Civil war

But, having found the demonstrators in February's rallies unusually determined, Gaddafi resorted to force, launching indiscriminate attacks which claimed civilian lives. But violent clashes simply sharpened antagonism and shoved the country to the brink of a civil war.

Some government officials then defected, picking up weapons to join the protesters and the rebels. However, the rebel troops, out- of-uniform and with only a barren arsenal, were no rival of the government force. But a UN resolution, adopted on March 17, won respite for them.

The resolution, proposed by France, Lebanon and Britain in the name of protecting civilians, demanded an immediate ceasefire, authorized the establishment of a no-fly zone over Libya and strengthened the arms embargo. Yet it essentially provided the legal basis for military intervention in the domestic conflict of the country.

As the Libyan government failed to observe a ceasefire as announced, France, Britain and the United States started on March 19 air strikes that aimed to surrender Gaddafi. And on the last day of May, NATO took over the command of the military operation in Libya after its only Muslim member Turkey nodded to the plan.

Daily targeted raids have claimed the lives of Gaddafi's son Saif al-Arab, three of his grandchildren, forced him to hide from place to place, and severely degraded his military capacity. Meanwhile, he fell further into disgrace as countries including France, Qatar, and the United States recognized the rebel National Transitional Council (NTC) as the sole legitimate representative of the Libyan people.

Countries that were once on the side of the Libyan government such as Russia also took a turn in May to request Gaddafi to give up power. But he continued with his defiance, ignoring the arrest warrants sought by the International Criminal Court and rebuffed the mediation efforts of South African President Jacob Zuma.

But since July, Gaddafi turned gradually out of the world's sight. His forces waned from then on, as Libyan rebels said in mid- August that they had taken the gateway of Tripoli, Zawiyah, cutting the coastal highway to Tunisia which keeps the capital supplied with food and fuel, and that they had controlled Zliten in the west front, a remarkable move to completely cut off roads to the capital.

Now, a new page is to be unveiled in Libya's history, yet whether the page tells a delightful or awful story remains to be seen. But what is certain is that the destruction brought about by the war, be it material or mental, will be cured only by time, and the destiny of the Libyan people could only be determined by themselves.