideological visions to build a strong united Libya. | Qurnya News

JULY 30

Othman Ben Sassi, a member of Libya's National Transitional Council (NTC), said that power is expected to be transferred from the NTC to the General National Congress on August 8. | AFP

Abdel-Basit Haroun, a Benghazi militia commander, reported that the convoy carrying General Khalifa Hafter, the commander of Libyan ground forces, came under fire in Benghazi, but Hafter was not injured. | Huffington Post; Libya Herald

Suleiman Buzraidah, a senior Qaddafi-era military intelligence official, was assassinated in Benghazi on July 28. | Libya Herald

JULY 26

Libya expects to be back to pre-war oil production by October of this year. | Reuters

JULY 24

The newly elected Libyan National Congress will hold its inaugural session on August 8. | Libya Herald

Libya has agreed to pay half of what it owes to Turkish construction contractors who were not paid for the projects they carried out before last year’s revolution. | Tripoli Post

JULY 22

The president of Libya’s Olympic Committee has been released one week after he was kidnapped by gunmen. | Libya Herald

JULY 18

Mahmoud Jibril’s National Forces Alliance has swept aside its competitors in Libya’s first national elections in almost five decades, having received almost as many votes as all other 130 parties combined. The NFA took 39 of the 80 seats available to political parties in the 200-seat National Congress, more than double the 17 seats won by its nearest rival, the Muslim Brotherhood’s Justice & Construction Party. | Libya Herald

JULY 17

HNEC has announced that counting in Libya’s elections is complete and results will be announced tonight at an 8 pm press conference. | Libya Herald

JULY 16

Two Misratan journalists who were kidnapped while covering elections have now been released. | AFP

Libya’s first nationwide elections in almost 50 years have been hailed as a success by both national and international observation teams. | Libya Herald

JULY 15

Unofficial party list results in Libya indicate that the National Forces Alliance has gained 41 seats while the Justice and Construction Party received 16. | Tripoli Post

JULY 14

The Libyan Ministry of Interior has announced that no individuals, organizations or civil society groups will be allowed to hold demonstrations without ministry permission. | Libya Herald

JULY 13

The National Forces Alliances extended their lead with a landslide in Tripoli. With 98 percent of votes counted, the Alliance, led by Libya’s wartime Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril, has won 16 of 20 party-list constituencies while the Muslim Brotherhood’s Justice and Construction party gained one. | Bloomberg

JULY 12

The High National Election Commission released its latest figures on Monday evening on voting for parties. The National Forces Alliance of Muhammad Jibril officially has 54 percent of the vote in party seats, with the Muslim Brotherhood’s Justice and Construction Party in second place with 12 percent. In third place are the Union for the Homeland and Center parties.| Libya Herald

Muhammad Sawan of the Muslim Brotherhood said that Muhammad Jibril’s party is the one that the party had the least in common with saying that they found it hard to work with a man who like Qadhafi only believed sharia law applied to some parts of life and not others. | AFP; Reuters

Mostafa Abdul Jalil, chairman of the National Transitional Council, said the first session of the newly elected National Congress will dissolve the NTC and that he is ready for the transition. | Qurnya News

JULY 11

The NTC’s final decision to strip the National Congress of the power to appoint the commission charged with drawing up Libya’s permanent constitution could be scrapped, the National Forces Alliance has said. | Tunisia Live

Libya's wartime prime minister Mahmoud Jibril extended his lead in landmark elections, vote tallies showed on Wednesday, but Islamist rivals predicted their score would be boosted by allied independent candidates. | Reuters

JULY 10

Over 350 rebel fighters have joined the Libyan Naval Forces. | Al-Manara Link

1.2 million people voted in the Libyan elections. | Qurnya News

The leadership of Libya’s eastern federalists has said that it welcomes the victory of Mahmoud Jibril’s National Forces Alliance and looks forward to “constructive dialogue” after the elections. Ahmed Zubair, who leads the Cyrenaica Transitional Council (CTC), said on Monday that of all the party leaders, “Mahmoud Jibril is the closest to us in his openness, his line of thinking and his vision”. | Libyan Herald

JULY 9

Libya's former interim Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril has won a landslide victory in the country's first democratic election, provisional figures show, defying expectations that the Muslim Brotherhood would sweep to power. | Guardian

Mahmoud Jibril has called for the creation of a grand coalition government to unite Libya’s disparate political factions after the elections. He has also affirmed his commitment to the principles of sharia. | Libya Herald; Al-Manara Link

Mohamed Sawan of the Muslim Brotherhood acknowledged that his party was clearly losing in Tripoli and Benghazi while it was being very competitive in Misurata and the south. | Al-Manara Link

JULY 5

More than 1,000 Tebu from the southern desert town of Kufra have been disbarred from voting in Saturday’s elections. | Libya Herald

Reports in many Libyan news outlets that Qaddafi’s former spy-chief, Abdullah Al-Senussi, had been extradited to Libya from Mauritania appear to have been premature. | Libya Herald

JULY 3

The registration, and Out of Country Voting for this week's Libyan National General Congress Election started this morningin both the UK and in the polling station of the headquarters of the Libyan Consulate in Dubai, the UAE. | Tripoli Post

Demonstrations are planned for the second day running in Benghazi today against the actions of federalists who on Sunday ransacked the city’s High National Elections Commission building and burned much of its contents outside. | Libya Herald

JULY 2

Protesters chanting pro-federalist slogans stormed the offices of the Higher National Election Commission in Benghazi and Tobruk earlier today, in the latest demonstration of eastern unrest ahead of the July 7 elections. A Reuters correspondent witnessed around 300 men raiding the Benghazi office, destroying computers and ballot boxes and burning election materials outside. | Libya Herald

Baghdadi Al-Mahmoudi has claimed he is “in good health” and said that reports he has been mistreated in custody since his return to Libya last Sunday are “a lie”. | Libya Herald

Candidates running in Kufra met yesterday and have decided to delay elections in this region until security returns to normal. | Qurnya

JUNE 29

After a day of intense fighting in Kufra on Thursday between government troops and Tebu fighters in which 15 people were reportedly killed, the southeastern oasis town is said to be once again relatively quiet today, Friday, with only one death so far. | Libya Herald

Egypt's interior minister says security forces have confiscated a large amount of weapons, including rockets and automatic machine guns, smuggled into the country from neighboring Libya. | AP

JUNE 28

Defence Minister Osama Juwaili has strongly criticized the NTC for “failing to consult with anybody” when passing laws and restricting his role to “signing the plans of the chief of staff.” | Libya Herald

The NTC denied rumors that Qaddafi’s Prime Minister al-Mahmoudi was beaten while in custody. | Qurnya News

JUNE 26

A memorandum of understanding was signed today between the Libyan armed forces and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), designed to ensure that both the military’s training and operations conform with international humanitarian law. | Libya Herald

JUNE 25

An armed gang was arrested in Tripoli yesterday by police working together with the Supreme Security Committee (SSC). | Libya Herald

JUNE 22

Jumaa Obaidi Al-Jazawi, the former military prosecutor who ordered the arrest of assassinated former Chief of Staff, Major-General Abdel-Fattah Younis, was himself assassinated in Benghazi this evening. He was shot as he was leaving the Ahmed Sharif Mosque in the city’s Bu Hadaima district after Asr prayers.  He was shot in the heart and died instantly. | Libya Herald

Tunisian military jets have attacked three vehicles loaded with weapons driving near the Libyan border. | BBC News

JUNE 21

Libya has begun "interrogating" an official from the international criminal court whom it has detained, apparently scuppering a deal for her early release brokered by Australia's foreign minister. | Guardian

Libya is seeking to boost its oil production by a third to 2 million barrels a day by year-end, surpassing last year’s pre-conflict level, Libyan ambassador to Washington Ali Aujali said. | Businessweek

During last week’s clashes in the Nafusa Mountains, 105 people were killed and around 500 wounded, government spokesman Nasser El-Manee said today. | Libya Herald

JUNE 20

Libya’s dilapidated air force is set to be substantially enhanced under plans announced by the air force chief of staff, Saqr Geroushi. | Libyan Herald

An expanded coordination meeting between the various Libyan security agencies was held in Tripoli yesterday to determine the responsibilities and terms of reference for securing land, sea and air ports. | Libya Herald

JUNE 19

The leader of Libya’s National Transitional Council (NTC), Mustafa Abdul Jalil revealed in an interview with the Arabiya satellite TV channel last week that the conditions that Libya was going through currently were the reasons that prevented him from resigning. | Libya Herald

More than 300 inmates at the notorious Tajura prison in Libya have been wasting away since last year. The interim government finally took over the prison in March, but the inmates, including Fetouri's colleague, have yet to see a judge or be charged with an official crime for fear of retaliation from the "revolutionary brigades." | Al-Monitor

JUNE 18

Libya's political parties agreed to a code of conduct for electionssaying that they would respect the results and not resort to violence. | Libyan Herald

The Justice and Construction Party, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in Libya, has issued a broad statement of principles ahead of next month’s National Conference elections on July 7. They stressed accepting the results of the elections, having elections be free and fair, and respecting diversity when drafting the constitution. | Libya Herald

Chairman of the Transitional Council Mustafa Abdul Jalil has become very concerned by reports of armed Qaddafi supporters, who have left Libya to stir up unrest and to mobilize popular support for restoring the former regime into power. | Al-Watan Libya

JUNE 15

As the casualties mount from fresh clashes in southern Libya between soldiers and tribesmen, the security situation in the capital Tripoli, Zintan, Misrata and the eastern city of Benghazi remains shaky as militia groups extend their control. | Sydney Morning Herald

Despite pressure from international courts, NATO and rights groups, the Libyan authorities who are detaining a lawyer from the International Criminal Court and three members of the court’s staff say they will not be released until the lawyer answers questions about her dealings with Saif al-Islam el-Qaddafi, a son of the former dictator, a Libyan official in Tripoli said. | New York Times

JUNE 14

Libya's Supreme Court scrapped a new law that criminalized the glorification of ousted leader Moammar Qaddafi or his supporters on Thursday after opponents argued it violated freedom of expression. | Reuters

Dr. Nouri al-Abbar, the Chairman of Libya’s Election Commission, said that party lists were now finalized for elections. | Al-Watan Libya

JUNE 13

Heavy fighting has been taking place all day, Tuesday, around the town of Mizdahbetween forces from Zintan and members of the Mashasha tribe. At least 19 people are reported to have died. | Libyan Herald

Chairman of the NTC Mahmoud Jibril called on Libyans to unite ranks like the days of the February 27 revolution and to refrain from fighting each other in the holy month of Rajab.| Al-Watan Libya

In the second attack in two days on an international mission in Libya, the International Committee of the Red Cross said its offices in the city of Misrata were rocked by a dawn explosion Tuesday that wounded the landowner's son and seriously damaged the building. | USA Today

JUNE 12

Terrorists attacked the Red Cross offices in Misrata early this morning. A bomb, believed to be home-made, exploded at one the buildings in the Red Cross complex in the city. A young Libyan, the son of the owner of the complex, was wounded in the blast but his injuries were not thought to be serious. There were no other casualties. There was, however, material damage to the buildings. | Libyan Herald

A Libyan military spokesman says warring parties in southern Libya have reached a truce after nearly three days of clashes that left at least three dead. | CBS News

JUNE 11

Spokesman for the Chief of the Libyan Armed Forces Ali al-Shaykhi noted that a ceasefire has been reached between the tribes of Tabu and Kaffara after clashes killed 31 people in the past two days. | al-Manara Link

The head of the Higher National Election Commission, Nuri Elabbar, today announced that the elections for the National Congress will now take place on Saturday, 7 July. | Libya Herald

A British diplomatic convoy was attacked in Benghazi on Monday, an embassy spokeswoman said, in the latest of a spate of attacks on foreign targets in the eastern Libyan city that some analysts blame on Islamist militants. | Reuters

JUNE 8

Demonstrators gathered in Tahrir Square in Benghazi, Libya to demand the application of sharia law to the country. The demonstrators were faced with a counter-demonstration with some chanting "no to extremism, Libya is not Afghanistan." | Al-Manara Link

JUNE 7

Othman Miliqta, the commander of the Qaqaa Brigade, stated at a press conference in Tripoli that the reason why Ukrainians, Russians, and other foreigners found in Libya were charged with fighting for Qaddafi was not because they entered the country illegally but because there were arms stockpiles found in their houses. | al-Watan Libya

The Libyan Election Commission has received the final lists of the disqualified candidates from the Integrity Committee. More than 130 candidates have been disqualified out of the total 4,000 candidates. The Election Commission will notify the candidates in the next two days. | Libya Herald

A brigade of Islamist militants has claimed responsibility for yesterday’s attack on the US diplomatic mission in Benghazi. On Tuesday night, an improvised explosive device (IED) was detonated outside the gates of the mission. Nobody was injured in the blast. | Libya Herald

JUNE 6

A bomb exploded outside the U.S. diplomatic mission in the Libyan city of Benghazi overnight, an attack that could be retaliation for the killing, in a U.S. drone strike, of al Qaeda's Libyan second-in-command. | Reuters

JUNE 5

The first senior official from the former Libyan regime, Abu Zeid Omar Dorda, who was the head of external intelligence, has been charged in court in connection with the conflict that toppled Moammar Qaddafi. | BBC News

The publisher of the Libya Herald, an independent newspaper, says government officials are holding talks with a militia group that seized the country’s international airport in the capital, Tripoli, Monday. | Voice of America

JUNE 4

Gunmen from a Libyan militia surrounded Tripoli's international airport on Monday to secure the release of one of their leaders whom they believed had been kidnapped and held there, a security official said. The action by the al-Awfea Brigade militia forced flights to be diverted to the capital's military airport, he said. | Reuters

A Libyan court has jailed 24 foreigners accused of being mercenaries for Moammar Qaddafi's regime during last year's conflict. The men from Ukraine, Russia and Belarus were found guilty of repairing surface-to-air-missile batteries. | BBC

JUNE 1

Libya’s Prosecutor General has said that the civilian trials of senior officials from Qaddafi’s government will begin in early June. | News Day

MAY 31

Royal Dutch Shell has announced that it will cease exploration activitiesand abandon drilled wells in Libya. | Tripoli Post

MAY 30

BP is to resume exploration activities in Libyawhich had been suspended last year during the country’s uprisings. | Ahram Online

MAY 29

There is a great possibility that Libya’s elections could be delayed due to appeals filed by wishful candidates who have been blocked from running. | Tripoli Post

Militias holding Saif Al-Islam, son of the late Qaddafi, have delayed his transfer to Tripoli because they have not received their salaries as promised. | Tripoli Post

MAY 25

The British government said it signed a memorandum of intent with Libya to share the goal of ensuring an open and transparent government in Tripoli. | UPI

MAY 24

A new Islamic party, Hizb al-Watan, is due to be launched in Libya this week. The party is founded by Abdel Hakim Belhaj who resigned from his post as military commander of Tripoli on May 15 to enter the political arena.| Digital Journal

Since Moammar Qaddafi’s fall seven months ago, Libya’s non-Arab minorities, including an estimated 250,000 Tuaregs, have begun more vehemently to insist on their rights. | IRIN

MAY 23

Libya's electoral commission said on Tuesday 4,000 candidates had registered for upcoming national assembly elections, but the commission head said he could not confirm the vote would be held on June 19 as set by the ruling National Transitional Council. | Reuters

David Cameron is to host his Libyan counterpart Prime Minister Abdullah Keeb for talks. | Independent

MAY 22

A rocket-propelled grenade hit the offices of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Libya's eastern city of Benghazi overnight, leaving a small hole in the side of the building but causing no casualties, an ICRC spokeswoman said on Tuesday. | Reuters

Despite political and security worries, Tunisia’s largest food retailer has announced plans to expand operations into Libya. Monoprix Tunisia, an affiliate of the French supermarket giant, will begin opening ten new stores this year in Libya, the company announced last week. | Financial Times

MAY 18

The International Criminal Court (ICC) is currently considering a request by the Libyan authorities to try the son of former leader Moammar Qaddafi in their national courts, Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo has told the Security Council. | Tripoli Post

The United Nations will send a fact- finding mission to Libya next week to probe allegations that mercenaries were used in the conflict that ousted Muammar Gadhafi from power and subsequent steps taken by the government. | Bloomberg

Libya faces the daunting task of vetting thousands of candidates wishing to compete in June elections for a constituent assembly, with several bodies involved in the process. | News 24

MAY 17

The Libyan government intends to uphold agreements between foreign investors and the previous regime, an interim leader said at an oil conference in Dubai. | UPI

Former Libyan leader Moammar Qaddafi's son Saif al-Islam has refused to appoint a Libyan lawyer to defend him against accusations of murder and torture during a crackdown on a revolt against his father's rule. | Reuters

The candidate list submitted by political parties in Libya must contain an equal number of men and women - 40 seats for each - meaning that women could make up at least 20 per cent of the assembly. | Al Jazeera English

MAY 16

The international human rights organization Human Rights Watch has warned that Libya's National Transitional Council (NTC) avowal to build a new state that would respect human rights, seems to be veering off course. | Malta Today

MAY 15

Abdelhakim Belhaj, a Libyan Islamist who has commanded the Tripoli military council since the ouster of Moammar Qaddafi’s regime, has resigned from his postto enter politics and run for the constituent assembly. | Al-Arabiya

Diplomats and other observers in Libya say that with elections one month away, the National Transitional Council is struggling to exert control over various militia prominent in the uprising against Moammar Qaddafi. The situation is further complicated by tribal rivalries and a growing presence of Islamist militants in some areas. | CNN

MAY 14

Two men were killed and 29 injured when their convoy entered a minefield as it was illegally crossing from Egypt into Libya. | Tripoli Post

Khaled Abu Saleh, a candidate in the upcoming poll for a constituent assembly, was murdered in Libya’s southern desert shortly after submitting his registration. | AFP

MAY 11

With just over a month until people are due to vote for a new National Public Conference, which will choose a government and draft a new constitution, the Libyan authorities have been resorting to increasingly novel ways to encourage registration. The Grand Mufti of Libya has said that voting is a religious obligation. | BBC News

Several prisoners likely were tortured to death at a detention center in Libya under government control, the United Nations said on Thursday as it urged the country to make stamping out such practices a top priority. | Reuters

MAY 10

The tendency to resort to the arms which ousted Moammar Qaddafi poses a roadblock to democracy in the new Libya, analysts warn, while recognizing the government's growing capacity to defuse crises. | AFP

An Egyptian police official says security forces have confiscated dozens of heavy weapons seized from smugglers near the Libyan border. | Fox News

MAY 9

Libya began its first civilian trial of alleged supporters of Moammar Qaddafi's regime on Tuesday, officials said, as five men accused of planning to create instability by "terrorist acts" appeared in the dock. | Voice of America 

Libyan security forces have put an end to a protest that closed off the headquarters of the country's biggest oil company for two weeks, securing the offices and arresting some demonstrators overnight, officials said on Wednesday. | Reuters

MAY 8

Several Somali refugees have drowned while fleeing by boat from Libya to Malta, according to the U.N. refugee agency. Details are are still sketchy and an investigation is under way. | Voice of America

At least two security officials have been killed after ex-rebels attacked the office of the Libyan prime minister in the capital, Tripoli. | Reuters

Months after rebels brought down the extravagant dictatorship of Moammar Qaddafi, the disarray in Libya's state finances at the end of last year was so bad the new leadership did not know the size of state assets, how their money was being spent, or what had happened to more than $2 billion transferred from the sovereign wealth fund. | Reuters

