National Transitional Council

In Libya's civil war of 2011, the Interim National Transitional Council is the umbrella rebel organization. While it is not quite an organized shadow or alternative government, it has been recognized by France and seeks other diplomatic relations in the pursuit of legitimacy.

Its leaders include people previously in the Muammar Gaddafi government, such as Mahmoud Jibril, a U.S.-educated professor and former best friend of Saif Gaddafi, the influential son of Colonel Gaddafi. Jibril was urged back, by the younger Gaddafi, to help in economic policy, but became the TNC foreign affairs representative.

It is generally accepted that intelligence personnel of several nations are talking with the TNC, and probably observing in-country, but their efforts are considered deniable. No overt outside military personnel help the TNC on the ground.

Positions and composition

Leadership of the Council is largely made up of technocrat who had resigned from the government before the rebellion. Many were brought into the government by Saif Gaddafi. There are also representatives from each major rebel city, virtually all of which are in East Libya.

Heading the Council is Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, had been justice minister and was the first high-level official to join the rebels. Gen. Abdel-Fattah Younis, who had headed the police as Interior Minster, quit the government after the revolt had started, and now is their military commander.

Criticism by Gaddafi government

Saidf Gaddafi said “We want the Americans tomorrow to send a fact-finding mission to find out what happened in Libya. We want Human Rights Watch to come here and to find out exactly what happened,” he said. “We are not afraid of the International Criminal Court. We are confident and sure that we didn’t commit any crime against our people.”

He claimed that the opposition is made of terrorists led by al-Qaeda, and suffer from internal divisions. In addition, he denied that government forces had killed hundreds of pro-democracy demonstrators.