The State of Libya replaced the Jamahiriya after the Battle of Sirte and the murder of Muammar Gaddafi. This new state is still in the process of building itself, because the Jamahiriya left no clear government. Gaddafi turned Libya into one huge bureaucratic apparatus were nobody knew who was in control. By creating confusion about the nature of the state, Gaddafi and his family were able to rule for almost 42 years!
Gaddafi himself used to be an Arab-nationalist. A support of the Egyptian president Nasser. When Nasser died in 1970, Gaddafi age 28 saw himself as the next Arab leader. But the other Arab nations did not liked the idea of submitting to the young Libyan leader. Relations with Egypt deteriorated as president Sadat, made peace talks with Israel. By 1977, Libya left the Federation of Arab Republic's and became known as the ''Socialist'' People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. Muammar Gaddafi tried to invade Egypt, but his army were crushed by the mighty Egyptian Army. The other Arab nations had to ask Sadat not to remove Gaddafi from power, although the Egyptians had made plans to invade Libya!
In November 1977, the flag of the Federation of Arab Republics was replaced by a green flag. This green flag would remain the Libyan banner until October 2011, when the Jamahiriya was overthrown and Gaddafi murdered. Ironically Gaddafi would leave a green legacy. In 1999, he and other African nations created the African Union. Its first flag was broad green horizontal stripe at the top followed by a narrow band of gold. Below is a broad white stripe bearing the then emblem of the African Union at its center followed by a narrow gold band and broad green stripe at the bottom. When Muammar Gaddafi became chairman of the African Union for one year, he changed the flag. This was done in February 2010, one year before the Libyan revolution in Benghazi started!
The new flag of the African Union is a dark green map of the African continent on a white sun, surrounded by a circle of 53 5-pointed gold (yellow) stars, on a dark green field. This flag became almost the second flag of the Great ''Socialist'' People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya as it flew mostly next to the Libyan green banner. It was also the flag that Gaddafi would use when he gave interviews!
With the Jamahiriya now gone, the State of Libya is taking its place in the African Union. There the new Libyan government is faced with a flag that was designed by their former adversary. Also many African nations keep a positive image of the late Gaddafi, because he was among the few who aided African nations against western imperialism during the Cold War. One picture shows the irony of things. Here we see the flag of the former Kingdom of Libya, now used by the State of Libya next to the flag of the African Union created fully by Muammar Gaddafi!
The green flag of the African Union
next to the flag of the State of Libya!