MAY 7

Human Rights Watch on Saturday urged the new government in Libya to revoke a law that criminalizes glorifying former dictator Moammar Qaddafi and spreading "propaganda" that insults or endangers the state. | Associated Press

Libya's Arabian Gulf Oil Company (Agoco) has cut oil production by another 10,000 barrels per day due to protests that have closed off its headquarters for nearly two weeks, a spokesman said on Saturday. | Reuters

MAY 4

The head of eastern Libya's self-declared semiautonomous region on Friday called for a boycott of next month's national vote for an assembly that would form a government and prepare for the country's new constitution. | Associated Press

Moammar Qaddafi’s former prime minister, in jail in neighboring Tunisia, says the ousted Libyan leader funded French President Nicolas Sarkozy's 2007 election campaign to the tune of 50 million euros ($66 million), according to his lawyer.| Reuters

MAY 3

Libya left open the door Wednesday for Islamist political parties to run for control of the government, as the interim rulers passed several new laws in advance of June elections including dropping the ban on religious political parties that was introduced last week. | Fox News

Libyan authorities on Thursday granted immunity to former rebels who fought to oust Moammar Qaddafi’s regime and unveiled legislation that cracks down on the fallen strongman's supporters. | Naharnet

MAY 2

Scotland's most senior prosecutor has visited Libya with the head of the FBI to discuss the ongoing investigation into the Lockerbie bombing, the Crown Office has said. | Telegraph

Libya had sought to question Muammar Gaddafi's former oil boss in a corruption investigation before his body was found in the river Danube in Austria this week, Prosecutor General Abdelaziz Al-Hasadi told Reuters on Wednesday. | Reuters

MAY 1

Libya on Tuesday opened voter and candidate registration centers, in another step towards its goal of holding elections for a constituent assembly in June. | AFP

Libya’s former prime minister and oil minister Shokri Ghanem, a prominent defector from Moammar Qaddafi’s government, drowned in the River Danube, Vienna police said on Monday. A Libyan security source suggested he could have been murdered. | al Arabiya

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called off a planned trip to Libya Tuesday after a militia group surrounded the headquarters of the caretaker Libyan government, an official said. | Washington Post

APRIL 27

Libya's state news agency says three explosions outside a courthouse in the eastern city of Benghazi have wounded three people and caused some damage to the building's fence and surrounding structures. | Fox News

Libya's interim ruling council has fired the nation's Cabinet just five months after it took office, citing incompetence, two senior officials said Thursday, just two months before the country's first national election. | ABC News

APRIL 26

The head of the Libyan NTC's political affairs committee, Fathi Baja, said that the new political parties law does not target moderate Islamists, like the Muslim Brotherhood, but seeks to exclude more radical elements like the Salafis. Federalists in Benghazi are upset with the law because it prohibits regionalist parties which may push autonomy. | Middle East Online

The first batch of 10,000 former Libyan rebels arrived on Wednesday in Jordan for training in order integrate into their country's interior ministry, the kingdom's security department said. | AFP

APRIL 25

A Libyan government spokesman says authorities have issued a law banning the formation of political parties based on religious principles. The National Transitional Council’s Mohamed al-Hareizi said the law passed Wednesday was designed to preserve "national unity." | Al-Masry al-Youm

Jordan has begun training Libyan policemen as part of a program to strengthen ties between the countries. They will take part in a three-month course in public order, security, and investigative work at an international academy outside Jordan's capital Amman. | BBC

APRIL 24

A top European rights watchdog has blamed NATO, Libyan authorities and smugglers for the deaths at sea of 63 people fleeing the Libyan war in March 2011—a charge the military alliance is disputing. | Washington Post

Libya and Iraq continue to show interest in buying Russian-made weaponry despite regime changes in these countries, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said Tuesday. | New York Daily News

APRIL 23

Fresh fighting between Toubou tribesmen and the national army flared in the Libyan desert town of Kufra on Saturday leaving up to 12 people dead and scores wounded. | Middle East Online

APRIL 20

Despite repeated calls by the International Criminal Court, ICC, Libyan officials are adamant that Saif al-Islam Qaddafi, the son of the former Libyan dictator will be tried in Libya where he committed the crimes for which the Hague-based court issued an international arrest warrant. | Tripoli Post

APRIL 19

Libyan prosecutors have gathered "great evidence" against the son of former dictator Moammar Qaddafi, International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said Thursday, re-opening the controversial question of where Saif al-Islam Qaddafi will be tried. | CNN

Libya's interim prime minister plans to reshuffle his cabinet which has come under fire over corruption scandals and failure to consolidate the national army, a government spokesman said. | AFP

APRIL 18

Libya's ruling National Transitional Council is reviewing the work of some of the government's ministers and may choose to replace them, an NTC spokesman said on Tuesday. | Reuters

The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor pledged Wednesday in Tripoli to look into the cases of two captured Libyans — a son of deposed ruler Moammar Qaddafi and his notorious intelligence chief. | Washington Post

APRIL 17

Qatar’s top bank has purchased a major stake in one of Libya’s leading privately held financial institutions. The deal strengthens the commercial ties between two countries already bound together politically in the wake of the Arab Spring uprisings. | Financial Times

Libya’s leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil said on Monday he had obtained an assurance from Algiers that the family of Moammar Qaddafi would be prevented from sabotaging the new Libyan authorities from their refuge in Algeria. | Reuters

APRIL 13

Jordan is reportedly demanding around $140 million in bills from Libya for treatment given to thousands of Libyan nationals hospitalized in the country's private hospitals. | Reuters

APRIL 16

Many in Libya’s east are still pushing for autonomy. Seven months after Qaddafi's rule ended, the NTC is too weak and disorganized to impose its authority on the country, leaving a vacuum that is being filled by local solutions. | Chicago Tribune

APRIL 13

Jordan is reportedly demanding around $140 million in bills from Libya for treatment given to thousands of Libyan nationals hospitalized in the country's private hospitals. | Reuters

APRIL 12

The International Criminal Court prosecutor asked judges on Thursday to report Libya to the U.N. Security Council over its failure to extradite Saif al-Islam Qaddafi, the son of the late Libyan leader. | Reuters

APRIL 11

Libya's interim prime minister, Abdurrahim el-Keeb, told reporters in Tripoli that Libya “will respect international law.” He also noted that there would be no problem in trying the former dictator's son, Seif al-Islam. | Tripoli Post

APRIL 10

The National Transitional Council has stated that Qaddafi’s son, Saif Al-Islam, will be tried for rape, murder, and corruption in Libya. | Bikya Masr

A bomb was thrown at a convoy carrying the head of the UN Mission to Libya in Benghazi; no one was hurt in the explosion. | Reuters

APRIL 9

U.S. and Libyan authorities are probing oil giants to investigate their past ties to the Qaddafi regime. | AFP

APRIL 6

The ICC has demanded that Libya give up Qaddafi’s son Saif Al-Islamso that he can be tried for crimes against humanity. | UPI

Rival militias whose clashes in western Libya killed at least 18 people have stopped their fighting after the government sent in troops to impose a ceasefire. | Reuters

Interpol has issued alerts seeking the arrest of two senior officials from Qaddafi’s regime: former Interior Minister Al-Senussi Alozyre and his former deputy Naser Al-Mabruk. | AFP

APRIL 4

Militias from rival towns in western Libya have battled each other with tanks and artillery in fierce fighting that has killed at least 22 people, local officials say. The clashes erupted over the weekend between the Arab-majority town of Ragdalein and the Berber-dominated town of Zwara, about 110 kilometers west of the capital Tripoli. | Sydney Morning Herald

Libya's interim Prime Minister Abdurrahim el-Keeb flew to the desert oasis cities of Ragdalein and Zwara on Sunday for talks to end a dispute between two tribal groups that has reportedly killed about 150 people over the past week and underscored the ethnic fault lines threatening Libya's stability. | Tripoli Post

APRIL 3

Libyan carriers will be barred from serving the European Union at least until November, under precautionary measures disclosed during Europe's latest blacklist revision. | Flight Global

Rival militias in western Libya attacked each other with heavy weapons for a third day on Tuesday, a local official said, after the government, struggling to impose its authority on the volatile country, failed to persuade the two sides to stop. | The Star

The militia leaders who have turned post-Qaddafi Libya into a patchwork of semi-autonomous fiefs are now plunging into politics, raising fears that their armed brigades could undermine elections intended to lay the foundation of a new democracy. Ali Tarhuni, former interim oil minister and deputy prime minister and others say they fear that Libya could repeat the experience of Lebanon, where armed militias formed during its civil war became a permanent part of the political landscape. | New York Times

APRIL 2

Libyans who graduated from various American universities met last Wednesday to established the Libyan Association of American Universities Graduates(LAAUG). They hope the NGO will constitute a forum for cultural academic and scientific exchanges between LAAUG's members and their counterparts in the USA. | Tripoli Post

The Libyan Ministry of Transportation is calling on international manufacturers specialized in city buses and coaches to submit ‘technical files’ for evaluation as a first step to open bidding for national bus procurement. | Tripoli Post

A Libyan police brigade moved to quell clashes that broke out between two rival towns on Monday, brokering a cease-fire and securing the release of hostages, a local tribal chief said. | Washington Post

MARCH 30

The Council of Europe has found NATO largely responsible for the deaths last year of 63 Libyan migrantswhose boat was left to drift at sea unaided, and warned that those to blame could face legal action. | Reuters

Rival militias in the southern Libyan city of Sabha have reached an agreement to end clashes that killed more than 50 people, marking a fresh attempt by the government to impose order nationwide months after the overthrow of Moammar Qaddafi. | News24

In March, 74,802 individuals were still internally displaced in Libya, the United Nations Refugee Agency, UNHCR has reported after conducting continued protection monitoring in places like Tawergha camps in Benghazi and in Tarhouna, Derj/Ghedamis and Yefren together with its partners. | Tripoli Post

MARCH 29

Three days of clashes between tribes in the southern Libyan town of Sabha have killed more than 70 people, Libyan government spokesman Nasser al-Manaa said yesterday. | AFP

The largest Libyan city of Sabha in the south is moving ahead into quietness and stability while negotiations are under way between tribal leaders to settle differences peacefully. | Tripoli Post

Italy on Wednesday seized more than $1.5 billion of assets controlled by the Libyan dictator Moammar Qaddafi’s family including stakes in top companies, land and a Harley Davidson. The seizure by tax police officers followed a request by the International Criminal Court in The Hague, which is seeking the extradition from Libya of Qaddafi’s son Seif al-Islam on charges of crimes against humanity. | National Post

MARCH 28

A Libyan tribe is threatening to declare a separate state in Libya's south after days of bloody battles. The threats are the latest sign of chaos in Libya after the fall of longtime ruler Moammar Qaddafi last year. | Fox News

Uncertainty about oil and gas companies' contracts with Libya, soon to be scrutinized and potentially revised, will persist until new leaders take power after June elections, delaying the industry's return to normal in the post-Gadhafi era. | Reuters

Relative calm has returned to southern Libya after inter-tribal clashes over control of territory left around 15 people dead. | Tripoli Post

MARCH 27

Libya's leader acknowledged Monday that his government has failed to act quickly to restore stability, just as at least 20 people were killed in tribal battles in a southern city. | AP

Eight people were killed and 15 were wounded on Monday in the city of Sabha in southern Libya when clashes erupted between two tribes, Deputy Interior Minister Omar Al-Khadrawi told Libyan state-run TV. | USA Today

MARCH 26

Armed militiamen stormed a Turkish-owned hotel in the Libyan capital Tripoli, firing shots and detaining its Turkish manager in a dispute over an unpaid bill, an employee said, highlighting the continuing volatility in the North African country. | Reuters

A powerful Libyan militia said Sunday it has withdrawn from the country's main airport, leaving it unprotected with no government security force to take over. | USA Today

Libyan tribesmen have closed the country’s main border crossing with Egypt, complaining of a rise in crime and rampant smuggling of drugs and weapons across the frontier, residents and officials said. | Boston

MARCH 22

Libya's new rulers, under pressure from human rights groups, have vowed to put on trial Moammar Qaddafi’s former spy chief before June elections if Mauritania extradites him as expected. | AFP

Libya’s interim authorities escalated their face-off against the International Criminal Court on Wednesday over custody of the most significant confidants to Moammar Gadhafi taken prisoner since his ouster and death: his son Saif al-Islam and his brother-in-law Abdullah Senussi. The battle over the men’s fate is an early test of the former rebels’ commitment to the rule of the law. | New York Times

In remote southeastern Libya, two ethnic groups – the Koufra and the Toubu – are locked in a standoff over smuggling, threatening to reignite violence that could spill across the borders with Chad and Sudan. | AFP

MARCH 21

Government spokesman Nasser al-Manaa said on Wednesday that the government of the West African nation will return Senussi for "a fair process" in a Libyan court. Senussi was detained Saturday in Mauritania. | Telegraph

Two British journalists who were arrested last month by a Libyan militia group and accused of spying have been released and cleared of all charges, Libya's Interior Ministry has said. | Guardian

MARCH 19

Hundreds of Hezbollah fighters have been receiving training in the use of advanced anti-aircraft weapons in Syria and Iran in recent months, an Israeli newspaper reported over the weekend, in a development the Israeli military says could jeopardize the Jewish state’s aerial supremacy. | Daily Star

NATO has failed to properly investigate or provide compensation for civilian deaths caused by its air strikes during the seven-month operation in Libya that helped bring about the overthrow of Moammar Qaddafi, Amnesty International said. | Euronews

No exact date has been set for the elections in Libya. Under the electoral law enacted last month by the National Transitional Council, 120 of the 200 seats in parliament will be reserved for individuals running for office, with the rest dedicated to lists and parties, which must include equal numbers of male and female candidates. | FT

MARCH 16

Libyan authorities said on Thursday that they have amended the constitution-making process to allow for greater regional representation. Committee representation would be evenly split between the regions of Tripolitana in the west, Cyrenaica in the east and Fezzan in the south, judicial committee chairman Salwa al-Deghili told AFP. | AFP

The trash problem in Libya is becoming hard to control by the interim government of Prime Minister Abdul Rahim al-Keib. The Cleaning Up Tripoli team (The Cleaning Revolution), a concerned group of Tripoli residents, will be holding a demonstration to urge the authorities to address this problem. | Tripoli Post

MARCH 15

Libya's stock exchange has reopened for the first time since the fall of Colonel Moammar Qaddafi’s regime. | BBC

Libya has managed to successfully recovery a £10 million London house, previously belonging to former Libyan dictator Moammar Qaddafi’s son, Saadi. | Tripoli Post

MARCH 14

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday urged Libyan authorities to address human rights violations related to last year’s uprising and ouster of Moammar Qaddafi after a U.N. report said forces both supporting and opposing the former leader committed war crimes. | Washington Post

Two British journalists detained by a Libyan militia on suspicion of spying have been transferred to the custody of the government, deputy interior minister Omar al-Khadrawi said on Wednesday. | Reuters

MARCH 13

Mokhtar Belmokhtar, a top fugitive leader in Al-Qaeda's north African branch, is in Libya shopping for weapons, Malian security sources told AFP on Monday. | IOL

The UN Security Council on Monday voted unanimously to extend its political mission in Libya for twelve months with a mandate to support national efforts to promote the rule of law, protect human rights, restore public security, hold free and fair elections and eliminating the flood of weapons in the country especially shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles. | Tripoli Post

MARCH 12

The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Monday to extend its political mission in Libya with a mandate to support the government in promoting democracy, restoring public security, and eliminating the flood of weapons in the country, especially shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles. | Fox News

Addressing the opening session of the two-day ministerial regional conference on border security Sunday, Libyan interim Prime Minister Abdurrahim El-Keeb said that increased regional cooperation was required to tackle the escalation of cross-border criminal activities. | Tripoli Post

Thousands of people protested in Libya's two biggest cities on Friday in a show of opposition to moves from some in the oil-producing east to declare autonomy from central rule. A group of civic leaders in the eastern city of Benghazi this week said they would run their own affairs, defying the government in Tripoli which is already struggling to assert its authority after Moammar Qaddafi was ousted last year. | Reuters

MARCH 9

Libya's interim prime minister, Abdurrahim El-Keeb, told the UN Security Council Wednesday, that a law on transitional justice and national reconciliation had been established in the country, and that reconciliation committees had already helped settle many tribal differences, enabling many displaced people to return to their homes. | Tripoli Post

Thousands of Libyans are protesting a move by eastern tribal leaders and militia commanders to create a self-ruled region in the oil-rich eastern part of the country. | Washington Post

A U.N. expert panel on Friday handed diplomats a confidential list of names of alleged perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Libya. | AP

MARCH 8

Libya's interim prime minister, Abdurrahim El-Keeb, told the UN Security Council Wednesday, that a law on transitional justice and national reconciliation had been established in the country, and that reconciliation committees had already helped settle many tribal differences, enabling many displaced people to return to their homes. | Tripoli Post

A powerful Libyan militia that took over the country's busiest airport when Moammar Qaddafi was deposed said Thursday it will hand over responsibility for the airport to the government, which is struggling to assert its control over militias across Libya. | AP

Thousands of heads of major tribes, militia commanders, and politicians in eastern Libya declared a semi-autonomous state two days ago saying they want their region to remain part of a united Libya, but needed to do this to stop decades of discrimination against the east. The conference declared that the eastern state, known as Barqa, would have its own parliament, police force, courts and capital - Benghazi, the country's second largest city - to run its own affairs. Foreign policy, the national army, and oil resources would be left to the central government in the capital Tripoli in western Libya. | Mmegi

MARCH 6

It could take up to 17 months to replace vandalized gravestones in a Commonwealth cemetery in Libya, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission spokesman says. | CBC

The Libyan leader, Mustafa Abdul Jalil, has vowed to use force to stop the country breaking up after leaders in an eastern region declared autonomy. | Guardian

President Barack Obama met with Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Rahim al-Kib today. The president encouraged the prime minister to continue plans to hold national elections in June and stressed the importance of transparency and engagement with Libya's newly energized civil society as the government develops accountable institutions. | USA Today

MARCH 6

Libya's interim leadership has apologized after armed men destroyed the graves of British and Italian soldiers killed during World War II, al-Jazeera reports. | Washington Post

Tribal and political leaders in Libya's eastern city of Benghazi on Tuesday declared the region of Cyrenaica autonomous and called for a return to federalism. "A federal system is the choice of the region" of Cyrenaica, which stretches from the central coastal city of Sirte to the Libyan-Egyptian border in the east, they said in a joint statement. | Al-Masry al-Youm

MARCH 5

Libya's Prime Minister Abdel Rahim al-Kib is due to address the nation Monday on the issue of decentralization, his office said, as aspirations for federalism gained momentum in the east of the country. His address to the war-battered country comes after the interim government held an emergency session on Sunday to discuss a draft bill proposing the "principle of decentralization" in the country. | AFP

Thousands of mourners gathered Monday in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi to bury 155 bodies unearthed from a mass grave of people were killed during last year's civil war. | AP

The number of weapons smuggled into Egypt across the Libyan border is on the increase, with thousands of weapons flooding into the country, security officials said on Monday. | ABC News

MARCH 2

Libya has called its neighbors to a meeting on their porous common borders, which since the downfall of Moammar Qaddafi have become major conduits for smuggling, an official said on Thursday. | Middle East Online

The top United Nations envoy to Libya has expressed confidence that just over four months after since the end of the eight-month long conflict, the country will be able to overcome current difficulties and pursue the path towards the goals it committed itself to when the popular uprising began a year ago. | Tripoli Post

MARCH 1

Former Libyan rebels, some of whom have been accused of torturing detainees, still hold about three-quarters of the people they arrested during the country’s civil war, the United Nations said on Wednesday. | New York Times

The destruction of chemical weapons stockpiles in Libya and the possible existence of similar stockpiles in Syria have topped the agenda during talks between Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the head of the international body dedicated to the removal of such weapons. | All Africa

Libya’s general prosecutor has demanded that Egypt hand over 40 men accused of collaboration with former Libyan dictator Moammar Qaddafi before and during an eight-month uprising that toppled his regime. | Boston

FEBRUARY 29

After the fall of Moammar Qaddafi, Amazigh television programs, magazines, and cultural associations are springing up all across Libya. | Tunisia Live

Libya will donate $100 million in humanitarian aid to the Syrian opposition and allow them to open an office in Tripoli, a government spokesman said on Wednesday, in a further sign of its strong support for forces fighting President Bashar al-Assad. | Reuters

Having once enjoyed the patronage and cash of the Qaddafi clan, Sirte, Qaddafi’s hometown, is now struggling to adapt to the realities of the new Libya. Its residents say they feel sidelined by the North African country's postwar rulers. | Reuters

FEBRUARY 28

Tribal elders from around Libya are negotiating an end to clashes in the southeast of the country which have killed dozens of people in the last two weeks. | Reuters

A Libyan militia leader has stated that his militia will not disband because the government incentives on offer are not generous enough. | Daily Star

FEBRUARY 27

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Turkey fully supports Libya's transition to democracy and will help rebuild its damaged infrastructure. | UPI

Libya will announce a law that will return land and buildings expropriated by late ruler Moammar Qaddafi to the original landowners “within weeks,” a senior member of the Land Ownership Committee said. | Business Week

“Libya will not forgive any state that provides safe heaven to pro-Qaddafi criminals and must immediately hand them over to face trial,” said the chairman of the National Transitional Council (NTC) Mustafa Abdul Jalil at a press conference Saturday night in Tripoli. | Tripoli Post

FEBRUARY 24

Clashes between rival tribes in the far southeast of Libya have flared up again, injuring several people, the tribes said on Friday, despite Libyan troops intervening to end the fighting. | Reuters

Libya's Tawarga tribe apologized to Misrata's people for damage caused in the coastal city during last year's war, according to a statement received by AFP on Friday. | Reuters

Three months after he was captured far away in the Sahara desert dressed as a Bedouin tribesman, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son and one-time heir apparent of Libya's fallen leader, is being kept in Zitan, ostensibly to keep him safe from harm until the new Libyan government can organize a trial for him.| Chicago Tribune

FEBRUARY 23

Sen. John McCain urged Libya’s militias on Wednesday to integrate themselves into the country’s new national army and called for the reported abuse of prisoners held by the ex-rebels to stop. | AP

North African neighbors Libya and Algeria are to exchange high-level visits in an attempt to re-launch cooperation in fighting arms trafficking and Islamist insurgents in the Sahara desert. | Reuters

A formal request has been sent to the Libyan government seeking access to the country for police and prosecutors involved in the Lockerbie bombing case. | BBC News

FEBRUARY 22

Scores of civilians have been killed in the past 24 hours in tribal warfare in a remote region of southern Libya, witnesses said on Tuesday. | AP

The two Libyan Mirage fighter jets that a year ago were flown to Malta by two Libyan pilots who defected to the Mediterranean island after refusing orders by the former dictatorial regime of Moammar Qaddafi to bomb civilians in the eastern city Benghazi are back home in the Libyan capital, Tripoli. | Tripoli Post

A Libyan military court ruled on Wednesday that 50 people accused of fighting for Moammar Qaddafi and helping a mass jail break by alleged supporters of the deposed leader should be freed and tried instead in a civilian court. | Reuters

FEBRUARY 21

A Red Crescent worker says more than 50 civilians were killed in the past 24 hours in tribal warfare in southern Libya. | Washington Post

Misurata held regional council elections yesterday in an example of how Libya is splintering into largely autonomous city-states, with powerful local militias and emerging local governments that at best have loose ties to the Tripoli-based central government known as the National Transitional Council. | CTV; Tripoli Post

Libya’s leader acknowledged Tuesday that his transitional government is powerless to control militias that are refusing to lay down their arms after ousting Moammar Qaddafi as it struggles to impose control over the oil-rich North African nation. | Washington Post

FEBRUARY 17

On Friday, Libya began celebrating the first anniversary of the uprising that eventually ousted dictator Moammar Qaddafi from power after 42 years of an iron-fist rule, with fireworks, thousands of Libyan citizens in different cities chanting slogans and waving the Libyan flag. | Tripoli Post

As Libya on Friday marks the one-year anniversary of the start of the uprising against Moammar Gadhafi, hundreds of armed militias are the real power on the ground in the country, and the government that took the long-time strongman's place is largely impotent, unable to rein in fighters, rebuild decimated institutions or stop widespread corruption. | Time Magazine

FEBRUARY 16

The armed militias now ruling much of Libya are torturing detainees deemed loyal to the ousted regime of Moammar Qaddafi and driving entire neighborhoods and towns into exile, Amnesty International said. | al-Ahram; Tripoli Post

Oil exports are approaching pre-conflict levels and international sanctions have been lifted, but four months after fighting ended, experts warn that Libya's financial situation remains fragile. | Al-Ahram

OPEC will raise shipments by 0.7 percent this month as Libya continues to restore production that was halted during last year’s uprising, according to tanker- tracker Oil Movements. | Bloomberg

FEBRUARY 15

Thousands of fighters from across western Libya have held a mass parade in Tripoli, showing off heavy machine guns and rocket launchers and firing rifles in the air. The procession Tuesday was a show of force by members of some 100 militias that announced a new, unified military council the day before. | Boston Globe

As it tries to build a democratic state, the ruling National Transitional Council is struggling to impose its authority on a country awash with weapons and to form a functioning national police force and army. Heavily-armed militias have stepped into the vacuum, carving the country into local fiefdoms. | Reuters

The publication of a Libyan election law is a milestone in the country's evolution toward an inclusive democracy, a British official said. | UPI

FEBRUARY 14

The Libyan capital, Tripoli, is tense this week as the country prepares to mark the anniversary of its February 17 revolution, amid claims by a son of the former dictator Moammar Qaddafi that an uprising is imminent. | Guardian

Representatives of about 100 militias from western Libya said Monday they had formed a new federation to prevent infighting and allow them to press the country’s new government for further reform. | AP

FEBRUARY 13

A Libyan domestic investment fund with estimated assets of $1 billion could direct some of its investments abroad, especially to neighboring Tunisia, the chief executive of the National Investment Company said. | Reuters

At least five people have been killed in clashes between rival tribes over control of territory in the far southeast of Libya, officials said on Monday, highlighting the challenge of policing the country's sparsely populated desert. | Reuters

Mustafa Abdul Jalil, the leader of Libya's National Transitional Council (NTC), has called Turkey a model for Libya and the other Arab countries, the Anatolia news agency reported on Monday. “Turkey's democratic structure is an example to Libya and the other countries that experienced the Arab Spring. Libya will look to Turkey as a model for its own political and democratic structure,” Abdul Jalil told Anatolia. | Today’s Zaman

FEBRUARY 10

The United Nations Support Mission in Libya, UNSMIL, said it welcomes the adoption of the Electoral Law that constitutes an important step in Libya's transition to democracy. | Tripoli Post

The government of interim Prime Minister Abdel Rahim el-Keeb is virtually paralyzed by rivalries that have forced it to divide power along lines of regions and personalities, by unreachable expectations that Moammar Qaddafi's fall would bring prosperity, and by powerlessness so marked the national army is treated like another of the many warring militias. | Sydney Morning Herald

FEBRUARY 9

The United Nations Support Mission in Libya, UNSMIL, said it welcomes the adoption of the Electoral Law that constitutes an important step in Libya's transition to democracy. | Tripoli Post

UN envoy Ian Martin has visited the ravaged city of Sirte. Saying he "was deeply impressed by the efforts of the people who have already done much to bring life back to the city, with as yet little support." | Tripoli Post

FEBRUARY 8

Libya produced 1.36 million barrels a day of crude oil on February 4, up from a daily average of 1.12 million barrels in January, the state-run National Oil Corp. said. | Bloomberg News

Libya wants Amman to help fight remnants of the regime of slain dictator Moammar Qaddafi if found in Jordan, a government statement said on Wednesday as the two nations vowed to boost their ties. | al-Arabiyah

One of the first announcements made by Libya's National Transitional Council (NTC) after the fall of Tripoli last August was a promise to all those wounded in the fight against former leader Moammar Qaddafi. Four months later, the scheme has been suspended. With no central oversight, it turns out it was being abused on a massive scale. | BBC News

FEBRUARY 7

Libya's interior minister, Fawzy Abdilal has said that former dictator Moammar Qaddafi's most prominent son, Seif al -Islam could go on trial “within weeks or months”. | Tripoli Post

A Chinese Commerce Ministry delegation held talks Monday with Libyan officials on bilateral cooperation and resumption of Chinese businesses in post-war Libya. | CRJ English

FEBRUARY 3

Tuareg tribesman who reportedly fought for Moammar Qaddafi in Libya have returned to Mali with weapons, stoking violence and forcing thousands to flee, Mali's president said. | CNN

A Libyan prosecutor says 40 suspects have appeared before a military tribunal in the country's first trial of Moammar Qaddafi loyalists since the dictator's overthrow. | Boston Times

Protesters tried to break into the Syrian embassy in Tripoli early morning on Saturday. They broke the windows, climbed onto the roof, lowered down the old flag and raised the new Free Syrian flag. Security guards were forced to intervene and drive the protestors away before hoisting back the old flag back. | Tripoli Post

FEBRUARY 3

A Libyan diplomat who served as ambassador to France for Moammar Qaddafi died from torture within a day of being detained by a militia from Zintan, Human Rights Watch said in a statement on Friday. | Reuters

Libya’s political scene is flowering with new political parties being formed. Almost all political parties have references to Islamic law and Islam in their platforms, however, the parties differ whether or not to have Islamic law as one source or the main source of legislation. New parties include nationalists, social democrats, Salafis, the Muslim Brotherhood, and others. | Reuters

Freed from Moammar Qaddafi's 42-year dictatorship, Libya's Sufi Muslims find themselves under renewed pressure from violent Islamists who have been attacking them and their beliefs as heretical. | Reuters

FEBRUARY 2

Libya's government will post a budget deficit of $10 billion this year as it struggles to pay public workers' salaries and meet energy costs, the head of the country's National Transitional Council (NTC) said in remarks published on Thursday. | Reuters

"The Islamists disturb the Libyans more than they disturb the West. The moderate Islam will rule in this country. Ninety percent of Libyans want a moderate Islam. There are just 5 percent liberals and 5 percent fundamentalists,'' said Chairman of the Libyan National Transitional Council Mustapha Abdel Jalil, in an interview with the French newspaper Le Figaro. | ANSAMed

FEBRUARY 1

Rival militias fought a gun battle near office buildings and a five-star hotel in the centre of the Libyan capital on Wednesday, underscoring how volatile the country still is three months on from Moammar Qaddafi's death. | Reuters

Nine tankers have been booked so far to load about one million barrels a day of crude oil in Libya next week, according to data from Poten & Partners Inc. | Bloomberg

JANUARY 31

At a meeting in Tripoli on Monday, Libya's National Transitional Council rejected the resignation of the deputy head of Libya's ruling Council, Abdel Hafiz Ghoga, who had stepped down after protests against him in Benghazi on January 22. | Tripoli Post

A Libyan militia leader has begun legal action against a former senior British intelligence chief whom he accuses of playing a key role in illegally returning him to Libya to be jailed and tortured under Moammar Qaddafi, his London-based lawyers said. | Reuters

The Indian Government is providing humanitarian assistance to Libya worth one million dollars.| Newstrack India

JANUARY 30

Libyan judicial police have started taking control of makeshift prisons in the country after human rights organizations complained of rampant torture of inmates, the country’s deputy justice minister said on Sunday. The deputy minister, Khalifa Ashour, said uniformed police have been dispatched to some prisons where former rebels have been holding people accused of being loyalists of deposed ruler Moammar Qaddafi. | Washington Post 

Libya's interim prime minister, Abdurrahim al-Keeb Sunday called for a regional security conference to tackle a proliferation of weapons by exiled supporters of former Libyan dictator Moammar Qaddafi. | Tripoli Post

Several people have died after being tortured by militias in Libyan detention centers, human rights group Amnesty International has said. | BBC News

JANUARY 27

Anders Fogh Rasmussen Thursday launched NATO’s first ever Annual Report, which gives a brief overview of the alliance’s principal achievements and challenges in 2011. One of the four main areas assessed was Libya. | Tripoli Post

Libyan oil production has climbed to 1.3 million barrels per day, the National Oil Corporation said in a statement, as companies resume production following the eight-month war. | Tripoli Post

The decision by the French group Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) to withdraw its fieldworkers from prisons in the Libyan city of Misrata is an important and disturbing indicator of the situation in that country. | BBC News

JANUARY 26

Libya recognized Wednesday a tribal-based local government in ex-Qaddafi stronghold Bani Walid, illustrating the power of tribal leaders over the fragile interim government. Fighters from the Warfallah tribe – the dominant tribe in Bani Walid and the most populous in Libya – drove out a pro-government militia from the town this week. Salah al-Maayuf, a member of the Warfallah Elders Council in Bani Walid, said his tribal body appointed a new local council Tuesday and that Defense Minister Osama al-Juwali recognized the body during all-day talks Wednesday. | Daily Star

Several suspected diehards of slain Libyan dictator Moammar Qaddafi have been subjected to torture and some have even died in detention centers run by armed militias, human rights groups said on Thursday. | Daily Star

Libya is going through a difficult transition, having inherited weak state institutions and an absence of political parties, the top United Nations envoy in the country told the Security Council Thursday , adding that the country's interim government is committed to addressing the challenges. | Tripoli Post

JANUARY 25

With Libya’s frozen assets being released by the week and its oil production and exportation increasing by the day, many international governments and companies are awaiting eagerly to hear ‘what, where and when’ Libya will start spending some of the $100 million a day it is now earning. | Tripoli Post

Violent crime and clashes between armed militants are running rife in Libya as the jubilation of last year's liberation fades, to be replaced by the harsh and unromantic reality of building a new state. | Reuters

The Libyan defense minister held talks Wednesday with tribal leaders in a town overrun by locals loyal to former leader Moammar Gadhafi, an official said. | Washington Post

JANUARY 24

Three protesters and a security official were killed in Bani Waleed Monday when protesters tried to force their way in the building that is being used to as a detention center for prisoners belonging to the old regime. The situation was stopped from escalating further when “Elders” from the surrounding cities intervened. | Tripoli Post

Protesters stormed the Benghazi headquarters of Libya's ruling National Transitional Council (NTC) on Saturday while its chairman was still in the building demanding that Qaddafi-era officials be sacked and Islamic sharia law be the source of the North African country’s future constitution. | Al-Arabiya

As Libya’s interim government struggles to bring security, stability and democracy to the country, a burgeoning protest movement is rocking the fragile nation, venting grudges and challenging the legitimacy of the ruling authorities. | Washington Post

JANUARY 23

A Libyan political leader has welcomed the resignation of the deputy head of Libya’s National Transitional Council (NTC). Abdel Hafiz Ghoga, one of the council's highest-profile members, stepped down Sunday, as thousands of university students demonstrated against him in Benghazi. | VOA

The National Transitional Coiuncil, NTC, has postponed announcing the "First Election Law of Libya" that had been discussed, until next Saturday, January 28. The delay is due to the need for more meetings with different organizations. | Tripoli Post

Forces loyal to Libya's late leader Moammar Qaddafi attacked the former regime stronghold of Bani Walid on Monday, killing at least four revolutionary fighters, officials and residents said. | Associated Press

JANUARY 20

Dressed in green military fatigues and clutching CVs under their arms, young Libyans who fought Moammar Qaddafi are now signing up to register for government jobs. Some of these men spent months fighting Qaddafi forces on the front lines of the conflict that erupted last February and have provided security on Libya's streets since fighting ended in October, after Qaddafi was killed. | AFP

Women4Libya, a Libyan women’s rights non-governmental organization, believes that the new electoral law is biased against women and made four recommendations to amend it. | Tripoli Post

International inspectors have confirmed that late Libyan dictator Moammar Qaddafi had an undeclared stockpile of chemical weapons, the organization that oversees a global ban on such armaments announced Friday. | ABC News

JANUARY 19

In a workshop entitled, "Elections and Effective Citizens", organized by the Libyan Society of Future and Strategic studies at the Kabeer hotel in central Tripoli, Libyan NGOs were given information about the electoral law and the election process so that they in turn can then go and pass on the same knowledge via similar workshops to their communities. | Tripoli Post

Throughout the country, Libyans are discovering that their hard fought battle to win freedoms is at risk. Salafis are applying a rigid form of Islam in more and more communities. They have clamped down on the sale of alcohol and demolished the tombs of saints where many local people worship. | Time

The deputy head of Libya's National Transitional Council was manhandled by protesters on Thursday in the cradle of the uprising that ousted Moammar Qaddafi last year, witnesses said. | IC Publications

JANUARY 18

The prime minister of Libya's interim government, Abdurrahim el-Keeb, hosted Anwar Gargash, minister of state for foreign affairs of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in the governmental headquarters in Tripoli and thanked him for his country's sincere support of the February 17 revolution. | Tripoli Post

The BBC has seen evidence that a man was tortured and killed in detention, after clashes between rival militia groups in Libya last weekend. | BBC News

JANUARY 17

Libya's premier on Monday asked Egypt's visiting military ruler to hand over backers of the ousted Moammar Qaddafi regime who fled to Egypt. Egypt's Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi arrived in the Libyan capital Tripoli on Monday. It was his first visit to Egypt's western neighbor since his military council assumed power after the ousting of President Hosni Mubarak last February, following an 18-day popular uprising. | ABC News

A new Tuareg rebel group, whose members include former pro-Qaddafi fighters, launched its first attack on Tuesday on at least one town in Mali. Government forces fought back. | Washington Post

Lebanon's foreign affairs minister, Adnan Mansour returned Monday to Beirut after a six-day visit to Libya, where he not only had bilateral talks with the new leaders, but also tried to discover the truth behind the case of missing Shiite Imam Moussa Sadr. | Tripoli Post

JANUARY 13

A seminar on elections was held in Tripoli by the Tripoli Local Council to answer many of the questions that arose after the draft of the election law was released lately. The guests were the members of the National Transitional Council's elections committee itself, namely, Mr. Ameen BilHadj, Mr. Siddiq el Misrati, and Mr. Ali BouSidra. | Tripoli Post

The power cuts in Libya are to end soon, according to a well informed source. The maintenance work is being carried out in the whole country to repair the installations that were damaged during the revolution by the forces loyal to the former regime. They purposefully damaged the installations before retreating on many occasions. | Tripoli Post

South African President Jacob Zuma told the U.N. Security Council on Thursday that it "completely ignored" the African Union when it allowed NATO's bombing campaign to oust Libyan leader Moammar Qaddafi. | ABC

