2011 — Libya Declares Liberation

On October 23, 2011, Libya declared itself free. Just three days after Muammar Gaddafi, the strongman who ruled for 42 years, was captured and killed in his hometown of Sirte, the National Transitional Council stood in Benghazi and declared the country's liberation. Crowds filled the streets, waving the old tricolor flag that Gaddafi had banned for decades, in celebration of a moment many had waited a lifetime to see.

The announcement ended an eight-month civil war that had drawn in NATO and toppled one of Africa's longest regimes. Libya's leaders promised democracy and a new constitution. The road since has been hard, but October 23 remains the day Libyans mark their freedom.