Libyans in Tripoli mark 10 anniversary of uprising

Libyans on Wednesday marked the 10th anniversary of their 2011 uprising that led to the overthrow and killing of longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi.

Many have their eyes on a recently appointed government tasked with leading Libya through elections later this year, with hopes of unifying the divided nation.

Celebrations began late on Tuesday in the capital, Tripoli, where people gathered in the city's main square amid tight security.

Key streets and squares had been cleaned and decorated with banners and photos marking the anniversary.

There were also celebrations in the eastern city of Benghazi, once known as the birthplace of Libya's 2011 uprising.

Holding Libyan flags, a few people gathered in the city's square despite a wave of cold weather that hit the country this week.

Libyans took to the streets 10 years ago, shortly after protests led to the overthrow of Tunisia's Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and Egypt's Hosni Mubarak, in what became known as the Arab Spring.

Libya has become one of the most intractable conflicts, along with Yemen and Syria, left over from the 2011 uprisings.

In the years that followed Gadhafi’s ouster, the North African country has descended into chaos and has become a haven for Islamic militants and armed groups that survive on looting and human trafficking.

The oil-rich country has for the past several years been split between rival administrations: a U.N.-backed, but weak government in Tripoli - a city largely controlled by an array of armed factions - and an eastern-based government backed by strongman Gen. Khalifa Hifter.

Each is backed by foreign governments.

There have been devastating bouts of violence.

The latest began in April 2019, when Hifter, who is backed by the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Russia, launched an offensive seeking to capture Tripoli.

His campaign collapsed after Turkey stepped up its military support for the Tripoli administration with hundreds of troops and thousands of Syrian mercenaries.

Months of U.N.-led talks resulted in a deal in October that ended hostilities and called for the withdrawal of all foreign forces and mercenaries in three months and adherence to a U.N. arms embargo, provisions which have not been met.

The talks also established a Libyan Political Dialogue Forum, that earlier this month appointed an interim government - a three-member Presidential Council and a prime minister - to lead the country through elections, scheduled for Dec. 24.

The interim government includes Mohammad Younes Menfi, a Libyan diplomat from the country’s east who hails from the tribe of anti-colonial hero Omar al-Mukhtar, as chairman of Libya’s Presidential Council.

Abdul Hamid Mohammed Dbeibah, a pragmatic, well-connected businessman from the western city of Misrata, was appointed prime minister.