JANUARY 12

Libya has officially ended its trade and economic sanctions against Switzerland and Lebanon, leaving the country free to do business with both countries which the former Libyan dictator Moammar Qaddafi had boycotted. | Tripoli Post

Two Libyans who were part of the anti-Qaddafi movement are threatening to sue the UK over their transfer to Libya and subsequent torture. | BBC

JANUARY 11

The International Criminal Court on Tuesday extended a deadline by three weeks, to January 23, for Libya to provide information on the health and status of the former Libyan dictator's son, Seif al Islam, or whether to transfer him to The Hague, that has indicted him for crimes against humanity. | Tripoli Post

Italian imports of Libyan gas in November increased to about half of the level seen prior to the conflict in the North African country last year, while overall demand for natural gas in Italy was down 2.5 percent in the month, according to ministry data Wednesday. | Platts

Libya’s recent decision to lift its economic embargo on Lebanon will boost bilateral trade and open up opportunities for businesses in Libya’s reconstruction and energy sectors, experts said. A statement issued by the newly appointed Libyan Cabinet announced the decision earlier this week. The Cabinet has also lifted a similar trade embargo on Switzerland. | Daily Star

Libyan and U.N. officials Tuesday signed an agreement creating the legal framework for the United Nations' support mission in the country. | United Press International

JANUARY 10

A Libyan government committee will help integrate former revolutionary fighters back into civilian life using $8 billion dollars allocated to it to get started, the committee head said Monday. | Washington Post

The International Criminal Court granted Libyan authorities more time Tuesday to answer its questions about Moammar Qaddafi's son and one-time heir apparent, who is wanted by the court but is being held by Libyan fighters. | ABC News 

A group of Libyan Muslim scholars have formed the nation's first legal Islamist party with a view to rebuilding Libya based on Islamic sharia law, a statement from the new political entity said Monday. The Party of Reform and Development (PRD) was formed on Saturday in the eastern city of Benghazi and is chaired by former Muslim Brotherhood member Khaled al-Wershefani. | Now Lebanon

JANUARY 9

Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir said Sunday he was working with Libyan leaders to secure the border between the two countries and prevent the smuggling of weapons to rebel groups in Sudan. Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on genocide charges, arrived in Libya Saturday. | Reuters

More than one million Libyan students returned to school Saturday to start the first year in which the whims, politics, and philosophies of Moammar Qaddafi will not drive the curriculum. Gone are the days when history books lauded Qaddafi’s accomplishments while blasting “Fascist” Italy, the “Zionist” United States, and the “devilish” West, Libyan officials said. | Business Week

During a one-day visit to Libya on Sunday, sandwiched between trips to Algeria and Tunisia, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said on Sunday his country was ready to contribute to the reconstruction of Libya following the collapse of Moammar Qaddafi's 42-year rule. | Tripoli Post

JANUARY 6

German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle is to visit Libya on Sunday during a three-day tour that will take him to Algeria, Libya and Tunisia. He kicks off his tour with a visit to Algeria on Saturday before flying to Libya the next day, and Tunisia on Monday. | Tripoli Post

Libya’s new leaders will remember who provided the most help in overthrowing Moammar Qaddafi when it comes to new oil concessions. Italy, the biggest investor in the country, may find itself at a disadvantage. | Bloomberg

Hundreds of Libyan soldiers protested on Thursday in the eastern city of Benghazi, demanding payment of overdue wages and complaining militia groups had taken over their bases and were not interested in joining a new national army. | News24

JANUARY 5

A former Libyan military officer who fought against ex-leader Moammar Qaddafi's troops last year was picked to head the country's armed forces, a move that comes as tensions flare among rival militias. The interim National Transitional Council chose Youssef Mangoush to be chief of staff of the country's armed forces Tuesday. | CNN

The post-war government in Libya told the Dutch ambassador existing contracts with Royal Dutch Shell were still valid, the country's oil minister said. | UPI

Libya's new interim government, on Wednesday scrapped a 1972 law by the former dictatorial regime of Moammar Qaddafi that made the formation of a political party in the country a criminal act, and legalized political parties. | Tripoli Post

JANUARY 4

Libya risks sliding into civil war unless it brings under control the rival militias which filled the vacuum left by Moammar Qaddafi's downfall, the head of the interim administration said after an outbreak of violence in the capital. | Reuters

South African President Jacob Zuma met Tuesday with Yousif Ibrahim Sherif an envoy from Libya’s National Transitional Council, seeking help from Pretoria in rebuilding the country after the eight-month conflict that eventually overthrew Moammar Qaddafi from power after a 42-year rule. | Tripoli Post

Libya's Waha Oil Co will reach pre-war oil production levels of 350,000 barrels per day (bpd) by the end of January, the company's manager said, a day after the firm sent its first shipment of 600,000 barrels to Italy. | Reuters

JANUARY 3

Libya’s interim government has published a draft electoral law which lays out more than 20 classes of people who will be prohibited to stand as candidates in the vote, which is likely to be held in June. The law prohibits certain people from running for office including officials who worked in Gadhafi-era security apparatus or the political committees, those who did not support the revolution from the beginning, those who benefited monetarily from the old regime, and those convicted of criminal offenses. The final law will be issued on January 23. | Wall Street Journal

Two former Libyan rebel factions clashed Tuesday in hours of gun battles in central Tripoli that left five fighters dead, a Tripoli military council official said. Former rebels of Tripoli and a separate group of fighters from the city of Misrata fought with machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and anti-aircraft guns. | Wall Street Journal

Islamist parties are on the rise in Libya including Salafists, the Muslim Brotherhood, and a new Islamic party led by cleric Sheikh Ali Sallabi which finds inspiration from Turkey and Malaysia rather than Saudi Arabia. | NPR

DECEMBER 20

The U.S. lifted key sanctions on Libya’s government late Friday, freeing more than $30 billion in assets frozen since a February uprising that ended with the death of mercurial leader Col. Moammar Gadhafi. | WSJ

A Libyan military commander and rebel leader has launched legal proceedings against the British government over his rendition and the alleged ''barbaric'' treatment meted out to him and his pregnant wife. | Sydney Morning Herald
 
The United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Libya says it is encouraged by the interim government's initial steps to address the human rights violations that occurred during the eight-month long conflict that eventually ousted former Libyan leader Muammar Al Qathafi from power. | Tripoli Post

DECEMBER 19

Libyan authorities have welcomed the UN Security Council’s decision to lift sanctions on the country’s central bank and on its foreign investment subsidiary. | Tripoli Post

The ICC has stated that there are “serious suspicions” that the death of Qaddafi was a war crime. | USA Today

DECEMBER 16

The death of former Libyan leader Moammar Qaddafi, who was captured and killed by rebels in October, may have been a war crime, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said on Thursday. | Reuters

Libya and Italy have decided to re-establish the "friendship treaty" suspended last March after NATO began its mission in Libya in support of the revolutionaries who had embarked on the task of overthrowing the former Libyan dictator, Moammar Qaddafi. | Tripoli Post

A New York-based rights group is urging NATO to investigate civilian deaths it may have caused during its eight-month military operation in Libya that helped bring about the ouster and death of Moammar Qaddafi. | Reuters

DECEMBER 15

Libya's central bank and a subsidiary are expected to have U.N. sanctions against them lifted on Friday in a move to ease a cash crunch since the country's civil war ended, diplomats said on Wednesday. | Reuters

France is soon to release $300 million to Libya's new rulers in order to help them recover the rest of their frozen assets. The announcement was made by French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe during a short visit to the Libyan capital, Tripoli on Wednesday. | Tripoli Post

Grappling with rising exports from post-war Libya, and in a bid to move the group’s target nearer to current output, for the first time in three years, OPEC has decided to increase its production ceiling to 30 million barrels a day. | Tripoli Post

DECEMBER 14

An outbreak of fighting south of the Libyan capital which killed at least four people stopped on Tuesday after local elders agreed on a ceasefire. | Reuters

Thousands of former supporters of Moammar Qaddafi who fled their town because of revenge attacks and will try to return next week, risking a confrontation with their neighbors, their leaders said on Wednesday. | Reuters

As Libya’s liberators come to terms with how to rebuild the country, three paths are emerging for the riches held in its sovereign wealth fund, according to a new report from international political consulting firm GeoEconomica GmbH. | Wall Street Journal

DECEMBER 13

United States Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Tuesday that he will visit Libya, thus becoming the first Pentagon head to travel to the North African country after its eight-month long revolution that eventually toppled Libyan Libyan dictator Moammar al-Gadhafi. | Tripoli Post

Libya's new rulers came under fire from disgruntled protesters for the first time Monday as hundreds rallied in Benghazi, cradle of the uprising that toppled Moammar Qaddafi and brought them to power. | AFP

DECEMBER 12

Libyan revolutionaries who liberated Tripoli and toppled the Qaddafi regime denied accusations that they attempted to kill Colonel Khalifa Hifter who claims to be in charge of a Libyan army. | Tripoli Post

Rached Ghannouchi, the leader of Ennahda, and Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, began a four day visit to Libya, starting December 9. The Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC) extended an invitation to Ghannouchi to take part in the First National Congress for Libyan Reconciliation and Reconstruction held in Tripoli. | Tunisia Live

DECEMBER 8

Abdel-Rafik Bu Hajjar, the head of the Tripoli local council has called upon armed militias within Tripoli to hand in their weapons. He further demanded that all non-Tripoli brigades in the city must leave by December 20 and that the Tripoli brigade itself would dissolve at the end of the month. | Tripoli Post

Libya has given the green light for British police to visit the country to conduct investigations into the Lockerbie bombing and the assassination of PC Yvonne Fletcher, the British foreign minister Alistair Burt has said. | The Guardian

A NATO spokesperson confirmed that NATO has no evidence that Major General Abdul Fatah Younis betrayed the February 17 revolution. This should put more pressure on the transitional government in Libya to re-investigate the major general's assassination. | Tripoli Post

DECEMBER 7

Libya's attorney general said armed gunmen dragged him from his car in broad daylight in Tripoli, threatening to kill him if he doesn't let one of their friends out of jail. The blatant attack on one of the highest legal authorities in Libya highlights the tense security situation that has persisted in the country's capital since Libyan revolutionaries toppled Moammar Qaddafi’s regime in August. | Fox News

The Mexican authorities say they have stopped a plot by a criminal organization to smuggle one of the sons of Libya's ex-leader Col Moammar Qaddafi into the country. | BBC

Libya's new leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil will go to Algeria this month in a bid to improve ties between the two North African oil producers following the overthrow of Muammar Gadhafi, Algerian Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci said on Wednesday. | Reuters

DECEMBER 6

France is ready to offer military training to Libya and is examining ways to boost its cooperation with the new regime, French army chief of staff Adm. Edouard Guillaud said Monday. | AFP

Libya on Monday said its forces had prevented more than 400 Africans from illegally emigrating to Italy when they intercepted a boat off the coast of the North African country, some 16 km off the coast of Tripoli. | Tripoli Post

International Criminal Court judges want to know from Libyan authorities where Moammar Qaddafi's son and one-time heir apparent is being held and if court officials can visit him, according to a court document released Tuesday. | Boston Globe

DECEMBER 5

Libyan authorities have stated that they will secure the border with Tunisia following clashes between militiamen and border guards. | Tripoli Post

The Security Council has extended the UN support mission in Libya for another three months to help the new government tackle the flood of arms in the country. | AP

DECEMBER 2

Central Europe’s largest oil company has stated that its Libyan oil production is now at about 17,000 barrels a day, or 50 percent of prewar levels. | Bloomberg

DECEMBER 1

Libyan security forces will integrate 50,000 fighters who battled Qaddafi loyalists. | AFP

A team from the International Criminal Court has arrived in Libya to probe sexual crimes committed by Qaddafi loyalists during the revolt against his rule. | News 24
 

NOVEMBER 30

The Libyan government is requesting the Algerian authorities to arrest and deport back to Libya Ayesha Qaddafi, the daughter of the former Libyan dictator, along with her brothers Mohammed and Hannibal to face criminal charges. | Tripoli Post

Libya’s National Transitional Council (NTC) named Ali Abdelaziz Saad Al-Essawi, a former NTC deputy prime minister as the chief suspect in the killing of General Abdel Fatah Younis, one of the rebel movement’s most senior military commanders five months into the conflict that ended with the ousting from power of former dictator Moammar Qaddafi. | Tripoli Post

Libya's new leaders said Tuesday that some prisoners held by revolutionary forces have been abused, but insisted the mistreatment was not systematic and pledged to tackle the problem. | USA Today

NOVEMBER 29

Libya is keen to involve Jordanian expertise in the reconstruction of Libya, the Kingdom of Jordan's Industry and Trade Minister Sami Gammoh told a news conference in the Jordanian capital, Amman recently. This interest is also shared by Jordanian officials, he added. | Tripoli Post

Libya’s interim Government faces a number of challenges as it seeks to move past the recent conflict and decades of dictatorship, the most immediate of which is consolidating security, the top United Nations envoy to the country, Ian Martin, said on Tuesday as he briefed the UN Security Council on the latest developments in the country. | Tripoli Post

Libya's National Transitional Council (NTC) said on Monday a former NTC deputy prime minister was suspected of involvement in the killing of one of the rebel movement's most senior military commanders. | Reuters

NOVEMBER 21

Sources close to the National Transitional Council (NTC) have told The Tripoli Post that Libya's interim Prime Minister Abdurrahim el-Keeb will have a clear idea of the members of the new interim cabinet to take Libya to the elections in June, by Tuesday, when he is expected to present a list of his choice the NTC. | Tripoli Post

Forces loyal to Libya's interim government captured on Sunday the country's former intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court on war crimes charges, said the ruling National Transitional Council. | Wall Street Journal

Militia fighters holding Seif al-Islam Qaddafi, the last fugitive son and onetime heir apparent of Col. Muammar Qaddafi, added conditions on Sunday to the handover of their prisoner to the fledgling government, a new challenge to the authority of Prime Minister Abdurrahim el-Keeb. | New York Times

NOVEMBER 18

A Washington terrorism expert, veteran C.I.A. officer, and Republican operative attempted to make Moammar Qaddafi’s downfall into a business opportunity by offering the Libyan leader a lobbying deal in the millions of dollars. | New York Times

A commander of Libyan former rebels has warned that his men could overthrow the incoming government if it fails to meet their demands for representation. | Reuters

The Muslim Brotherhood held its first public conference on Libyan soil on Thursday after being banned for decades, and used the platform to set a moderate tone, calling for a broad national reconstruction effort. | Reuters

NOVEMBER 17

Some of the fighters who ousted Qaddafi are not prepared to wait for their interim government to form a cabinet and begin the long task of rebuilding a functioning state. They are doing it for themselves. Armed militias are acting as a pseudo-police force: setting up road checkpoints, directing traffic, and arresting those they regard as criminals. | Reuters

British foreign secretary William Hague revealed that British intelligence agencies thwarted an assassination attempt on members of Libya's National Transitional Council by former Libyan leader Moammar Qaddafi. | Tripoli Post

Libyan gunmen broke into the Saif al-Nasr mosque in Tripoli on November 8, smashed open a wooden sarcophagus and removed the remains of Saif al-Nasr, a scholar who died 155 years ago; and a former imam, Hammad Zwai. | Tripoli Post

NOVEMBER 16

Oil production is quickly being restored in Zawiyah and around the country, in large part because both the Qaddafi regime and the former rebels, now the interim leaders of Libya, took pains to avoid permanently crippling the country’s most important industry during their six-month civil war. | New York Times

Niger said Tuesday that Muammar Qaddafi’s son Saadi would remain in the West African nation until a United Nations travel ban on him was lifted, despite Tripoli's request for his return. | Reuters

Last month, Heritage Oil announced the $20 million deal to take over Sahara Oil, a Libyan oil services company based in Benghazi. Now British foreign secretary William Hague is facing questions over his role in the deal in Libya. | Tripoli Post

NOVEMBER 15

Members of what is being described as a new Libyan army have managed to settle a four-day feud between gunmen from the city of Zawiyah and the nearby tribal area of Warshefana, said Abdel Hafiz Ghoga, a senior official in Libya's National Transitional Council. Four days of fighting between militias from Libya's coastal city of Zawiyah and members of the Wershifanna tribe have ended after a truce was agreed, according to fighters on both sides. | Tripoli Post; Reuters

Libya’s new government has discovered an arsenal of chemical weapons whose existence Moammar Qaddafi had not declared to the outside world, British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Monday. | Financial Times

Most of Libya's missing stocks of shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles are still in the country but they need to be secured before they are smuggled to militants outside Libya, a U.S. official said on Monday. | Reuters

NOVEMBER 14

Reaffirming his stance on the former Libyan leader's son Saadi Qaddafi, Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufouis told reporters he is standing by his country's decision to offer him amnesty, saying he is entitled to stay in his nation like other "Libyan refugees." | Tripoli Post

The country’s interim leaders have called for parliamentary elections to be held by late June. Ahmed Jibril, the prime minister when that timetable was set, has more recently said the process should be sped up to avoid a power vacuum. But others fear that even eight months is not long enough to prepare for an election in a place that has not seen one in more than four decades. | Washington Post

Two rival militias fought a sporadic but deadly gun battle just west of Tripoli over the weekend, blocking traffic on the vital coastal road between the Libyan capital and the Tunisian border. The outburst of violence was among the worst to come to light since the killing of Col. Moammar Qaddafi last month. | New York Times

NOVEMBER 10

Saif al-Islam Qaddafi appears to have disappeared in the Sahara Desert’s ocean of dunes and could remain hidden for months in an area more than twice the size of Texas. | AP

Al-Qaeda's North Africa franchise acknowledged it had acquired part of slain Libyan dictator Moammar Qaddafi's arsenal, in comments by one of its leaders quoted Nov. 9. | AFP

Libya's incoming Prime Minister Abdurrahim El-Keib was forced on Wednesday to pacify an angry crowd of armed fighters demanding jobs and back-pay, and urged his Western allies to unblock frozen funds so his government can pay its way. | Reuters

NOVEMBER 9

A Tunisian appeals court on Tuesday approved the extradition of Libya’s former prime minister, making him the first escaped member of Moammar Qaddafi's felled government to be ordered returned home into Libyan custody since the revolution that officially ended last month. | New York Times

Tensions between Libya's new revolutionary forces and Moammar Qaddafi's old guard spilled over at a formerly secret detention center where the country's new rulers have locked up alleged security officials from the old regime. | Wall Street Journal

The International Criminal Court prosecutor said Wednesday he was considering more charges against Moammar Qaddafi’s spy chief, Abdullah al-Senussi, and others suspected of involvement in hundreds of rapes in Libya during this year's conflict. | Reuters

NOVEMBER 8

Fighters who toppled dictator Muammar Qaddafi in Libya's uprising will keep their weapons for now to aid in security, an Islamist commander said.| Reuters

Accelerating the elections timetable in Libya depends on its interim leaders who are bound to make important political decisions, the United Nations Envoy to Libya has said. Speaking to the Associated Press, Ian Martin said the upcoming elections timetable "is going to be quite difficult, but depends first and foremost on the speed with which they (interim leaders) can reach the political decisions.” | Tripoli Post

A Russian arms dealer named Viktor Bout, who British officials had warned the Libyan government about in 2003, has been convicted by a U.S. federal jury in New York on conspiracy charges to kill Americans and U.S. officials, and for delivering anti-aircraft missiles and aid to a terrorist organization. | Tripoli Post

NOVEMBER 4

Already, the provisional leaders of Libya are pondering options for exposing the long catalog of killings and torture, looking to models from South Africa, Europe and Latin America. | New York Times

Libya's new interim Prime Minister Abdurrahim el-Keeb said that the new government he has been elected to lead will do its "best" to stop human rights abuses and investigate those that have already taken place, and that worries over the introduction of Sharia law in Libya are unfounded. | Tripoli Post

More than two months after the fall of Tripoli, Libya’s new leaders are still struggling to secure massive weapons depots, stop the smuggling of munitions out of the country and disarm thousands of fighters who brought down Moammar Qaddafi’s regime. | Associated Press

NOVEMBER 3

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged Libya’s Transitional National Council on Wednesday to secure the stockpiles of chemical and conventional weapons and nuclear material left by Moammar Gadhafi’s government. | Washington Post

Last month, as Tunisia became the first Arab country to elect an assembly to rewrite the rules of its political system, and the death of Moammar Qaddafi’s consolidated regime change in Libya, Tunisian businesspeople were positioning themselves for a new era of economic relations between the two countries. | New York Times

The International Criminal Court is still receiving information that Moammar Qaddafi’s son Saif al-Islam may try to flee Libya with the help of mercenaries, the court's chief prosecutor said on Wednesday. | Reuters

NOVEMBER 1

The new interim prime minister of Libya, Abdurrahim El Keeb, who was voted for the post by members of the National Transitional Council on Monday, is a Tripoli-born, U.S.-educated electrical engineer and businessman. He has been tasked to head the interim governing authority and help shepherd the country's transition to its first elections. | Tripoli Post

Libya’s outgoing prime minister called Sunday for speeding up the timetable for holding elections, warning that a political vacuum could develop in a country emerging from an eight-month civil war. | Washington Post

The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court at The Hague said Friday that he had been in indirect contact with Saif al-Islam Qaddafi, the fugitive son of Moammar Qaddafi and his onetime heir apparent, about turning himself in to face trial before the court. | New York Times

OCTOBER 31

Libya's interim prime minister Mahmoud Jibri has confirmed the presence of chemical weapons in Libya and said foreign inspectors would arrive later this week to deal with the issue as Libya has no interest in keeping such weapons. | Tripoli Post

NATO is set to end its mission in Libya at midnight, Monday Libyan time, after its air campaign to protect civilians under a U.N. Security Council resolution. | Voice of America

Saif al-Islam Qaddafi will not escape justice and should be tried in Libya for murder, corruption and "many things" before an international court questions him, the country's interim justice minister said on Monday. | Reuters

OCTOBER 28

Libya has been asking about striking a new deal with NATO or with other allies such as Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to help them build a new army and police force | Al-Jazeera

The United Nations Security Council voted unanimously on Thursday to end its authorization on Monday of the foreign military intervention in Libya, the legal basis for the NATO attacks on Col. Moammar Qaddafi’s forces during the eight-month civil war that toppled him from power. | New York Times

Saif al-Islam Qaddafi, fearing for his life if captured in Libya, has tried to arrange for an aircraft to fly him out of his desert refuge and into the custody of The Hague war crimes court, a senior Libyan official said. | Reuters

OCTOBER 27

Libya's new rulers said on Thursday they would prosecute the killers of ousted dictator Moammar Qaddafi following the international outcry over the circumstances of his death. | Now Lebanon

The U.N. Security Council on Thursday canceled its authorization for a seven-month-old NATO military operation in Libya that led to the ouster and death of Libyan leader Moammar Qaddafi. | Reuters

Qatar's top general said on Wednesday that Western countries had proposed setting up a new alliance headed by Qatar to support Libya after NATO ends its mission in the North African country. | Reuters

OCTOBER 26

Muammar Qaddafi's fugitive son Saif al-Islam and former intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi are proposing to hand themselves into the International Criminal Court in The Hague, a senior Libyan military official with the National Transitional Council said on Wednesday. | Reuters

NATO postponed a definite decision to end its bombing campaign in Libya as consultations continued Wednesday with the U.N. and the country's interim government over how and when to wind down the operation. | Huffington Post

Officials with Libya's interim government are reassuring the West that their religious views are moderate, after the country's interim leader called for the country's new laws to be based on Sharia, or Islamic law. | CNN

OCTOBER 25

Fresh evidence has emerged that fighters battling for control of Moammar Qaddafi's hometown of Sirte were responsible for numerous extrajudicial killings and other possible atrocities, raising new questions about the final moments in Libya's revolution and adding to the challenges of national reconciliation. | Wall Street Journal

The Obama administration on Monday treaded carefully around the announcement that Sharia law will be enforced in post-Moammar Qaddafi Libya, refraining from expressing disapproval of Islamic law as the foundation of the country’s new legal system. | Politico

Libyans hoping for an inspirational talk on the country’s future as it emerged from decades of tyranny and isolation after a violent revolutionary war were stunned by the interim leader’s affirmation of Islamic rules on marriage and banking. | Financial Times

OCTOBER 21

The leader of Libya’s transitional government declared to thousands of revelers in a crowded square here on Sunday that Libya’s revolution had ended, setting the country on the path to elections, and he vowed that the new government would be based on Islamic tenets. | New York Times

European Union leaders urged Libya's interim rulers Sunday to start preparing for free and fair elections that would lead to the creation of a broad-based government, and offered help in rebuilding the country after civil war. | Tripoli Post

Declaring mission accomplished, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Friday that the alliance would begin winding down its aerial campaign over Libya with the aim of ending the operation completely by the end of the month. | Los Angeles Times

OCTOBER 21

Euphoria in Libya over the death of Moammar Qaddafi gave way on Friday to frictions and confusion over where and when to bury the former strongman, as well as a formal request by the United Nations for an inquiry into the final moments before his violent demise while in the custody of the fighters who captured him. | New York Times

Deposed Libyan leader Moammar Qaddafi was shot and killed as Libyan forces overtook the city of his birth and last remaining stronghold, setting the stage for the nation to reinvent itself after a 42-year dictatorship. | Wall Street Journal

Libya's National Transitional Council (NTC) will begin its handover of power and set up elections following the death of Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan ambassador to Washington said. | The Cable

OCTOBER 20

Moammar Qaddafi, who ruled Libya with a dictatorial grip for 42 years, was killed Thursday when revolutionary forces overwhelmed his hometown, Sirte, the last major bastion of resistance two months after his regime fell. | AP

Libyan fighters drove the last holdouts of Moammar Qaddafi out of his hometown of Sirte in a few hours of fierce gun battles Thursday, then declared victory over the last major resistance two months after the fall of Tripoli. | AP

Libya's Transitional National Council, NTC, officially recognized the Syrian opposition council on Wednesday as the legitimate authority in Syria. | Tripoli Post

OCTOBER 19

In a historic visit punctuated by celebratory gunfire and cries of “God is great,” Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton toured the Libyan capital Tuesday to pledge continued U.S. support for a transitional government still struggling to consolidate control over the war-ravaged country. | Washington Post

The battle for Surt was supposed to be a postscript to the Libyan conflict, a moment before revolutionaries unified the country and started the process of electing a government. Instead, it has stretched into one of the war’s most bitter periods, threatening the prospects for reconciliation as new tales of violence and revenge have drifted through the country. | New York Times

NATO is not ready to call an end to its mission over Libya even though new regime forces have made big strides in the last two towns held by Moammar Qaddafi loyalists. | AFP

OCTOBER 18

In a brief stopover in Malta before flying to Libya Monday morning, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton thanked the Maltese for “the extraordinary response” to the events in Libya this year and reaffirmed the strong partnership and friendship between the United States and Malta. | Tripoli Post

Libyan forces fighting the vestiges of Col. Muammar Qaddafi’s toppled government said Monday that anti-Qaddafi fighters were in complete control of Bani Walid, a loyalist desert enclave south of Tripoli, the capital, but had yet to proclaim total victory in his Mediterranean hometown of Surt. | New York Times

Top Pentagon officials considered using their secretive arsenal of cyber weapons to disrupt Libya’s air defenses before deciding that bombs would be the better option for preparing the way for U.S.-led coalition airstrikes. | Washington Post

OCTOBER 17

Reports from within the National Transitional Council indicate NTC fighters have now taken control of the Bani Walid hospital and are close to gaining full control. | Tripoli Post

Qatar provided anti-Qaddafi rebels with what Libyan officials now estimate are tens of millions of dollars in aid, military training, and more than 20,000 tons of weapons. Qatar's involvement in the battle to oust Col. Qaddafi was supported by U.S. and Western allies, as well as many Libyans themselves. But now, as this North African nation attempts to build a new government from scratch, some worry that Qatar's new influence is putting stability in peril. | Wall Street Journal

Hundreds of anti-Qaddafi militiamen converged on several neighborhoods of Tripoli on Friday, firing heavy weapons on residential streets in a rare outburst of violence that may have started with demonstrations in support of the deposed leader, Moammar Gadhafi. | New York Times

OCTOBER 13

Anti-Qaddafi fighters said they had edged closer to capturing the coastal city of Surt on Wednesday, and commanders and journalists inside the city said the fighting appeared to be confined to just two areas of Moammar Qaddafi’s hometown. | New York Times

Libyan government fighters have captured Moammar Qaddafi son Mo'tassim as he tried to escape the battle-torn city of Sirte, National Transitional Council (NTC) officials told Reuters. | Reuters

Al Qaeda’s new leader called on Libyan fighters who overthrew Moammar Qaddafi to set up an Islamic state and urged Algerians to revolt against their longtime president in a new Internet video posted on Wednesday. | AP

OCTOBER 12

With continuous advances inside the former Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi stronghold and hometown of Sirte, National Transitional Council fighters are now occupying all the major strategic positions in the coastal city and attacking from the south, east, and west. | Tripoli Post

NTC fighters swept into Tripoli two months ago and were able to take control of the capital in a few days because they had help from within. But in Sirte, the bastion of Gaddafi's own tribe, it is not that easy. | Reuters

Libya's de facto leader said Wednesday he is optimistic the ex-rebels will declare total victory over forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi in less than a week, opening the way for a new transitional government to be formed within a month. | Reuters

OCTOBER 11

A prominent and influential Libyan Islamist cleric, Ali Sallabi, returning to his native land after the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi, has demanded a role for "moderate" Islam in politics. | Reuters

Libya's former oil head, Shokri Ghanem, said purges of managers and staff unrest over the threat of further dismissals could hinder the country's oil recovery. | Wall Street Journal

Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, head of the National Transitional Council, said that NTC fighters have reached the center of Qaddafi's hometown of Sirte and, with fierce fighting still ongoing, the hope is that by the end of this week the city will be captured. | Tripoli Post

OCTOBER 7

Col. Moammar Qaddafi, the deposed Libyan leader now in hiding, broke more than a week of public silence on Thursday with a recorded message beseeching his followers to flood the streets of their country and “raise our green flags to the skies.” | New York Times

The current differences among the Libyans would not stand in the way of forming the forthcoming government after fully liberating the country, Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, the head of the National Transitional Council, told Al Arabiya. He also noted a “balanced” Islamic law would be the source of legislation imposed on a new Libya. | Tripoli Post

NATO leaders said Thursday that they would continue carrying out airstrikes in Libya and patrolling its coastline because of ongoing resistance from forces loyal to deposed leader Moammar Qaddafi. | Washington Post

OCTOBER 6

Libya's new government is setting up a security agency whose main task would be to root out those who remain loyal to deposed leader Moammar Qaddafi in towns and cities it now controls. | Reuters

There is no clear set of conditions in Libya that will trigger an end to the combat mission, but the operation will not be over if serious fighting and threats to the population continue, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Thursday. | AP

Libya's eastern city of Benghazi would risk fading back into obscurity after a six-month interlude as the seat of the rebel government were it not for one powerful asset: oil. | Reuters

OCTOBER 5

There is growing concern among Libyans in the National Transitional Council (NTC) and western officials that Qatar, which supplied arms to Libyan revolutionaries, is pursuing its own postwar agenda at the cost of wider efforts to bring political stability to the country. | Guardian

Libya's new rulers Tuesday unveiled a group of fighters trained to serve in a national army, in a step toward bringing armed groups under central authority in a capital bristling with revolutionary volunteers who ousted Moammar Qaddafi. | Reuters

Many residents of Sirte, Moammar Qaddafi's birthplace, blame Libya's new rulers and their Western allies for the death and destruction unleashed on their city by weeks of fighting. | Reuters

OCTOBER 4

The Libyan interim government said it would resign once Qaddafi forces were defeated in Sirte. The transition has taken a rocky path as dozens of armed militias roam the streets of Tripoli including that of former Libyan Islamic Fighting Group leader Abdel Hakim Belhadj who controls the Tripoli military council. | New York Times

NATO said Monday it is concerned about the possibility that large numbers of portable surface-to-air missiles, previously in the armament of Moammar Qaddafi's army, are missing in Libya. | News24

Thousands of residents in Sirte took the opportunity presented them by the National Transitional Council of a 48-hour cease-fire in order for residents wanting to leave Sirte to take up their families, load some of their personal belongings on their vehicles and leave the former Libyan leader Moammar Qaddafi's besieged town. | Tripoli Post

OCTOBER 3

On his return to the United States from a short visit to Libya where he led a four-man delegation of Republican senators, John McCain has called for urgent US medical aid to help thousands wounded in Libya. | Tripoli Post

As fighters loyal to Libya's revolutionary government gain on the holdout city of Surt, residents are making it clear that the battle for hearts and minds is far from won. | Los Angeles Times

The NTC estimates that almost 5,000 SAM-7s from Qaddafi's stockpiles are still unaccounted for, raising concerns that the missiles could fall into the wrong hands and be used against civilian aircraft. | AFP

SEPTEMBER 30

Qatar’s support for a former jihadist leader Abdel Hakim Belhadj who is now the top rebel commander in Tripoli, Libya, is causing unease among Libyan rebelswho worry that the revolution that ended Col. Moammar Qaddafi’s four-decade rule is being hijacked by Islamists. | Washington Times

As the dust settles after six months of fighting in Libya, U.S. officials are stepping up efforts to identify Islamic militants who might pose a threat in a post-Gaddafi power vacuum. | Reuters

Libya's interim Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril, currently chairing the executive committee of the National Transitional Council said Thursday that he will not be a part of the new government of Libya, the formation of which has been postponed until the end of the country's conflict. | Tripoli Post

SEPTEMBER 29

The world’s police body Interpol has issued an arrest warrant for former Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi’s third son, Saadi, for alleged crimes during his time at the head of Libya’s football federation, Al-Baghdadi Ali al-Mahmoudi, has started a hunger strike in a prison in Tunisia. | Tripoli Post

The National Transitional Council’s forces say they captured the airport in Qaddafi’s home town of Sirte. But there are also reports indicating that they are being forced to fight fierce battles against the former leader’s loyalists in Sirte and the other remaining bastion loyal to him at Bani Walid. | Tripoli Post

Arizona Senator John McCain said Thursday during a trip to Libya to meet with the nation’s new rulers that the Libyan people “have inspired the world.” | Fox News

SEPTEMBER 28

Five-and-a-half weeks after anti-Gadhafi forces took control of Tripoli, Libyans are increasingly worried that their governing council’s delay in delivering a new cabinet could undermine the revolution they worked so hard for. | Washington Post; Tripoli Post

The United States plans to spend an additional $10 million on its efforts to help Libya’s interim government destroy the shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles looted from Muammar Qaddafi’s weapons stockpiles and secure his remaining weapons depots, Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Andrew Shapiro said on Tuesday. | National Journal

Qaddafi is believed to be hiding near the western town of Ghadamis near the Algerian border under the protection of Touareg tribesmen, a senior Libyan military official said. | Reuters

SEPTEMBER 27

Fighters battling Muammar Gadhafi loyalists on Monday entered the coastal city of Surt from the east as residents fleeing the besieged city, one of the loyalists’ few remaining strongholds, warned of an escalating toll from the fighting. | New York Times

The story of Misurata and Tawargha is one of betrayal and revenge. It offers a glimpse of how hard it will be for Libyans to bury the past after a rebel uprising that succeeded in ousting Gadhafi but has yet to unify the nation. | Washington Post

Mohammed al-Alagi, currently acting as interim justice minister in Libya’s National Transitional Council, has approved a measure to abolish the country’s state security prosecution and courts, which sentenced opponents of the old regime to prison. | Tripoli Post

SEPTEMBER 26

As the former rebels in Libya try to assemble a government to replace Muammar Qaddafi’s toppled government, the quiet hoarding of weapons and detainees illustrates the fissures of regional rivalry and mutual distrust that continue to impede progress. | New York Times

Libya’s new rulers have control over internationally “banned weapons” from Gadhafi’s regime, the head of the National Transitional Council (NTC) said. | AFP

NTC officials said on Sunday that fighters still loyal to Qaddafi had launched an attack on the desert oasis and UNESCO world heritage site of Ghadames, a town, about 600 kilometers southwest of Tripoli, which is near a border crossing that pro-Gadhafi Libyans have used to flee to Algeria. | Tripoli Post

SEPTEMBER 23

TheLibya’s new government said it had tightened its grip on oasis towns that sided with Moammar Qaddafi, but faced a tough fight to take two remaining strongholds loyal to the ousted leader and bolster its credibility. | Reuters

The Tunisian government has confirmed the arrest of Al-Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi, the last prime minister to serve in Qaddafi’s regime. | Tripoli Post

The United States formally reopened its embassy in Libya on Thursday as the returning ambassador said that his government was cautiously optimistic about the country’s future and already trying to help American companies exploit business opportunities here. | New York Times

SEPTEMBER 22

The EU will impose new sanctions beginning Saturday, including a ban on investments in the oil sector and on delivering bank notes and coins made in Europe. The member states will also target six firms and two individuals directly linked to the regime. | Al Arabiya

Libya’s interim rulers said they had captured one of Qaddafi’s last strongholds deep in the Sahara desert, finding chemical weapons, and have largely taken control of another. | Reuters

Despite capturing one of Qaddafi’s remaining bastions, Sabha, and the key oasis of Al-Jufra-Hun, Waddan, and Sokna, the continuous pounding by NATO warplanes of the former dictator's strongholds by the interim government’s forces appeared to be holding back from advancing on Bani Walid and Sirte. | Tripoli Post

SEPTEMBER 21

The new Libya will join the international community as a nation committed to peace, security, and democracy, the head of the Libya’s interim government, Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, said as he took the floor for the first time at the United Nations Tuesday. | Tripoli Post

Libya’s National Transitional Council said in New York that it will be naming the first formal government since the overthrow of former dictator Moammar Qaddafi within ten days. | Tripoli Post

SEPTEMBER 20

Less than a month after rebels captured Tripoli, the Libyan rebels are sweeping up any weapons they can find, often from huge unguarded weapons dumps left behind by Moammar Qaddafi’s forces. | Washington Post

Libya’s National Transitional Council (NTC) pledged on Monday to treat foreigners accused of fighting for Qaddafi well, and denied that anti-Gaddafi fighters had committed systematic abuse of Africans. | Reuters

Tripoli’s military commander, an Islamist whose rise to prominence is being watched closely by the West, said on Sunday he wanted to build a democratic “civil state” in Libya in remarks that laid out an inclusive political vision after forty-two years of despotism under Qaddafi. | Tripoli Post;Reuters

SEPTEMBER 19

Libya’s provisional rulers on Sunday put off “indefinitely” their much-anticipated naming of a new government tasked with guiding the nation. | Los Angeles Times

