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Part 2:
The GNC (General National Council) government (loose alliance of moderate islamists and revolutionary leaders formed in surprisingly democratic elections) was basically held hostage by militias from Tripoli and nearby Misrata, while the east of the country was left to its own devices. Murders of people connected with the former regime, not only soldiers and security apparatus members but also journalists and writers were a daily reality in Benghazi. Not only did the government turn a blind eye on this, but in May 2013, it imposed legislation that completely excluded people with positions in Gaddafi's state apparatus from power, which struck not only loyalists but also people who had switched sides joining during the civil war as well as some of the expat opposition. This bill was forced by the pressure of local militias.
General Khalifa Haftar, was a Libyan officer taken prisoner during Gadaffi's war with Chad. After his release, he spent years abroad in opposition circles before returning to join the revolutionary army in 2011. When the GNC extended own mandate in January 2014 to the interim period till next elections, act seen as unlawfull by many, Haftar called for its dissolution, which met with mockery. But just a few months later, supported financially by Egypt and the UAE and recruiting among disgruntled officers and people who lost on the transformation, he organized "Operation Dignity" to contain the situation in Benghazi, eliminating islamists, promising stability and an end to the lawlessness. This lead to fears in the revolutionary camp that Egyptian scenario (the counterrevolutionary takeover by army) may repeat itself in Libya.
The results of the May 25th election were devastating for Islamists and gave a lot of seats to people with anti-Islamic views. This prompted some local militias to open operation "Libyan Dawn" and banish the new government from Tripoli. The operation led to the takeover of the city's International Airport, antagonizing its former "owners". - brigades from nearby Zintan, which were very influential in the city in previous years (their areas are visible on maps as a red enclave under Tripoli). The new government (HoR) moved to Tobruk, and many forces previously skeptical of Haftar, like the Zintan brigades mentioned above, were forced to form an alliance with him.
How did this local war turn into a proxy conflict of the several regional powers? Who benefits? Apart from the obvious issue of hydrocarbon control there are several layers of geopolitical and ideological struggle happening there, following infographic will try to break them down nation by nation and will describe the major internal divisions in Libyan factions: