Editing Muammar Gaddafi (section)

===Civil war and downfall===
In February 2011, following revolutions in neighboring Egypt and Tunisia, protests against Gaddafi's rule began. These escalated into an uprising that spread across the country, with the forces opposing Gaddafi establishing a government based in Benghazi named the National Transitional Council (NTC). Gaddafi and his sons responded with violence and brutality with his forces using knives and heavy weapons against unarmed protesters, mass rapes were also committed by their forces.<ref>[https://www.aljazeera.com/program/people-power/2011/6/29/libya-war-and-rape Libya: War and rape?], ''Al Jazeera''</ref> They were also about to commit a [[genocide]] in Benghazi which caused NATO to intervene. Mohammed Nabbous, who focused on drawing international attention to the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Libya during the war, was allegedly shot in the head by a sniper shortly after covering the Gaddafi's government ceasefire declaration in March 2011. 

The Special Court for Sierra Leone held accountable for his role as the financial perpetrator of the massacres that caused around 50,000 deaths in the country during the Sierra Leone Civil War, David M. Crane, the court's founding prosecutor , alleged that Gaddafi trained, financed weapons and sent soldiers based on his bad relationship with the country based on a boycott led by [[Siaka Stevens]], Charles Taylor ensured the participation of Colonel Libio, Crane claimed that his calls for justice were not heeded due to that the West improved its ties with Gaddafi.<ref name = Leone></ref>

This led to the 2011 Libyan Civil War, which included a military intervention by a NATO-led coalition to enforce a UN Security Council Resolution 1973 calling for a no-fly zone and protection of civilians in Libya. The assets of Gaddafi and his family were frozen, and both Interpol and the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants on June 27<sup>th</sup> for Gaddafi, his son [[Saif al-Islam Gaddafi]], and his brother-in-law [[Abdullah Senussi]], concerning crimes against humanity.<ref>[https://www.icc-cpi.int/libya/gaddafi Gaddafi Case], International Criminal Court</ref>

[[File:Article-0-0E7B636000000578-526 634x441.jpg|thumb|Gaddafi being lynched after being wounded by a grenade]]
Gaddafi and his forces lost the Battle of Tripoli in August<ref>[https://www.thedailybeast.com/muammar-gaddafi-and-the-fate-of-libyas-rebellion-in-tripoli-the-daily-beast-reports?ref=topic Muammar Gaddafi and the Fate of Libya’s Rebellion in Tripoli: The Daily Beast Reports], ''The Daily Beast''</ref>, and on September 16<sup>th</sup>, 2011 the NTC took Libya's seat at the UN, replacing Gaddafi. He retained control over parts of Libya, most notably the city of Sirte, to which it was presumed that he had fled. Although Gaddafi's forces initially held out against the NTC's advances, Gaddafi was captured alive in a drainage tunnel as Sirte fell to the rebel forces on Thursday the October 20<sup>th</sup>, 2011 when he tried to escape from Libya. He was brutally beaten, slashed, shot several times, and sodomized to an inch of his life by enraged and vengeful rebels before finally being killed by an unidentified rebel with a gunshot to the head. It was reported that during the flogging, Gaddafi, who had once been the most feared man in Libya for over 4 decades, was pleading for mercy and begging for his life. His son Mutassim as well as Abu Bakr Yunus Jabr, the Defense Minister of Libya under him, were captured and killed alongside him. His death was filmed and shown on news programs.<ref>[https://www.theafricareport.com/138541/on-this-day-18-october-2011-libyas-muammar-gaddafi-is-killed/ On this day: 20 October 2011, Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi is killed], ''The Africa Report''</ref> After his death, their bodies were denied an Islamic funeral (which calls for the bodies to be buried within 24 hours), stored in a freezer for 5 days, and buried in unmarked graves in the Libyan desert to ensure that a shrine could not be built.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/oct/25/gaddafi-buried-in-unmarked-grave Gaddafi buried in unmarked grave in Libya desert to avoid creating shrine], ''The Guardian''</ref>

Since Gaddafi's death, Libya's central government has effectively collapsed and civil war has continued to rage in Libya as various factions fight against each other to gain control of the country.<ref>[https://www.npr.org/2021/06/27/1010676961/libya-remains-unstable-nearly-a-decade-after-muammar-gaddafis-ousting Libya Remains Unstable Nearly A Decade After Muammar Gaddafi's Ousting], ''NPR''</ref> Several factions of pro-Gaddafi loyalists have been formed over the years in attempts to restore the Jamahiriya, with no success.<ref>[https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20211020-ten-years-after-gaddafi-s-death-a-libyan-town-still-yearns-for-his-rule Ten years after Gaddafi’s death, a Libyan town still yearns for his rule], ''France 24''</ref> The civil war officially came to an end in 2020, with Libya currently under the rule of the provisional Government of National Unity.