Oil becomes the key battleground in Libya’s civil war. (Mentioned by Andrew Fawthrop 18 Feb 2020) Blockades on crucial oil and gas infrastructure in the country since mid-January have sent crude output plummeting more than 80% in just

February 2011, in the midst of a wave of popular demonstrations in the Middle East and North Africa, antigovernment rallies were held in Benghazi by protesters angered by the arrest of a human rights lawyer, Fethi Tarbel. Libyan security mber of injuries and deaths. Libyan security forces used water cannons and live fire against the crowds, resulting in a number of injuries and deaths.

• February 2011, in the midst of a wave of popular demonstrations in the Middle East and North Africa, antigovernment rallies were held in Benghazi by protesters angered by the arrest of a human rights lawyer, Fethi Tarbel. Libyan security mber of injuries and deaths. Libyan security forces used water cannons and live fire against the crowds, resulting in a number of injuries and deaths.

As protests intensified, with demonstrators taking control of benghazi and unrest spreading to tripoli and other areas of the country, the security forces and squads of mercenaries loyal to the government began to use lethal force freely, firing indiscriminately into crowds. the regime restricted communications, blocking the internet and interrupting telephone service throughout the country. on february 21 one of qaddafi’s sons, sayf al-islam, gave a defiant address on state television, blaming outside agitators for the unrest and saying that further demonstrations could lead to civil war in the country. he vowed that the regime would fight “to the last bullet.” the next day muammar al-qaddafi delivered an angry rambling speech on state television, condemning the protesters as traitors and calling on his supporters to fight them

• As protests intensified, with demonstrators taking control of benghazi and unrest spreading to tripoli and other areas of the country, the security forces and squads of mercenaries loyal to the government began to use lethal force freely, firing indiscriminately into crowds. the regime restricted communications, blocking the internet and interrupting telephone service throughout the country. on february 21 one of qaddafi’s sons, sayf al-islam, gave a defiant address on state television, blaming outside agitators for the unrest and saying that further demonstrations could lead to civil war in the country. he vowed that the regime would fight “to the last bullet.” the next day muammar al-qaddafi delivered an angry rambling speech on state television, condemning the protesters as traitors and calling on his supporters to fight them