The United Nations moved on two fronts Friday to bolster the nascent Libyan government, with the Security Council lifting some economic sanctions and the General Assembly accepting the credentials of the transitional government to represent Libya in the world body. | New York Times

The Libyan interim government forces were trying to find out Sunday morning how they could regain the upper hand in their quest to take full control of two of the last bastions of the deposed leader Muammar Gadhafi—Bani Walid and his hometown of Sirte—after their setbacks on Friday. | Tripoli Post

SEPTEMBER 16

Troops loyal to Libya’s transitional leaders conducted tense sweeps this week in Al-Gaddahiya, a onetime bastion of support for Muammar Gadhafi, amid mounting evidence that Libya’s fugitive former strongman is preparing for a protracted insurgency campaign. | Wall Street Journal

Islamists are clashing with secularists within the rebels’ Transitional National Council, prompting worries among some liberals that the Islamists—who still command the bulk of fighters and weapons—could use their strength to assert an even more dominant role. | Washington Post

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told Libya that Turkey stands hand in hand and shoulder to shoulder with it. He also hailed the sacrifice of the Libyan people in order to obtain their freedom. | Tripoli Post

SEPTEMBER 15

During a historic visit to Libya Thursday, British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy promised Libya’s new leaders strong support and vowed to release additional billions of dollars in frozen assets to help rebuild the country and push ahead with NATO strikes against fugitive leader Muammar Qaddafi’s last remaining strongholds.
| Tripoli Post

America’s top diplomat for the Middle East said on Wednesday that he was monitoring the growing influence of Islamists on the interim government that has replaced Qaddafi in Libya, but does not consider that influence a significant threat. | New York Times

The United States is in discussions with the National Transitional Council (NTC) about a possible role for international forces in military training and counterterrorism in the new Libya, according to Assistant Secretary of State Jeff Feltman. | The Cable

SEPTEMBER 14

Libya’s Islamists are slowly rising since the rebels took Tripoli with two major factions—the Libyan Muslim Brotherhood, which has doubled in size, and the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, which has changed its name to the Peaceful Change Movement. Both groups claim they are moderate and want a democracy firmly rooted in sharia, while Salafi preachers in Libya have so far not been involved in politics. | Al-Masry al-Youm

A struggle between secular politicians and Islamists seeking to define the character of the new Libya burst into the open Tuesday, highlighting the challenge authorities face with reconciling demands repressed for decades by Muammar Qaddafi that are now suddenly coming to the surface. | Los Angeles Times

Libya’s new interim leader met the most senior U.S. official to visit Tripoli since Qaddafi’s fall, though details of Wednesday’s talks were not immediately available. | Reuters

SEPTEMBER 13

Rebels fighting to topple Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi committed unlawful killings and torture, Amnesty International said in a report released on Tuesday. | CBS News

The leader of Libya’s transitional government, Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, received a hero’s welcome in Tripoli. He stated that Libya would be a democratic state under Islamic law but that Libyans were moderate Muslims. He is trying to bridge the gap between seculars and Islamists, which have broken out in the Transitional National Council (TNC). | Tripoli Post

Those close to the Tripoli Islamist military commander Abdelhakim Belhadj are rejecting the bid by the U.S.-educated interim premier, Mahmoud Jibril, to put all anti-Qaddafi forces under the control of the TNC.| Christian Science Monitor

SEPTEMBER 8

The Libyan central bank governor, Qassem Azzoz, said on Thursday said that former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi had sold more than 20 percent of Libya’s gold reserves, worth more than $1 billion, in the final days of his regime. | Tripoli Post

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has advised Gaddafi and his loyalists to stop trying to cling to power by force and to stop the fighting. | Tripoli Post

Rebel negotiators pressed fighters loyal to Gaddafi in the town of Bani Walid to surrender on Tuesday amid reports of loyalists fleeing the country and confusion over the whereabouts of the former Libyan leader. | New York Times

SEPTEMBER 7

The Obama administration on Tuesday urged Libya’s neighbors to arrest fleeing members of Muammar Qadhafi ousted government, as at least a dozen senior Libyan military officials arrived in Niger after escaping across the southern desert. | Washington Post

Rebel negotiators pressed fighters loyal to Qadhafi in the town of Bani Walid to surrender on Tuesday amid reports of loyalists fleeing the country and confusion over the whereabouts of the former Libyan leader. | New York Times

Amid news reports about the success or failure of talks between the National Transitional Council (NTC) and the Qadhafi loyalists to reach a peaceful solution over the desert town of Bani Walid, the French news agency AFP is saying that despite pockets of resistance, the town is ready to come under the NTC’s authority. | Tripoli Post

SEPTEMBER 6

A human rights groups has called on the Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC) to stop what it says are “the arbitrary arrests and abuse” of African migrant workers and black Libyans assumed to be mercenaries. | Voice of America

A chaotic and apparently ill-coordinated effort by rebels to track down Muammar Qaddafi is being led by competing factions of military commanders and bounty hunters, as well as Libyan commandos commissioned by civilian leaders. | Washington Post

As rebel negotiators press loyalists in the desert town of Bani Walid to surrender peacefully before a September 10 deadline, a long convoy of Libyan Army vehicles was reported on Tuesday to have crossed the country’s southern border into Niger in what could represent a shift in the balance of power after six months of conflict. | New York Times

AUGUST 31

Gene Cretz, the U.S. ambassador to Libya, said Tuesday that the United States is hoping to “put some flesh” on the bones of American efforts to deepen ties between these two former foes. He outlined a number of steps the two countries might take in the coming year, including closer military-to-military relations, U.S. training of Libyan forces, a new trade agreement, and a human rights dialogue. | Foreign Policy

A new transitional government in Libya will take the lead in establishing security; therefore the National Transitional Council (NTC) has ruled out any major role for foreign peacekeepers in the country after the fall of the dictator Muammar Qaddafi, according to top UN officials.| Tripoli Post

Libyan rebels say they’re closing in on Qaddafi and have issued an ultimatum to regime loyalists in the fugitive dictator’s hometown of Sirte, his main remaining bastion: surrender this weekend or face an attack.| CBS

AUGUST 30

The first cracks in Libya’s rebel coalition have opened, with protests erupting in Misrata against the reported decision of the National Transitional Council (NTC) to appoint a former Gaddafi henchman as security boss of Tripoli. | Guardian

A leaked document apparently detailing United Nations preparations for its role in post-Gaddafi Libya reveals plans for the world body to deploy military observers and police officers to the North African country. The 10-page document, apparently written by a special UN team led by Ian Martin, the former British head of Amnesty International, was obtained and published by Inner City Press, the UN watchdog website. | Al-Jazeera

Following confirmation by the Algerian authorities that Gadhafi’s second wife Safiya, his daughter Ayesha, and his sons Mohammed and Hannibal, were in Algeria, the NTC called on the Algerian government to cooperate with it and hand over any of Gadhafi’s sons who appear on its wanted list. | Tripoli Post

AUGUST 29

Libyan rebels prepared Monday to launch an assault to capture the dictator Muammar Qaddafi at his hometown of Sirte. Mustafa Abdul Jalil, the chairman of the National Transitional Council (NTC) said that the fugitive leader, who has not been seen since June, is still a threat to the country and the world. | Tripoli Post

As Libya leans towards a democratic leadership after more than six months of battle to oust Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi from power after a 42-year rule, atrocities committed by the fugitive leader keep on surfacing. | Tripoli Post

The rebels' National Transitional Council announced on Sunday that it will not extradite the dying Abdel Basset al-Megrahi, the man convicted of the 1988 Lockerbie airline bombing. | Tripoli Post

AUGUST 26

As Libyan rebels said they had begun to transfer their administration from Benghazi to the capital, Tripoli, a senior official of the movement on Friday renewed an appeal for the release of frozen Libyan assets, saying the insurgents had “dire needs” as they seek to supplant the administration of Colonel Muammar Qaddafi. | New York Times

Muammar Qaddafi taunted his Libyan enemies and their Western backers as rebel forces battled pockets of loyalists across Tripoli in an ever more urgent quest to find and silence the fugitive strongman. | Reuters

The State Department expressed confidence Thursday that Libya’s raw nuclear material and deadly chemicals are secure, trying to dispel fears that the near collapse of Muammar Qaddafi’s regime means terrorists could get their hands on weapons of mass destruction. | Associated Press

AUGUST 24

Libyan rebels on Tuesday launched a massive offensive on leader Moammar Qaddafi sprawling Bab Al-Azizya compound in Tripoli, as the strongman's son refuted reports of his own arrest. | Daily News Egypt

The journalists' ordeal at the Rixos Hotel in Tripoli is over. After being trapped in the hotel for five days, they have now walked free ending what some were beginning to fear was a hostage situation. | Tripoli Post

Libyan Foreign Minister Abdul Ati al-Obeidi said, "It's over for Gadhafi," and that he has run out of options. | USA Today

AUGUST 23

The Libyan charge d’affaires in London, Mahmoud Nacua, said that a decision has been made to move the TNC from its current base in Benghazi to Tripoli and a new Transitional government will be formed to represent the country. This will be the first major step taken to determine the political roadmap of the country and to work towards building the post-Gaddafi nation. | al-Ahram

Rebel soldiers have entered the capital city compound of Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi after reportedly pushing back his forces in Tripoli. Hundreds of Libyan rebels have stormed Qaddafi's Bab al-Aziziya main compound and military barracks after a resistance of troops loyal to him backed down. | CBS News

The rebels' jubilation after their entry into Moammar Gadhafi territory and the capture of around 80 percent of the Libyan capital, Tripoli gave way to disappointment late Monday early Tuesday morning when the Libyan leader's second son, Saif al-Islam, who the NTC had announced, and the International Criminal Court confirmed as having been arrested, turned up at the Rixos hotel in front of foreign journalists. | Tripoli Post

AUGUST 22

U.S. officials were in frequent contact Monday with Libyan rebels as they claimed control of most of the capital city of Tripoli. A top American diplomat said the whereabouts of longtime Libyan leader Moammar Qaddafi's were still unknown, but the Pentagon said officials believe he's still in the country. | Associated Press

Fresh fighting erupted in the Libyan capital on Monday, as members of a rebel brigade trying to establish a security base near the waterfront came under fire from loyalists to Colonel Moammar Qaddafi. | New York Times

The French government Monday called for an extraordinary meeting of the contact group on Libya to set up aid and support for the authorities that appear likely to take over from Colonel Moammar Qaddafi's government. | Wall Street Journal

AUGUST 19

Rebel soldiers fought running street battles on Friday with troops loyal to Moammar Gadhafi in the heart of the strategically important city of Zitan, just a half-hour’s drive from the Libyan capital of Tripoli. | New York Times

A NATO airstrike in Libya has destroyed the home of Abdullah al-Sanussi, the head of Libya's intelligence service and a brother-in-law of embattled Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi | CNN

Oil markets are weighing reports that the Gadhafi family may be leaving Libya, where 1.7 million barrels per day of oil production has been offline since fighting began earlier this year. | Wall Street Journal

AUGUST 18

The Libyan Transitional National Council (TNC) has released its Draft Constitutional Charter for the Transitional Phase. It says that after Tripoli’s liberation, the TNC will move to Tripoli and shall form an interim national government in the first meeting, thereafter electing a constitutional assembly. | POMED

Libyan rebels fought on Thursday to close in on Tripoli and claimed to have seized a key refinery, as their chief said he feared a bloodbath in a battle for the capital. | AFP

Former French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin has met Libyan rebels and envoys loyal to Muammar Gaddafi in Tunisia for talks aimed at ending the conflict, a French newspaper reported on Thursday. | Reuters

AUGUST 17

Libya's rebel leaders have set out a fresh plan to transform the country from autocracy to a fully blown democracy, in a roadmap that could help define the country for decades to come. The draft 14-page "constitutional declaration,” plots a path -- via the first elections seen in Libya since 1964 -- to a new constitution and a multiparty democracy inspired by Islamic law. | al-Ahram

Heavy clashes broke out Wednesday between rebels and Muammar Gadhafi loyalists fighting for control of Libya's only functioning oil refinery in the western city of Zawiya, as the opposition tried to cut off fuel supplies to the regime's stronghold of Tripoli. | Associated Press

Officials from the regime of Muammar Gaddafi have been negotiating with a special United Nations envoy as rebels claim that they will take Tripoli by the end of the month and the United States says the dictator's ''days are numbered''. | Sydney Morning Herald

AUGUST 16

NATO is condemning Libya's use of a scud missile in its battle against rebels who are advancing toward Tripoli to oust Libyan leader Moammar Qaddafi. | Voice of America

The United Nations' special envoy for Libya said Tuesday that he was meeting with representatives of both sides of the conflict, days after rebels made a significant advance that brought them within 30 miles of Moammar Qaddafi’s stronghold in the capital Tripoli. | Fox News

Libya's rebel National Transitional Council (NTC) is not holding any talks with Moammar Qaddafi’s government or with the United Nations special envoy for Libya to resolve the civil war, the council's head said on Tuesday. | MSNBC

AUGUST 15

Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi’s forces pushed rebels back from the center of the strategic city of Zawiya on Monday in fierce fighting to try to prevent the opposition from consolidating a major advance to within 30 miles of the capital Tripoli. | Fox News

As rebels close in on Tripoli, Libya's Interior minister has surfaced in Cairo with nine members of his family in a new blow to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. | USA Today; New York Times

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon's envoy on Libya flew into Tunis Monday, saying he would be joining talks between rebels and the government of embattled leader Moammar Gadhafi. | AFP

AUGUST 11

Mustafa Abdel Jalil, chairman of the National Transitional Council (NTC), sacked the fourteen member-strong executive committee late on Monday over the assassination last month of army commander General Abdel-Fatah Younes. | Guardian

Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi faces a fourth month without receiving gasoline cargoes by sea as motorists wait in line at filling stations in the capital. | Bloomberg

Libyan rebels fighting to oust Qaddafi plan in just “a few days” to retake the strategic oil hub of Brega, nestled on the Gulf of Syrte.| AFP

AUGUST 10

NATO officials denied Libyan government claims that 85 civilians died in a NATO airstrike near the city of Zlitan, saying the target was a military facility. | UPI

The European Union is adding two more Libyan businesses to its list of companies and individuals targeted by sanctions. | MSNBC

The Libyan oil tanker fleet could soon be sold to Russian investors, as speculation swirled Tuesday about a reported $300 million deal with the Qadaffi regime, which is under economic sanctions imposed by the United Nations, the United States, and the European Union. | Moscow Times

AUGUST 9

Western governments have helped prepare a blueprint for a post-Gaddafi Libya that would retain much of the regime’s security infrastructure to avoid an Iraq-style collapse into anarchy. | Australian

Muammar Gadhafi will not be allowed to remain in Libya, even if he agrees to step aside, said the Libyan opposition’s special envoy to France. | Haaretz

The total number of refugees fleeing Libya’s turmoil has reached more than 650,000 people over the past 45 days, according to an international report released Tuesday.| al-Masry al-Youm

AUGUST 8

Libyan rebels are in control of the town of Bir al-Ghanam, about 80 km (50 miles) south of the capital Tripoli, after a battle during the weekend. | Reuters

The U.K. newspaper, The Times, has obtained a leaked copy of the Libyan Transitional National Council’s (TNC) plans for the immediate post-Gadhafi period. The plan, created with significant Western, especially British help, preserves much of the “regimes security infrastructure to avoid an Iraq-style collapse into anarchy.”| Project on Middle East Democracy

The Libyan government has distanced itself from Saif al-Islam’s comments in an interview with the New York Times, in which he vowed to strike an alliance with a faction of radical Islamists among the rebels. | Tripoli Post

AUGUST 5

The Libyan government on Friday denied rebel reports that Moammar Gadhafi's youngest son was killed in a NATO airstrike on a front-line town in western Libya. | Seattle Press Intelligencer

Italy has demanded that Nato inquire into a report that an alliance warship blockading Libya repeatedly ignored pleas to help several hundred distressed and dying asylum seekers who were stranded at sea after fleeing Libya.| Guardian

The February 17 Coalition has sharply criticized its own rebel council, calling for resignations after a recent high-profile assassination | Globe and Mail

AUGUST 4

In an interview with the New York Times, Saif al-Islam Qaddafi, the son of Muammar Gadhafi, said his father's government was aligning itself with radical Islamists among the rebels. | NPR; New York Times

The son of the rebel military leader assassinated last week accused “traitors” within the opposition of killing his father to create cracks in the rebel ranks. He demanded an open investigation and speedy trial for the perpetrators. | Denver Post

The rebel government in Libya is establishing a diplomatic presence at the Libyan Embassy in Washington. | UPI

AUGUST 3

More than five months after rebellion erupted in Benghazi, insurgents remain locked in a military and diplomatic stalemate in their efforts to overthrow Muammar Qaddafi. A sense of weariness and unease has settled over the de facto rebel capital. | Los Angeles Times

The son of the rebel military leader assassinated last week accused “traitors” within the opposition of killing his father to create cracks in the rebel ranks. He demanded an open investigation and speedy trial for the perpetrators. | Denver Post

JULY 29

Rebel military leader Abdel Fattah Younis was shot dead under mysterious circumstances. The chief of the Transitional National Council (TNC), Mustafa Abdel Jalil, had summoned Younis when he was killed en route to Benghazi along with two of his aides. Hours before his killing, rebels had also announced they detained Younis for his family’s possible ties with the Muammar Qaddafi regime. Younis was the former interior minister in Qaddafi’s regime before he defected once the uprising began. | Reuters; USA Today; AP

Norway announced it would withdraw its mission in Libya on August 1. Norway is one of the eight NATO member states to fly bombing missions to oust Qaddafi, and is the first to set a deadline for its military actions. | Emirates

The Czech Republic said it would only recognize the TNC once the rebels control the entire country. Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, however, said that her country would remain in contact with the rebels through an unofficial ambassador in Benghazi. | Reuters

JULY 28

A lawsuit against NATO was filed in Belgium for its alleged killing of thirteen civilians in a bombing of a residence near Tripoli. Attorneys also requested to send experts to assess the physical and psychological damages of the attack to determine monetary compensation for the victims. | MSNBC

Rebels launched an attack in the western mountains along the Tunisian border. Rebel fighters said they were targeting the towns of Ghazzaia and al-Josh. A previous attempt to capture the town resulted in heavy casualties for the rebels last month, but they claimed to have captured the towns of al-Ruwais, Takout, al-Jawsh, Badr, and al-Ghazzaya. | CNN

Austria has been looking for ways to unfreeze nearly $1.7 in frozen assets to fund the rebels. The money belonged to the central bank in Libya, but after international sanctions were enforced the money is in a legal gray area. | Reuters

JULY 27

Transitional National Council (TNC) Chief Mustafa Abdel Jalil rescinded the offer to allow Muammar Qaddafi to remain in Libya if he stepped down. Abdel Jalil said that the proposal, which was presented to the Libyan leader a month ago, has expired. Concerns that the International Criminal Court would reconsider the charges of crimes against humanity against Qaddafi, his son, and the intelligence chief surfaced if Qaddafi remained in Libya. | Reuters; Asharq al-Awsat

A group of dissidents and expatriates formed a new political party based in Benghazi, called “Libya al-Jadidah,” or the “New Libya Party” (NLP). Reportedly, nearly 2,000 Libyans in the east have joined the party, but the majority of its supporters reside in the United States, Canada, and Germany. The party’s priorities will be to form a federal democracy with a constitutional separation of powers, rejuvenate tourism, bring back foreign workers, revive the oil industry to bring in funds to rebuild the country, and cancel all forms of taxation. | Elaph; Tripoli Post

British Foreign Secretary William Hague announced that his country has officially recognized the TNC as the sole legitimate government in Libya. He also announced that all remaining Libyan diplomats would be expelled and replaced with rebel envoys. The UK also promised to release some of Qaddafi’s frozen assets. The announcement came after criticisms that Britain had softened its stance on Qaddafi after suggesting he could remain in Libya after relinquishing power. | Reuters

JULY 26

British Foreign Secretary William Hague signaled a shift in position by suggesting that Muammar Qaddafi may stay in Libya if he relinquishes power. He stipulated that this decision was only up to the Libyan people. Calls for this comprise culminated to the Transitional National Council (TNC) accepting this deal under specific conditions set by the rebels.| UPI

Portugal announced that it recognized the TNC as the legitimate representative of the Libyan people. | Quryna al-Jadidah

Diplomats and staff at the Libyan embassy in Bulgaria declared that the embassy was now under rebel control after destroying statues and portraits of Qaddafi. The defectors were led by consul Ibrahim al-Furis, who declared that his mission was joining the rebel forces. | Reuters

JULY 25

The leader of the Transitional National Council (TNC), Mustafa Abdel Jalil, said that Muammar Qaddafi could stay in the country under conditions set by the opposition. Jalil also said that the end of the civil war would come if Qaddafi surrendered, fled the country, or was killed or captured. | UPI

Germany announced it would lend the rebel Transitional National Council (TNC) $143 million to fund civil and humanitarian projects. Germany has been opposed to military intervention in Libya, but insisted that Qaddafi step down after it recognized the rebel council as the legitimate representative of Libyans. | Reuters

The Algerian Foreign Ministry denied reports that it had been providing weapons to Qaddafi. The rebels said that the ship delivering arms arrived at the port of Djen Djen, and the United States called on Algeria to stop the shipment from reaching Qaddafi forces. | Reuters

JULY 22

The UN envoy to Libya, who held several meetings with government officials and rebel representatives, indicated that Muammar Qaddafi had no role in all ceasefire plans and roadmaps to a unity government. Qaddafi, on the other hand, ruled out any talks with rebels despite recent reports that secret negotiations have been underway between rebels, government officials, and third-party mediators. His speech was aired at a rally in his hometown of Sirte, where thousands of people marched in support of the Libyan leader. | Reuters (1); (2)

The rebels announced they would hold a conference for a national dialogue on July 28 that would include 350 political figures, businessmen and women, intellectuals, youth leaders, and rebels. The conference was set up to discuss possible solutions to the conflict and transition to a stable and secure government. | Al Jazeera

JULY 21

Rebels requested more weapons from France in order to take over Tripoli “within days.” France had previously dropped weapons in the Nafusa Mountains to support the rebel fighters. Rebel military leaders are now looking into getting similar deliveries to Misrata. | Tripoli Post

Slovenia officially recognized the Transitional National Council (TNC) as the legitimate representative of the Libyan people. | Quryna al-Jadidah

Chinese President Hu Jintao expressed support for the African Union’s plans to find a solution to the Libyan conflict. China did not attend the Contact Group meeting in Turkey last week, adding that the group’s work needed “further study.” Turkey and the African Union proposed different roadmaps to peacefully transition power in Libya, but China called the African Union’s plan “an African method to solve an African issue” and lauded its commitment to find a political solution. | Reuters

JULY 20

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said it was possible that Muammar Qaddafi could stay in Libya after stepping down, in an effort to reach a political solution to the conflict. | Reuters

Mahmoud Shammam of the Transitional National Council (TNC) said that the rebels would not sign new contracts with oil companies before they are elected, but would honor existing contracts. | Bloomberg

JULY 19

Government spokesman Ibrahim Moussa said that the Qaddafi regime supported dialogue and peace initiatives as long as no preconditions were set. He also admitted that the Libyan government previously held talks with the United States. U.S. officials insisted that they clearly communicated to the Libyan government that Muammar Qaddafi had to step down during the secret meetings. | Reuters

NATO forces bombed the main civilian airport in Tripoli, where Qaddafi forces allegedly used the radar system to trace NATO air traffic and issue early warnings of NATO aircraft. | Quryna al-Jadidah

JULY 18

After several days of fierce battles and street fighting, rebels claimed victory in Brega. The rebel fighters besieged the oil town, but the use of landmines by forces loyal to Muammar Qaddafi has not allowed them to fully secure the center of the city. | Reuters; Middle East Online

Russia criticized the United States and other countries that officially recognized the Transitional National Council (TNC) as a legitimate government, suggesting that those countries fully took sides in the civil war. The Russian foreign minister said that his country would neither welcome Qaddafi nor recognize the rebel council in an effort to remain a neutral mediator in the conflict. | Tripoli Post; CNN

Former central bank governor Farhat Bengdara announced the formation of the International Association of Libyan Bankers, which is an unofficial association of bankers that plans to prepare recommendations to support the rebels in raising money. | Reuters

JULY 15

The United States officially recognized the Transitional National Council (TNC) as the legitimate government in Libya. The Italian foreign minister said that the Contact Group also recognizes the rebel council. The deputy foreign minister of Japan expressed support for the rebels and said his country would recognize the rebel council shortly. | New York Times; Washington Post; France 24; Quryna al-Jadidah

Turkey announced its support for a proposal to release $3 billion in frozen assets to aid civilians on both sides of the Libyan civil war for the month of Ramadan. | Reuters

Libyan government spokesperson Moussa Ibrahim denied a report in a Russian newspaper that Muammar Qaddafi had a “suicidal plan” to blow up Tripoli if rebels captured the capital. Prime Minister al-Baghdadi al-Mahmudi was quoted in the paper as saying, “If the rebels seize the city, we will deluge it with missiles and blow it up.” | Tripoli Post

JULY 14

President Obama endorsed the Russian mediation efforts in Libya on the condition that Muammar Qaddafi steps down. | Xinhua

China announced that it would not attend the fourth Contact Group meeting in Istanbul on July 15, adding that the meetings needed to be reassessed. The agenda for the meeting in Turkey includes not only finding a peaceful and political solution to the Libyan conflict, but also stepping up pressure on Qaddafi to relinquish power. The meeting is also expected to include talks about increasing financial support to the rebel’s Transitional National Council. | Reuters; Tripoli Post

A U.S. intelligence report stated that Qaddafi is running out of money to pay his army and government officials because of cash-flow problems and projected fuel shortages. The capture of Nalut and Kikla in the Nafusa mountains by rebels is expected to allow them to cut the crude oil pipeline and prevent it from reaching the government’s refineries in Zawiya. | Tripoli Post 

JULY 13

According to French sources, Prime Minister al-Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi suggested that talks could take place between government officials and rebel leaders along with NATO forces without the presence of Muammar Qaddafi. Meanwhile, the Libyan leader demanded to remain in the country and have all charges against him dropped before offering his resignation.| Quryna al-Jadidah; Ash-Shorouk

According to a Human Rights Watch report, rebels have been looting shops, burning homes, and beating alleged supporters of Qaddafi after capturing villages, including the most recent advancement in the village of al-Qawalish. | Reuters

The Benelux countries, which consist of Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, announced their official recognition of the rebel Transitional National Council (TNC) as the legitimate representative of the Libyan people. | Reuters
 

JULY 12

Libyan emissaries say Muammar Qaddafi is ready to leave power, according to France’s foreign minister. President Obama said the United States is prepared to support negotiations toward a democratic transition if Qaddafi steps down. Libya’s prime minister said the regime was ready to “negotiate without conditions” if NATO bombing stops and that Qaddafi is “ready to respect the decision of the people.” | Reuters;  Xinhua

Italy’s foreign minister said al-Qaeda is using the chaos in Libya to acquire weapons and smuggle them to its base in the Sahara. | Reuters

JULY 11

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said that some NATO allies operating in Libya could see their forces “exhausted” within 90 days, leaving the United States to fill the gap. Rebels stalled in their advance on Tripoli on Monday. Eight rebel fighters died and 25 others were wounded. | Reuters; Reuters

Rebels fighting to encircle Tripoli faced stiff resistance Monday, coming under rocket attacks south of the capital. On Sunday, rebels said they were waiting for a NATO go-ahead to push toward Tripoli from the south and west. | AFP, Tripoli Post

France said it has made indirect contact with the Qaddafi regime, while denying reports it has begun direct negotiations with Tripoli. France says its message in talks is that any political solution must include Muammar Qaddafi’s removal from power. | AFP

The UN special envoy for Libya met with Libya’s prime minister and foreign minister to talk about a possible political transition in the country. During this meeting, Libyan Prime Minister al-Baghdadi Ali al-Mahmoudi urged UN intervention to stop NATO military attacks against the North African country, local media reported. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also spoke with Libya's prime minister by telephone on Thursday about the need to end the current fighting in the North African nation. | Xinhua; Reuters

JULY 7

Prosecutors are planning to charge 21 rebel leaders in Benghazi, including the head of the Transitional National Council (TNC), Mustafa Abdul Jalil, with crimes related to national security breaches, treason, facilitating foreign intervention, and leaking military secrets to the enemy after leading the armed rebellion against Muammar Qaddafi. The rebels will be tried in absentia. | Tripoli Post

A nineteen-member delegation of tribal representatives on a visit to Egypt announced they would hold talks with rebel leaders to end the civil war in the country. | Reuters

NATO officials will meet with the members of the TNC on July 13 to examine the rebels’ plans for a democratic transition in a show of greater recognition of the council, which has been officially recognized so far by twelve of the 28 NATO members. Meanwhile, Libyan officials accused NATO of backing foreign mercenaries to help rebels topple the Qaddafi regime. They also accused NATO of intensifying its air raids as a “final phase” of the campaign. | Voice of America; Tripoli Post

JULY 6

Business figures in Benghazi offered 1.7 million dinars to rebel fighters after meeting with representatives from the Transitional National Council (TNC), including its chief Mustafa Abdel Jalil and Foreign Minister Ali al-Essawi. | Quryna al-Jadidah

Turkey announced it will give $200 million in aid to the rebels. Officials added that it was time for Qaddafi to step down and leave the country, distancing itself from the regime after recalling its ambassador from Tripoli and officially recognizing the rebel council as the only legitimate representative of Libyans. The country also expressed opposition to the division of the country Libya. | Reuters; RIA Novosti

Representatives from Muammar Qaddafi’s regime met with officials from the Arab League to urge the league to boost its role in finding a solution to the crisis. | Quryna al-Jadidah

JULY 5

The chief of the Transitional National Council (TNC), Mustafa Abdel Jalil, said that the rebel council was open to the retirement of Muammar Qaddafi on Libyan soil, as long as he resigned formally with international supervision of his whereabouts. Abdel Jalil said he made this offer a month ago, but has not received any reply from the Libyan government. Russian sources, however, reported that Qaddafi was willing to relinquish power in exchange for security guarantees, but Libyan government officials denied this report.  | Reuters (1); (2); (3); (4)

Turkey announced it will give $200 million in aid to the rebels. Officials added that it was time for Qaddafi to step down and leave the country, distancing itself from the regime after recalling its ambassador from Tripoli and officially recognizing the rebel council as the only legitimate representative of Libyans. The country also expressed opposition to the division of the country Libya. | Reuters; RIA Novosti

JULY 1

The leaders of South Africa, Mauritania, Uganda, Mali, and the Congo drafted a roadmap that calls for a ceasefire and a transitional process with democratic elections and legal reforms at the African Union summit in Equatorial Guinea. Government representatives accepted the plan, while rebel representatives opposed it because it did not stipulate that Muammar Qaddafi resign immediately.  | Voice of America

Qaddafi’s daughter, Aeysha, admitted that the government was holding both direct and indirect talks with the rebels. Qaddafi is also allegedly holding talks with France, Britain, and NATO forces in the Tunisian island Djerba. The government representatives conveyed Qaddafi’s request to end all fighting immediately with UN oversight. | Reuters; Asharq al-Awsat

The World Bank warned that a prolonged conflict in Libya could lead to another Somalia, with extremists taking charge rather than liberal economic technocrats who currently dominate the rebel council. | Reuters

JUNE 30

China urged nations to comply with the UN embargo on Libya while avoiding explicit criticism of France for arming the rebels. Russia called France’s actions a “crude violation” of the UN Security Council resolution, while the African Union only expressed concern over the issue. Rebel leader Mahmoud Jibril claimed that arms transfer would speed up the end of the ongoing war. | Reuters (1); (2); (3); Al Jazeera

Britain provided rebels with 5,000 pieces of body armor and police uniforms that include high-visibility vests in addition to communications equipment. Foreign Secretary William Hague said that British aid was “fully in line” with the UN Security Council resolution. | Tripoli Post

JUNE 29

The justice minister of the Transitional National Council (TNC) suggested that the rebels may form a “commandos team” to hunt down Muammar Qaddafi, his son, and the Libyan intelligence chief to enforce the arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC). He also said that it was incumbent upon the international community to abide by the ICC’s decision and refuse to provide asylum or a safe haven for Qaddafi and others. | Asharq al-Awsat

Both Bulgaria and Croatia recognized the rebel TNC as the legitimate representative of the Libyan people. | People’s Daily

The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee authorized U.S. involvement in NATO’s military mission in Libya with a 14-5 vote. The authorization set a timeframe of up to one year from the date of the congressional resolution, but banned the introduction of ground troops as part of the military operation. | Reuters

JUNE 28

The National Front for the Salvation of Libya (NFSL), a major opposition group that pre-dated the uprising, suggested a transition process of eighteen months following Muammar Qaddafi’s fall from power, and called on the Transitional National Council (TNC) to create a “national assembly” consisting of at least 200 individuals of different backgrounds within 60 days of Qaddafi’s ouster. The national assembly would also set up a temporary constitution and an interim government. | Al-Quds

Qaddafi’s South African lawyer said that the International Criminal Court (ICC) had no jurisdiction to issue an arrest warrant for Qaddafi, his son, and the intelligence chief, because Libya never signed or ratified the treaty that created the international court. The Libyan government also rejected the arrest warrants, while the general-prosecutor of the ICC stipulated that the rebels, rather than NATO, should carry out the arrest of Qaddafi and others. | Bloomberg; Reuters; Al Jazeera

The UN Security Council sanctions committee placed Qaddafi’s wife, Safia Qaddafi, on the travel ban list and ordered all of her assets frozen. Russia blocked sanctions against Safia and Planning and Finance Minister Abdelhafid Zlitni for months, and continues to block other individuals and firms from being included in the sanctions list. | Reuters

JUNE 27

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Muammar Qaddafi, his son Saif al-Islam, and intelligence chief Abdullah al-Sanusi for being involved in the killing of protesters since February. The arrest warrants were announced amid the rebels’ biggest advancement toward Tripoli after clashing with Qaddafi forces in the town of Bir al-Ghanam, 50 miles southwest of the capital, where opposition is believed to have an underground network ready to oust Qaddafi. | Reuters; BBC

Qaddafi agreed to stay out of negotiations to end the conflict, and the African Union (AU) welcomed this decision. Seven members of the AU also threatened to adopt a measure that would confront NATO unless the western allies engage in serious talks to reach a political solution to the Libyan conflict. | Asharq al-Awsat, Quryna al-Jadidah; The Nation

In the latest series of defections, thirteen soccer players, four of them members of the national soccer team, announced their defection and support for the rebels on their way to Mali. | Reuters

JUNE 24

Former Foreign Minister Abdurrahman Shalgam, who defected and joined the rebels, said that Muammar Qaddafi was negotiating for asylum in either an African country or Belarus to relinquish power within weeks. | Reuters

A team of officials from Britain, the United States, Italy, Turkey, and other countries drew up an official plan for the opposition’s transition process, pending Qaddafi’s fall from power. The plan, to be published next week, will include policing and oil production. | AP

Rebels in the east have been in contact with secret rebel cells and army defectors in Tripoli to assess the efficacy of NATO airstrikes and gauge Qaddafi’s legitimacy in the capital. | UPI; Al Jazeera

JUNE 23

Information Minister Mahmoud Shammam of the Transitional National Council (TNC) said that private meetings were taking place in South Africa and France through intermediaries to negotiate Muammar Qaddafi’s exit. He reiterated the rebels’ demand that the Qaddafi family be excluded from any transitional or future government, but stipulated that it was possible that Qaddafi could live in an isolated location in the country. | Los Angeles Times

Danish Foreign Minister Lene Espersen announced, during a visit to Benghazi, that her country officially recognized the TNC as the only legitimate representative of Libyans. | RTT News

The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) sent a political delegation to mediate the crisis between rebels and government forces. The delegates will meet with both members of the TNC and the government. | All Africa

JUNE 22

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said that his country recognized the Transitional National Council (TNC) as “an important dialogue partner.” He also expressed optimism regarding the upcoming UN Security Council meeting in New York, organized by the African Union, to address political solutions to the Libyan crisis. So far 21 countries have, to varying degrees, recognized the TNC. | Tripoli Post

Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini broke with Western allies to call for a halt to fighting in order to allow humanitarian aid to be delivered immediately. He also urged all parties to continue negotiations for a formal ceasefire plan. | AFP 

The United States tightened sanctions on the Libyan government by prohibiting American transactions with nine companies that include the Arab Turkish Bank, North Africa International Bank, and North Africa Commercial Bank. In a show of support for the American involvement in Libya, U.S. Senators John Kerry and John McCain also introduced a measure to formally authorize military intervention, warning that halting support would “doom the Libyan operation” and “undermine the very core of NATO.” | Reuters 

JUNE 21

NATO confirmed that an unmanned helicopter drone went down in the middle of an intelligence surveillance mission, marking NATO’s first loss since the mission began. Libyan state television alleged that the aircraft was a manned Apache helicopter, but NATO denied this claim. The incident comes as NATO faces increased criticism after admitting that its operations have killed civilians. | CNN

Rebels claimed that 22 Libyan soldiers switched sides to join the opposition. The Transitional National Council (TNC) announced that Muammar Qaddafi loyalists who defect would be pardoned and integrated into the rebel force.| | Reuters

The European Union foreign ministers will look into using frozen assets of Qaddafi as collateral for loans, to fund the rebels.  | Reuters

JUNE 20

NATO officials admitted that an airstrike in Tripoli killed civilians, and blamed the attack on a “weapons system failure.” However, NATO denied the Libyan government’s claim that its attack killed a total of fifteen people, including children. Government officials earlier claimed that nine civilians were killed in the attack. | CNN

The Transitional National Council (TNC) bought nearly 100,000 tons of wheat and flour in its first major commercial trade deal. Qatar and the UAE allegedly financed the trade, which allowed rebels to buy flour from Russia and the European Union, and wheat from France, Serbia, and Ukraine. | Reuters

China will host Mustafa Abdel Jalil, the head of the TNC, on Tuesday in an effort to strengthen ties with the rebels and play a greater role in ending the conflict.  | Reuters

JUNE 17

The Russian envoy to Libya claimed that rebels were engaging in talks with government officials, but the French foreign minister could not confirm that such talks took place. Representatives of the Transitional National Council (TNC) also denied reports of dialogue with Muammar Qaddafi’s regime. | Reuters; Al-Youm Al-Saba’a

Both the rebels and the United States rejected Saif al-Islam Qaddafi’s proposal to hold elections, wherein his father would step down if he lost. | Tripoli Post

Tunisian military officials said that they would not allow NATO to use Tunisian land to launch attacks into Libya. They also denied that the Tunisian armed forces would enter into a confrontation with Qaddafi forces. | UPI

JUNE 16

Muammar Qaddafi’s son, Saif al-Islam, said that his father was willing to hold elections within three months, and step aside should he lose. | Reuters

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner rejected President Obama’s statement to Congress justifying U.S. involvement in Libya, warning that Congress has the “power of the purse” and should consider cutting off funding for the mission. The Libyan intervention has cost the United States $715 million. | Reuters; Elaph

Mikhail Margelov, the Russian envoy to the Africa, arrived in Tripoli to talk with the prime minister, foreign minister, and cabinet members. He expressed concern that NATO was moving closer to sending ground troops and that its target is to assassinate Qaddafi. | Reuters (1); (2) 

JUNE 15

Rebel fighters have allegedly destroyed tapes of crimes committed by pro-Muammar Qaddafi forces, such as torture and rape, which would be have been used as evidence of war crimes committed by the regime. These rebels claimed that burning such tapes was aimed to protect the victims. | CNN

A bipartisan group of members of the U.S. Congress will file a lawsuit challenging U.S. involvement in the Libyan mission as President Obama prepared to confront Congress in a written report. | CNN (1); (2) 

Tunisia is allegedly ready to recognize the Transitional National Council (TNC), but no official announcement has been made. Relations between Tunisia and Qaddafi’s regime soured as Qaddafi forces fired rockets inside Tunisia, where planes are now patrolling the border. | Al-Maghribia; Asharq al-Awsat

JUNE 14

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird announced his country’s official recognition of the Transitional National Council (TNC) as the legitimate representative of the Libyan people. | Canadian Press

NATO said it would not rule out bombing Roman ruins if it had proof that Muammar Qaddafi’s regime was hiding military equipment at the sites. | CNN)

The U.S. House of Representatives voted to block funding for operations in Libya by a 248 to 163 vote. The amendment to a military appropriations bill invoked the War Powers Act and places pressure on President Obama’s role in the Libyan mission. | Al Jazeera

JUNE 13

Rebels have been allegedly smuggling weapons through the Tunisian border. Tunisia has been careful not to offer overt support for the rebels, and Tunisian soldiers are given explicit orders to search each car. Libyan smugglers said that many Tunisians, however, are sympathetic to the rebels’ cause to oust Muammar Qaddafi. | BBC

The UAE officially recognized the Transitional National Council (TNC) as the legitimate representative of the Libyan people, and announced plans to open an office in Benghazi. Rebels also claimed that Germany recognized the rebel council. | Reuters (1); (2) 

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said he offered Qaddafi a “guarantee” if he leaves Libya, but received no response from the Libyan leader. | Reuters

JUNE 10

The United States and Australia officially recognized the Transitional National Council (TNC) as the legitimate representative of Libyans at a meeting in Abu Dhabi. | Tripoli Post

Libyan state television reported that pro-Muammar Qaddafi forces shot down a NATO helicopter, but NATO denied the report. | Reuters

Norway announced its plans to immediately scale down the Libyan operation, and completely withdraw from Libya by August 1. The Dutch government, on the other hand, expanded its role in the NATO airstrike campaign, and extended the deadline to participate by three months. The government also vowed to contribute new staff. | AP; Washington Post

JUNE 9

Muammar Qaddafi’s son Saif al-Islam recently approached rebels with a deal that involves his father’s departure, according to opposition leader Mahmoud Jebril. | Bloomberg

The German foreign minister said his country would consider sending troops to Libya as part of a UN military force once Qaddafi is overthrown. | Reuters

The president of Senegal, Abdullah Waad, became the first African president to meet with rebels in Benghazi. He is expected to meet with representatives of the Transitional National Council (TNC). | Brnieq

JUNE 8

Spanish Foreign Minister Trinidad Jimenez announced her country’s recognition of the Transitional National Council (TNC) as the legitimate representative of Libyans. | Brnieq; Reuters Arabic

Libya’s envoy Omran Abukraa represented the country at the OPEC meeting today in place of former oil chief Shokri Ghanem. The rebels, who had announced their plans to send a representative to the meeting, did not attend. | Reuters

The Contact Group will hold its fourth meeting in Turkey in July. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that efforts to plan a transition process for Libya were underway. The Western-led contact group includes the United States, France, Britain, Italy, Qatar, Jordan, and Kuwait.  | Xinhua

JUNE 7

Russian envoy Mikhail Margelov arrived in Benghazi to meet with leaders of the Transitional National Council (TNC) in the first trip by a top Russian official to the rebels.  | Tripoli Post

The TNC did not send a representative to the OPEC meeting despite previous statements by opposition Finance Minister Ali Tarhouni that the rebels would send a delegate. | Reuters

Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz said that Muammar Qaddafi can no longer lead and must step down. | AFP

JUNE 6

The Transitional National Council (TNC) denied sending a message to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu through French writer Bernard Henri Levy declaring the rebels’ intention to normalize relations with Israel. The TNC added that as member of the Arab League, Libya endorses Palestinian efforts to secure an independent state.  | People’s Daily; Middle East Online

British Foreign Secretary William Hague arrived in Benghazi on an unannounced visit to express support for the rebels. He acknowledged that his government did not set a deadline to end the conflict, which could continue beyond Christmas. | Tripoli Post; Guardian

Human Rights Watch accused the rebels of arbitrarily detaining Qaddafi loyalists without due process. According to the rights group, as of May 28 opposition forces detained 330 civilians and fighters. | Human Rights Watch

JUNE 3

China officially met with rebel representatives from the Transitional National Council (TNC) in a move that further isolates Qaddafi. | International Business Times

Tunisian military official denied reports that Qatar was smuggling weapons to rebels in Benghazi through the Tunisian border. | UPI

Russian President Medvedev sent an envoy to mediate between Qaddafi’s regime and the rebels. | Al Arabiya

JUNE 2

The government appointed Mosbah Ali Matoug, a member of the management committee of the National Oil Corporation (NOC), to represent Libya in a meeting with gas-exporting states. | Reuters

The U.S. House of Representatives called off a vote on a resolution to remove U.S. armed forces from Libya. The resolution, which was initiated by Representative Dennis Kucinich, initially gained traction among Republicans, who now say they need more time to weigh the options. | Reuters

French writer Bernard Henri Levy passed on a message from rebel leaders to Israel’s premier stating that Libya would establish diplomatic ties and normalize relations with Israel should the rebels prevail. | AFP

JUNE 1

NATO members voted to extend the Libyan mission for another 90 days until September, signaling to leader Muammar Qaddafi that the allied forces were not relenting. | Reuters

Oil chief Shokri Ghanem officially announced his defection from Qaddafi’s regime, but has not yet decided if he will join the rebels. | Reuters

Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini announced the opening of a consulate in Benghazi and promised financial support for the rebels. | Reuters

MAY 31

Eight high-ranking army officers, among them five generals and two colonels, arrived in Rome to announce their defection from Muammar Qaddafi’s army, along with 120 other military officials. | Reuters; Tripoli Post

South African President Jacob Zuma met with Qaddafi to try to broker a ceasefire. He said that the Libyan leader demanded that NATO stop the bombing, and vowed to never leave the country. | Voice of America; Reuters

Members of the Transitional National Council (TNC) stated they would not seek office after Qaddafi was ousted in an attempt to demonstrate that the rebels are not seeking power. | Reuters

MAY 27

Former central bank governor Farhat Omar Bin Guidara defected from the regime and announced he was joining the rebels. | Reuters

Russian officials stated they were prepared to mediate the departure of Muammar Qaddafi, who they said had lost legitimacy and therefore must step down. Libyan Prime Minister al-Baghdadi al-Mahmudi requested Russia negotiates the ceasefire and talks with rebels.  | Reuters; CNN

MAY 26

Muammar Qaddafi approached several foreign countries to offer a ceasefire deal ahead of the G8 Summit, but the proposal was met with skepticism. He suggested that he remain a figurehead until the country transitioned to a full democracy. | Reuters; UPI

Representatives from the Transitional National Council (TNC) said it would take up to two years to set up elections, in contrast with the six-month transition period they had originally suggested. | Belfast Telegraph

Rebel council spokesperson Abdel Hafiz Ghoga announced that the TNC has expanded its membership to people in Sirte, Zawya, and Tripoli. He also urged Libyan refugees in Egypt to return to their homeland. | Brnieq

MAY 25

Oil Minister Shukri Ghanem will attend the OPEC meeting on Muammar Qaddafi’s behalf in an effort to quash rumors that he defected. | Forbes

British and French officials said they were reconsidering the condition that Qaddafi step down before NATO implements a ceasefire. | UPI

The government rejected trials in international courts for Libyans responsible for the events since February 15, and stated that they should be tried in the Libyan justice system. | UPI

MAY 23

A youth group in Tripoli released a statement endorsing the rebels’ Transitional National Council (TNC) and called for supporters of Muammar Qaddafi to defect.| Asharq al-Awsat

Libyan officials accused NATO of causing a humanitarian crisis after the bombing of three ports, which government officials said would limit access to important supplies and the movement of supply ships. | CNN

MAY 20

Oil Minister Shokri Ghanem’s whereabouts are unknown, despite the appearance of his name on the passenger list of a plane that arrived in Austria. Government spokesman Mussa Ibrahim claimed that Ghanem was on an official trip to Tunisia and European countries. Other sources claimed that Ghanem was trying to take refuge in Algeria. |Reuters (1); (2); Xinhua

The EU discussed tightening sanctions on Muammar Qaddafi by placing some ports on a blacklist to curb the import and export of oil and bio-fuel to the Libyan government. | Asharq al-Awsat

Russia called for UN and African Union peacekeeping forces to facilitate a political and diplomatic solution to the conflict. | Reuters

MAY 19

The deputy foreign minister denied two reports that oil chief Shokri Ghanem had defected, and that Muammar Qaddafi’s wife and daughter had fled to Tunisia. | Reuters

The Transitional National Council (TNC) refused Russia’s attempts to act as a mediator between the government and the rebel council, citing Russia’s close ties to the regime and refusal to recognize the TNC. | Asharq al-Awsat

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen reaffirmed that NATO would not put troops on the ground, in accordance with the UN resolution, but planned to step up its mission. | Reuters

MAY 18

The Transitional National Council’s (TNC) Information Minister Mahmoud Shammam announced that the rebel council was seeking to represent Libya in the OPEC meeting scheduled next month. | Radio Sawa

Tunisia threatened to report Libya to the UN Security Council if it continued cross-border shelling. | Reuters

A Turkish oil products tanker is expected to arrive in a port in Zawiya in an apparent move to defy international sanctions. | Reuters

MAY 17

Oil Minister and Chairman of the National Oil Corporation (NOC) Shokri Ghanem defected and fled to Tunisia. | Reuters

The Transitional National Council’s (TNC) Minister of Information Mahmoud Shammam said that the government intercepted the signal of the rebel’s television station, “Libya for the Free,” but rebels were able to regain control of the station. Shammam said that the station was not the mouthpiece of the TNC, and only aimed to challenge the propaganda produced by the government. | Asharq al-Awsat; AFP

British forces attacked a training base for Muammar Qaddafi’s bodyguards, the Executive Protection Force, and intelligence centers that played a role in collecting information for the secret police. | Reuters

MAY 16

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Muammar Qaddafi, his son Saif al-Islam, and spy chief Abdullah al-Sanussi. They are being sought for the premeditated killing of protesters. | Reuters

The Transitional National Council (TNC) named new officials on the council, with Jallal el-Deigheily serving as the new chief of defense. A rebel media source also confirmed that oil chief Wahid Bugaighis resigned amid disagreements with the oil company Agoco, but the council did not announce a replacement for him. | Reuters; Wall Street Journal

Prime Minister Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi offered the UN envoy to Libya a truce in exchange for an immediate NATO ceasefire. Meanwhile, British military officials urged NATO to expand its mission and to begin targeting the regime’s infrastructure without specifying what kind of infrastructure to hit. | Voice of America; al Jazeera

MAY 13

The rebel delegation led by Mahmoud Jibril held meetings at the White House today with President Obama and his national security advisor in effort to win U.S. recognition of the Transitional National Council (TNC). | CNN

Italy’s foreign minister said that Muammar Qaddafi was most likely wounded in recent airstrikes and residing outside of Tripoli. | Reuters

The International Criminal Court (ICC) will issue arrest warrants next week for three top Libyan leaders for war crimes that include murder and persecution. | Washington Post

MAY 12

For the first time in two weeks, Muammar Qaddafi appeared on state television, which showed footage of his meeting with tribal leaders at a hotel in Tripoli to quash rumors that he was hurt in recent airstrikes. | Tripoli Post

After meeting with rebel council leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil, UK Prime Minister David Cameron urged countries to increase financial and military support to rebels, and announced that rebels were planning to open an office in London to rally support for their campaign to overthrow Qaddafi. | Reuters

The Transitional National Council (TNC)’s spokesperson, Abdel Hafez Ghoga, announced that the rebels liberated all of Misrata. Other rebel ranks questioned this statement and said that Qaddafi forces were still in control, showing further divisions among rebels. Earlier this month the TNC’s minister of information, Mahmoud Shammam, had announced that Poland, Spain, and the Netherlands officially recognized the rebels, but the three countries quickly denied this claim. | CNN

MAY 11

Divisions among rebels intensified when the Transitional National Council (TNC)’s oil minister, Wahid Bugaighis, tried to reshuffle the management in Agoco, which runs most of Libya’s oilfields. His plan was rejected by disaffected employees, who voted to overrule him and denied him entry into Agoco. | Reuters

The EU opened an office in Benghazi to back the rebels and improve the delivery of aid and communication between European nations and the TNC. | Brnieq

Government officials confined journalists in the five-star Rixos hotel in Tripoli, but journalists managed to make contact with rebels in the capital, who claimed that 75 percent of Tripoli opposes Qaddafi. | CNN

MAY 10

Finance Minister Ali Tarhouni warned that the Transitional National Council (TNC) is running out of funds to finance rebel fighters. The TNC has been relying on money in the central bank and other private and public banks in rebel-held eastern Libya, but Tarhouni estimated that the available funds will be exhausted in three to four weeks without foreign assistance. | MSNBC

MAY 9

Rebel fighters gained ground in Misrata and Brega, indicating that leader Moammar Qaddafi’s forces may be beginning to fray under the strain of NATO airstrikes. Hundreds of rebels broke through the front lines in Misrata and consolidated their fighting positions a few miles west of the city. In the eastern oil town of Brega, rebel fighters claimed to have killed more than 36 Qaddafi loyalists before withdrawing from the city on orders from NATO, presumably in anticipation of further airstrikes.| New York Times 

Twenty-five local council leaders representing areas of central, western, and southern Libya convened in Abu Dhabi for a meeting arranged by rebel leaders. At the meeting, council leaders expressed their support for the uprising and affirmed their recognition of the rebel TNC and its leader, Mustafa Abdel-Jalil.| New York Times

NATO planes bombarded government weapons depots southeast of the Western Mountain town of Zintan.  Fighting in the Western Mountain region has intensified since the rebels seized the Dehiba border crossing into Tunisia in April, opening a key artery for supplies. Rebel forces are under increasing pressure from loyalists of Moammar Qaddafi, who have surrounded the rebel-held town of Zintan from three sides. Pro-Qaddafi forces, based in the desert valleys, are trying to end the siege by lobbing mortars and rockets at rebels occupying the mountain tops above them. | Reuters

MAY 7

Two thousand leaders representing 850 tribes gathered in Tripoli and called for national unity at a major conference on May 5. A government official tried to portray the conference as a show of support for Qaddafi, but rebel leaders dismissed the claim. At the conference, tribal leaders urged the rebels to disarm and demanded that NATO cease its bombing campaign. They also called for a general amnesty for all tribespeople who have participated in the war. | The Examiner, AP

In response to tribal demands for a general amnesty, expressed during a major conference in Tripoli, Prime Minister Baghdad Mahmudi announced that the government is drafting an amnesty law that will apply to all fighters who have participated in the war. Mahmudi added that tribal leaders who participated in the conference “are now responsible for the national dialogue” and possess the “mandate and jurisdiction to talk to people and the international community or governments.”| AFP

MAY 6

A rescue ship carrying 800 migrant workers from Misrata has arrived at the opposition stronghold of Benghazi. The arrival of the chartered ferry had been delayed for days due to fears of government shelling and underwater mines planted by forces loyal to leader Moammar Qaddafi. | LA Times

Libya's food supplies could run out within six to eight weeks unless preventative measures are put in place to avoid a full-scale humanitarian crisis, according to the executive director of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), Josette Sheeran. | Reuters

France announced plans to expel fourteen unnamed Libyan diplomats who have continued to back Qaddafi, a day after British officials ordered two Libyan diplomats to leave. Each diplomat has been declared “persona non grata” and will be given either 24 or 48 hours to leave the country, to be determined on a case-by-case basis.| New York Times

MAY 5

At a meeting in Rome with NATO and Arab leaders, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that the Obama administration intends to use an unspecified portion of the billions of dollars of Libyan frozen assets to provide humanitarian assistance to Libyans affected by the civil war. Clinton did not indicate whether the funds would be given directly to rebel forces or to international humanitarian organizations. | Washington Post

The NATO-backed coalition agreed to create a temporary fund for the rebels, who had asked for loans to cover cost of food, medicine, and other supplies. Qatar additionally pledged $400-500 million to the rebels. | Al Jazeera; Reuters

Spain, Denmark, and the Netherlands denied the Transitional National Council’s claim that they had officially recognized the rebel council. | Reuters

MAY 4

The International Criminal Court announced it would seek three arrest warrants for investigations of crimes against humanity. | Guardian  

The French interior minister claimed there was evidence that weapons flowed out of Libya and into the Sahara Desert, where militants of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) reside, but that there was no sign of organized sale or transfer of weapons by Muammar Qaddafi forces. | Associated Press

Tensions between the Algerian government and the Libyan rebels mounted as Algerian officials accused the rebels of tarnishing the country’s image. The Algerian interior minister warned that should the rebels prevail, relations between Algeria and Libya would worsen. | Asharq al-Awsat

MAY 3

The rebel Transitional National Council (TNC) asked Qatar and the UAE for urgent loans to avoid running out of money and also asked control for the $2-3 billion in frozen assets held by the West. | Reuters (1) and (2)         

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for Qaddafi to step down immediately after his country’s attempt at negotiations failed. | Al Jazeera

MAY 2

The International Criminal Court (ICC) stated it had evidence that Muammar Qaddafi committed crimes against humanity and that the prosecutor planned to issue up to five arrest warrants. | Reuters

MAY 1

A NATO airstrike on a Tripoli villa killed Muammar Qaddafi’s youngest son, Saif al-Arab Qaddafi, and three grandchildren. NATO stated that it was targeting a command-and-control center and not the leader and his family. British, Italian, and American embassies were subsequently attacked. As a result, the UK expelled the Libyan ambassador, and the UN evacuated all staff from its international offices in Libya. | BBC (1) and (2), Reuters 

APRIL 30

Qaddafi announced he was ready for ceasefire that would be enforced by all sides, including NATO. Rebels and NATO refused the offer, citing the leader’s lack of credibility, violation of human rights by his forces, and existing threats to civilian life. | Al Jazeera

The rebel Transitional National Council (TNC) will appoint a new defense minister, who will be a civilian and will replace the current minister of military affairs, Omar al-Hariri. | Al Jazeera