SUMMARY
Benghazi Revolutionaries Shura Council (Majlis Shura Thuwar Benghazi, sometimes referred to as BRSC or MSTB) was a radical Islamist umbrella organization active in Libya’s second largest city Benghazi. The various groups comprising the BRSC shared an Islamist and Salafi ideological orientation, and the primary objective of the coalition was to establish an Islamic Emirate ruled by Sharia law in Benghazi, and to limit the influence of the Islamic State (IS) in Libya. The group, which emphasized the importance of jihad, also felt marginalized by the broader, more mainstream, Islamist movement in Libya. It was particularly aggrieved by its perceived marginalization by the General National Congress (GNC), a transitional government dominated by moderate Islamist factions put in place in 2012. Like several other militias, the groups comprising the Benghazi Revolutionaries Shura Council felt that the politicians in Tripoli had abandoned the “revolutionaries” that had been responsible for militarily defeating Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Despite the organization’s enmity with the LNA and the House of Representatives, the Benghazi Revolutionaries Shura Council did not support any of the Tripoli-based governments formed after 2014. The Benghazi Revolutionaries Shura Council thus maintained a “third” position, by not siding with any of Libya’s rival governments. The group was declared defeated by the Forces of House of Representatives in late 2017, but it remains uncertain whether this claim was accurate.
The Benghazi Revolutionaries Shura Council was created by ASL (Ansar al-Sharia in Libya), February 17th Martyrs Brigade, Rafallah al-Sahati Brigade, Libya Shield 1, Brega Martyrs Brigade, and the Jaysh al-Mujahidin militia on 20 June 2014. The merger of these militias came in the context of Operation Karama (“Dignity”), an offensive launched by the LNA leader Khalifa Haftar in May 2014. Operation Karama was intended to purge Libya from the influence of the Islamist factions and militias that had become increasingly powerful since the ouster of Gaddafi in 2011. The Benghazi Revolutionaries Shura Council was not an outright merger of its constituent groups, but functioned as an umbrella that allowed the groups to coordinate their actions. As such, the individual groups did not cease to exist following the creation of the Shura Council. For example, ASL, the largest faction within the umbrella, continued its activities parallel to those of the Benghazi Revolutionaries Shura Council. However, in line with its coing rules, the UCDP codes all violent activities involving the constituent groups as Benghazi Revolutionaries Shura Council following the formal creation of the umbrella organization on 20 June 2014.
Until his death at some point between October 2014 and January 2015, the ASL leader Muhammad al-Zahawi also served as the “Emir” (top commander) of the Benghazi Revolutionaries Shura Council. This also reflected ASL’s position as the most influential faction within the Benghazi Revolutionaries Shura Council. Following the death of al-Zahawi, the Benghazi Revolutionaries Shura Council came under the leadership of Ismail Muhammad al-Salabi, who was also the commander of the Rafallah al-Sahati Brigade. Wisam bin Hamid from Libya Shield 1 and Jalal Makhzum from the Rafallah al-Sahati Brigade served as the Shura Council’s top military commanders.
At the peak of its power in the fall of 2014, the Benghazi Revolutionaries Shura Council controlled most of Benghazi; the only exception was Benina Airport outside the city, which was still held by the LNA . On 30 July 2014, Emir al-Zahawi declared Benghazi an “Islamic Emirate” following the Shura Council’s capture of the base belonging to the Saiqa Special Forces Brigade, a former regular Libyan Army unit that had sided with the LNA . However, as the fighting against the Forces of House of Representatives progressed, the Benghazi Revolutionaries Shura Council gradually lost its territories in Benghazi. In 2014, the Benghazi Revolutionaries Shura Council had access to at least 4500 fighters, but the exact number was not known. However, as the organization included the ASL, February 17th Martyrs Brigade, and Rafallah al-Sahati Brigade, all three considered as among the most powerful militias in eastern Libya, the figure was likely higher. By 2017, following the conflict with the Forces of House of Representatives, the group’s number of fighters had dwindled considerably,.
There were intimate connections between the Benghazi Revolutionaries Shura Council and several other Islamist groups active in eastern Libya. In December 2014, the Derna-branch of the Benghazi Revolutionaries Shura Council’s ASL faction participated in the creation of the Derna Mujahideen Shura Council; the same faction assisted in the creation of the Ajdabiya Revolutionaries Shura Council in March 2015. Furthermore, Benghazi Revolutionaries Shura Council forces expelled from Benghazi were involved in the creation of the Benghazi Defense Brigade (BDB) in 2016. Several of the groups comprising the BRSC were affiliated with the Misrata-based Libyan branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, which strongly condemned the LNA’s attack against the Islamists in Benghazi. As was the case with many Libyan militia groups, the Benghazi Revolutionaries Shura Council was likely affiliated with al-Qaida, two al-Qaida-affiliated groups active in the region; it was indicated that fighters from AQIM even fought alongside Shura Council fighters in Benghazi. However, there was no evidence that neither the Benghazi Revolutionaries Shura Council, nor its constituent groups, ever formally pledged allegiance to al-Qaida.
The Benghazi Revolutionaries Shura Council was also a staunch opponent of the Islamic State (IS), which was seen as an ideological rival; the organization also turned down several calls from IS to pledge allegiance to its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. There were however instances were individual commanders and cadre members defected to join IS.
By late 2017, the Benghazi Revolutionaries Shura Council had lost most of its territory in Benghazi to the Forces of House of Representatives, and it was unclear whether the group would be able to continue is activities.
