Deep night. The Libyan Desert — the north-eastern part of the Sahara.
A tent with a stretched roof but without its front and rear walls. It was here, far from any populated area and under the bright light of a lamp, that our first meeting with the Leader took place.
In the photograph:
Svitlana Lushkaryova — First National Channel;
Olena Nikitenko — Kryla TV Company;
Muammar Gaddafi — Leader of the Libyan Jamahiriya;
Oleksandr Kondratenko — Kryla TV Company.
On 1 September 1969, a military coup took place in Libya, carried out by the underground Free Officers movement, with Muammar Gaddafi among its leaders. The monarchy was overthrown and the Libyan Arab Republic was proclaimed.
On 2 March 1977, following the adoption of the Declaration of Sabha, a new system of government was proclaimed, based ideologically on Muammar Gaddafi's Third International Theory. The country became known as the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.
On 17 February 2011, against the backdrop of the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt, Libya witnessed the so-called “Day of Rage” — mass anti-government demonstrations. These events became one of the key episodes in the confrontation that subsequently developed into a civil war between supporters and opponents of Gaddafi's government.
On 19 March 2011, an international military operation against Gaddafi's forces began. Following the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1973, a coalition of states launched military action, including air strikes. Command of the operation was subsequently transferred to NATO.
On 20 October 2011, Sirte — the last major stronghold of Gaddafi's forces — fell. Muammar Gaddafi was captured and killed that same day.
Who benefited from the death of Muammar Gaddafi?
Debate continues to this day over the reasons for foreign intervention, the political and economic interests of the states involved, and the true nature of the socio-economic model that existed under the Libyan Jamahiriya.
Numerous publications about Libya of that period have referred to extensive state-funded social programmes. Among the benefits and policies frequently mentioned were:
— a comparatively high GDP per capita for the African continent;
— state-funded education and healthcare;
— government support for newly married couples and young families;
— financial assistance following the birth of a child;
— programmes supporting citizens starting their own businesses;
— preferential or interest-free lending;
— government funding for certain educational and medical programmes abroad;
— subsidies for housing, vehicles and other basic social needs;
— substantial public investment in healthcare, education and infrastructure.
However, the specific amounts of social payments and the scale of individual programmes frequently cited in accounts of Gaddafi-era Libya vary considerably between sources and require separate documentary verification.
During the decades of the Jamahiriya, Libya's population grew considerably, infant mortality declined substantially, and average life expectancy increased.
Particular attention was paid to healthcare and education. Libyan citizens who could not obtain certain forms of medical treatment or education within the country could, in certain circumstances, receive government assistance to undergo treatment or study abroad.
One of Libya's most ambitious infrastructure projects was the Great Man-Made River — an enormous water-supply system designed to transport groundwater from Saharan aquifers to the country's populated regions. The project became one of the defining symbols of Libya during the Gaddafi era.
The state also actively supported agricultural development and sought to create favourable conditions for establishing farms.
The public sector played a major role in Libya's economic model, while the Central Bank of Libya remained state-owned.
The idea of African unity occupied a special place in Muammar Gaddafi's political vision. He strongly advocated deeper political and economic integration across Africa and promoted the concept of the “United States of Africa.”
These ambitions were also associated with proposals for a common African currency backed by gold — the so-called African gold dinar.
Some publications and political interpretations have suggested that this initiative may have been among the economic factors behind Western interest in removing Gaddafi's government. However, the claim that the “gold dinar” was the principal or true cause of the 2011 military intervention remains disputed and lacks generally accepted documentary confirmation.
Many years have passed. Libya has changed, the world has changed, and so has our perception of those events.
Yet that September night of 2002 remains forever in our memory: the boundless Sahara, darkness all around us, the bright light of a lamp beneath an open-sided tent — and our first meeting with Muammar Gaddafi.