1993 Libyan coup attempt

The 1993 coup d'état was a failed military coup initiated by the Warfalla senior military officers against Libyan leader Muammar el-Qaddafi on 22 October 1993. The coup was led by Khalifa Haftar, a leading senior officer in the Libyan Army who later defected during the coup.^[5] The result was the execution of many senior officers and the installment of loyal members.^[6]

1993 Libyan coup d'état attempt

Native name	محاولة الانقلاب الليبي ۱۹۹۳
Date	22 October 1993
Location	Misurata, Bani Walid, Tripoli (Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya)
Type	Military coup
Motive	Ousting of Muammar el-Qaddafi
Target	Muammar Qaddafi
Organised by	Khalifa Haftar
Participants	Members of the Warfalla tribe, members of Libyan Army[1]
Outcome	Coup fail Executions of coup affiliates[2] Mass executions of elements from the Libyan army.[3] Decline of Warfalla and Misurata influence in Libyan Political system[4]

Background

Libyan leader Qaddafi was widely regarded as a dictator and believed in Pan-Arab Nationalism as well as Pan-African Nationalism. Since securing power in 1969, Qaddafi had worked to fill senior positions in his government and security services with members of his own tribe, the Gaddafa in order to deter a coup d'état. The coup attempt occurred the year following the imposition of a significantly impactful sanctions regime on Libya under United Nations Security Council Resolution 748 which caused significant economic hardship and sparked internal unrest as a result.^[7]

Coup

On 22 October, soldiers who opposed the Jamahiriya started mobilising for a coup and started forming protests and rebellions against Qaddafi. Rebellions erupted in Misurata and Bani Walid where the rebellion tried to overthrow Qaddafi in Tripoli, which failed.^[8] Exiled groups like the National Front for the Salvation of Libya stated that they would attack Qaddafi with their 2,000 troops still stationed in Libya. The CIA was reportedly involved in the coup.^[9] The rebellion in Bani Walid was violent according to reports.^[10] Khalifa Hunaysh, commander of Gaddafi's "presidential guards," played a leading role in crushing the coup in Bani Walid.^[11] Later, that day, the Libyan Air Force thwarted advances by the coup members and was later crushed.^[12]

Aftermath

Many Warfalla tribe members were executed and Khalifa Haftar was exiled to Chad.^[13] The United Nations stopped imposing sanctions on Libya after the coup.^[14] Qaddafi later started removing suspicious officers and replacing them with loyal ones as well as enlarging the army.^[15]

Many critics said that 'no one' won except Qaddafi.^[16]

References

1. "1997 Human Rights Report: Libya".
2. "Factbox: Gaddafi rule marked by abuses, rights groups say". Reuters. 22 February 2011.
3. "Factbox: Gaddafi rule marked by abuses, rights groups say". Reuters. 22 February 2011.
4. "Factbox: Libya's Warfalla tribe". Reuters. September 2011.
5. "Khalifa Haftar, a hard-headed Libyan warrior". Financial Times. 23 May 2014.
6. "Libya's conflict: A patchwork of local divisions and regional interests | the Broker". 7 July 2015.
7. Ethan Chorin (23 October 2012). Exit the Colonel: The Hidden History of the Libyan Revolution. PublicAffairs. p. 53. ISBN 978-1-61039-171-9. OCLC 1091718993.
8. "Qaddafi Reported to Quash Army Revolt - The New York Times". The New York Times. 1993-10-23. Retrieved 2022-08-24.
9. Blanchard, Christopher M. (2010). Libya: Background and U. S. Relations. DIANE. p. 12. ISBN 978-1-4379-2203-5.
10. Helms, Jesse (1995). Country Reports on Human Rights (994 ed.).
11. Cousins, Michel (2012-03-19). "Qaddafi aide Khalifa Hunaysh dies from cancer in hospital in Munich". LibyaHerald. Retrieved 2023-02-07.
12. Cordesman, Anthony H. (2002). A Tragedy of Arms: Military and Security Developments in the Maghreb. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 193. ISBN 978-0-275-96936-3.
13. Gaub, Florence (2013). The Libyan Armed Forces between Coup-proofing and Gaddafi.
14. GBHS Poli Sci (1986-06-15). "Qadhafi". Cbvrce.ca. Retrieved 2022-08-24.
15. Cole, Peter; McQuinn, Brian (2015). The Libyan Revolution and Its Aftermath. Oxford University Press. p. 291. ISBN 978-0-19-021096-0.
16. تاريخ الانقلابات في ليبيا.. لم ينجح أحد سوى القذافي.. أخطرها وقعت في العام 1984 وأكثرها غموضا التي تزعمها نجله المعتصم Rai Al Youm. 16 February 2014. Retrieved 29 February 2022. (in Arabic)