A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER:
This article continues our salute to the independence anniversary of African nations. This acknowledges our respect and appreciation of our brothers and sisters among us as we work together to build better lives.
Libya’s path to independence was shaped by centuries of foreign domination and strategic importance in North Africa. After ancient Berber societies, the region passed through successive rulers, including the Phoenicians, Romans, and later Arab Muslim empires following the spread of Islam in the 7th century. From the mid-16th century, Libya was governed by the Ottoman Empire until Italy invaded in 1911, turning Libya into a settler colony. Italian rule was marked by resistance and repression, particularly against Libyan nationalist movements seeking self-determination.
Italy’s defeat in World War II ended colonial rule, and Libya was placed under temporary UN administration. On December 24, 1951, Libya became the first country to gain independence through the United Nations, forming the Kingdom of Libya under King Idris I. Independence unified the regions of Tripolitania, Cyrenaica, and Fezzan into a single state, laying the foundation for modern Libya, though political instability would later challenge this new sovereignty.