Libya has been racked by internal divisions and intermittent civil conflict since a popular armed uprising in 2011 deposed longtime dictator Mu’ammar al-Qadhafi. The country remains split between rival administrations, legislatures, and military factions, and international efforts to bring them together in a unity government have repeatedly failed, preventing long-overdue national elections. A proliferation of autonomous militias, the presence of foreign mercenaries and extremist groups, violations of an arms embargo, and interference by regional powers have all contributed to ongoing insecurity. More than a decade of violence has displaced hundreds of thousands of people, and human rights conditions have generally deteriorated.

• In February, armed forces in Benghazi abducted Sheikh Muftah al-Amin al-Biju, a prominent Sufi Muslim cleric; he apparently remained in arbitrary detention at year’s end, in keeping with a pattern of such enforced disappearances in the eastern territory controlled by militia commander Khalifa Haftar and his Libyan Arab Armed Forces (LAAF) coalition. In May, Ibrahim al-Darsi, a member of the House of Representatives based in eastern Libya, was kidnapped in Benghazi. He remained missing at year’s end. In another case, political analyst Siraj Dughman of the Libya Center for Strategic and Future Studies died in custody in April; he had been one of several prominent academics and political figures arrested by security forces in Benghazi in October 2023 and accused of plotting against the LAAF.
• In July, the Derna Criminal Court convicted 12 current and former officials—including the city’s former mayor—for their role in negligence and mismanagement that led to the 2023 collapse of a major dam, which killed thousands of people and displaced tens of thousands of others. The defendants’ prison sentences ranged from nine to 27 years. However, the investigation and trial were criticized for their lack of transparency and failure to hold key political figures in the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU), eastern Libya’s Government of National Stability (GNS), and the LAAF accountable.
• In August, armed forces affiliated with the GNU in Tripoli put pressure on the country’s central bank in an alleged attempt to compel the resignation of the bank’s governor, Seddik al-Kabir. The LAAF-backed authorities in the east responded by shutting down oil fields and terminals. The crisis was resolved in late September with a United Nations–brokered agreement on the appointment of new central bank leadership.
• Among other cases of violence and militia activity in western Libya, security forces in Tripoli arrested journalist Ahmed al-Sanussi in July after he reported on alleged corruption within the GNU; he was released a few days later and subsequently left the country. In September, unidentified gunmen in Tripoli assassinated Abdulrahman Milad, a naval academy commander and coast guard officer who was also the alleged leader of a criminal human-trafficking operation.
• Despite ongoing disagreement about preparations for national-level elections, the High National Election Commission successfully administered a first set of municipal council elections in 58 towns and cities across the country in November. Candidates ran as independents or on nonpartisan lists. A second group of more than 60 municipalities were scheduled to hold elections in 2025. Meanwhile, a disputed August election for the presidency of the Tripoli-based High Council of State—a quasi-legislative advisory body affiliated with the GNU—led to a protracted rift over council’s leadership that remained unresolved at year’s end.

This report has been abridged for Freedom in the World 2025 due to ongoing budget constraints. Freedom in the World is entirely funded by nongovernmental sources such as private foundations, corporations, and individuals like you. Please consider making a donation to support future editions of this vital resource.

For additional background information, see last year’s full report.