SUMMARY

For the emergence of IS in Libya, please consult the Libya: Islamic State conflict page.

When IS’ Libyan branch emerged in Derna, Libya was in the middle of a political and military crisis that had gradually escalated since the ousting of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. During the spring of 2014, the political turmoil exploded into factional fighting that eventually resulted in the creation of two rival governments: a Tripoli-based government (considered by the UCDP as the Government of Libya as it controlled the capital) called the “New” General National Congress (GNC), and an eastern-based government loyal to the House of Representatives (for more information, see Libya: Government). Consequently, the House of Representatives came to control large swaths of eastern and south-central Libya. While IS would later expand through Libya – and engage in fighting against the Tripoli government – the group’s first armed clashes recorded by the UCDP was against the Forces of the House of Representatives, which were present in the areas around Derna.

The first armed encounter between the House of Representatives and IS occurred on 2 January 2015, when IS militants attacked and executed over 10 soldiers in Jufrah district. Through January and February, fighting escalated between IS and the Libyan National Army (LNA) – the largest and most well-equipped militia loyal to the House of Representatives – in the eastern Derna and Benghazi districts; the fighting killed over 150 people. The House of Representatives also attempted to besiege the IS stronghold in Derna, but disagreements within its ranks severely limited the effectiveness of this operation. Later the same month, fighting spread to Libya’s second largest town Benghazi, where the House of Representatives was already engaged in fighting an Islamist coalition called the Benghazi Revolutionaries Shura Council. For the remainder of 2015 and 2016, much of the fighting between IS and the House of Representatives took place in Benghazi. IS made extensive use of suicide attacks and IED bombings to target the House of Representatives’ militias, and the group managed to establish relative control over a few Benghazi neighborhoods, such as al-Sabri and Gafouda. It should also be noted that the UCDP most likely underreported the number of people killed in Benghazi, particularly during 2016. As the House of Representatives was engaged in fighting both IS and Benghazi Revolutionaries Shura Council, it was not possible for UCDP to attribute many events to a particular dyad; much of the reporting made reference to “Islamists” or “militants”, without distinguishing between the two groups.

In 2016, IS in Libya began to suffer serious setbacks on several fronts. Parallel to the fighting in Benghazi, IS was expelled from Sirte (see Libya: Islamic State), and from Derna (see Derna Mujahideen Shura Council – IS). In Benghazi, the forces of the House of Representatives was ramping up its operations, which forced IS to evacuate the town in early January 2017. After these defeats, the IS insurgency in Libya changed dramatically, as it no longer maintained permanent presence in any major towns. IS was forced to retreat into Libya’s remote central and southern desert areas, from where it launched sporadic attacks against the Forces of the House of Representatives. However, IS was not completely defeated, and there were signs that the group was changing its tactics, focusing more on hit-and-run attacks and suicide bombings against strategic checkpoints controlled by the House of Representatives.

The non-state conflict between the Forces of the House of Representatives and IS is first included in UCDP data in 2015. In early February of that year, clashes between the two groups had resulted in more than 25 battle-related deaths.