LIBYA: Timeline of key events since 14 June
CAIRO, July 2011 (IRIN) – Hundreds of thousands of people have fled Libya since an uprising against Muammar Gaddafi’s 41-year rule began in February. Many have reached Italy in unsafe boats and hundreds have died trying to get to neighbouring Tunisia, Egypt, Chad, and Niger.
(Timeline of Libyan events 4 April – 14 June)
Appealing for billions of dollars in aid for several countries, the UN said on 20 July that Libya would require significant humanitarian interventions this year.
14 June: Libyan rebels edge slowly beyond their western stronghold of Misrata towards Tripoli, but face supply shortages after Gaddafi’s forces hit a key refinery in the city.
15 June: The International Organization for Migration says 1,044,864 refugees have reached Egypt, Tunisia, Niger, Algeria and Chad.
16 June: NATO aircraft accidentally hit a column of Libyan rebel forces in the Brega area.
17 June: Italy signs an accord with Libya’s interim rebel government to jointly tackle the migration crisis.
19 June: Libyan officials say a NATO strike hit a civilian house in Tripoli, killing nine residents.
22 June: France, UK reject an Italian call for a halt to military action to allow aid access. China describes rebels as a “dialogue partner”. Libyan TV says “dozens” killed in Zlitan after NATO ships shell the town.
25 June: the International Criminal Court issues an arrest warrant for Gaddafi, accusing him of crimes against humanity.
27 June: NATO planes target government-held areas on the edge of the Nafusa mountains, ending a relative lull in combat in western Libya.
28 June: US Senate Foreign Relations Committee passes resolution supporting the limited use of US military force in Libya for one year.
30 June: A CNEWA report details the high cost Libyan children are paying as a result of the conflict.
2 July: Rebel leaders welcome an African Union offer to open talks with the government in Tripoli without the involvement of Gaddafi.
8 July: Human Rights Watch accuses government forces of laying at least three minefields outside the village of al-Qawalish in the Nafusa mountains.
10 July: Fierce fighting in the western mountains turns half a dozen villages into ghost towns, causing further displacements.
11 July: Italy signals desire for a political solution to the war in Libya that would see Gaddafi “leaving the stage”.
13 July: UK’s Daily Mail says rebels using children to help the war effort.
14 July: At least 442 people cross into Tunisia, bringing the total to 624,466.
15 July: USA formally recognizes Libya’s main opposition group as the country’s legitimate government.
16 July: Libyan rebel forces enter Brega.
17 July: Government forces shell opposition positions near Brega, killing eight and wounding dozens more.
20 July: French foreign minister suggests Gaddafi could stay in country if he relinquishes power.
21 July: NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen gives an upbeat assessment of the progress of opposition forces.
(Sources: Reuters, USAID, The International News, Al Jazeera, The Observer, Associated Press, CNN, CNEWA United States, BBC, Human Rights Watch, NPR, International Business Times, International Organization for Migration)
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