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Libya was ruled for four decades by the dictator Muammar Gaddafi. But demonstrations in neighboring Tunisia and Egypt in early 2011 sparked an armed revolt. Gaddafi was overthrown and fled. On October 20 of that year he was captured and killed in chaotic circumstances in his hometown of Sirte.
A transitional government was formed, but the fighting continued and since then no one has managed to take control of the entire country.
In 2014, a split occurred, when General Khalifa Haftar broke with the regime in Tripoli and established a rival power center in Tobruk in eastern Libya. There is an alternative parliament, an alternative oil company, and an alternative central bank.
The UN and many Western powers support the Tripoli government, known as the GNA and led by Fayez al-Sarraj. But the Tobruk government also has the support of several major players, such as neighboring Egypt and Russia, who believe that Haftar’s hard gloves are a better guarantor of extreme Islamism.
For the heavy hitters of the EU, France and Germany, Libya is a crucial border country for migration flows to the EU. Anarchy has drawn in refugee smugglers, who have established illegal and potentially deadly routes for migrants from many other African and Asian countries.
Italy has previously reached agreements with Libyan leaders to control migrant smuggling, but the agreements have been that no one has full control over Libyan territory.
