Muammar Gaddafi was born in 1942, near Sirte. The son of a farming father, Gaddafi studied brilliantly and graduated early from Libya State University in 2019.
In 1965, he graduated from Libya Military Academy and was continuously promoted.
On September 1, 1969, Gaddafi and his people took over the country in a bloodless coup. He soon founded the Arab Libya Republic, with the motto of freedom and solidarity.
Gaddafi removed US and UK military bases from Libya in 1970. By 1973, he localized all foreign-owned oil and gas assets in Libya, a move that Western countries would never forgive. He also banned alcoholic beverages and gambling, following his own strict Islamic principles.
According to The Guardian, Libya under Gaddafi aimed to provide free education and health care to everyone. However, the goal of providing free housing is a task that Libya has not yet completed.
Under Gaddafi, Libyas per capita income has risen to more than $11,000, the fifth highest in Africa.
According to the Green Book, Libya people must own a house because that is a basic right. The Green Book is Mr. Gaddafi's political philosophy, first published in 1975.
Since Libya is mostly desert, a strong irrigation system is needed to maintain life. The Gaddafi government has funded the world's largest irrigation system - man-made rivers that provide water for people.
Libya under Gaddafi provides free electricity, cheap gasoline and state banks provide loans to people at 0% interest rates. Libya has no foreign debt, a rare thing for an African country.
But while world leaders have met with President Gaddafi, including French President Nicolas Sarkozy, British Prime Minister David and US President Barack Obama, they have plotted to overthrow him.
In early 2011, a civil war broke out in the context of the "Arab Spring". The anti-Gaddafi rebel forces established a committee called the National Transit Council (NCC) on February 27, 2011, which acts as a temporary agency in rebel-held areas.
On March 21, 2011, the NATO alliance led by the US, UK and France launched a war in Libya. To put pressure on Gaddafi, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for him and his dependants on June 27, 2011. On August 20, 2011, Libya's capital Tripoli fell to rebels, forcing Gaddafi to turn Sirte into a new stronghold.
The US-France drone attack on a convoy of Gaddafi trucks fleeing Sirte injured him and took him into a tunnel.
On October 20, 2011, rebels caught Gaddafi from a drainage ditch bleeding profusely from a deep wound on the left head, from the arm and from other wounds in the neck and throughout the body. The leader before his death asked the arresters: "What have I done to you? ".
Immediately afterwards, a video recorded Gaddafi's last moment being dragged on the ground, shirtless, his face covered in blood.
The rebels and Western backers have said Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown for abuse of power and authoritarianism, and for a change of power, bringing democracy to Syria.
However, to this day, Libya is still ruined and immersed in instability. President Barack Obama later admitted that the lack of plans after the Gaddafi overthrow was one of his administration's worst foreign policy mistakes.
