Libya, 1993 — military coup attempt
Event Summary
The dataset records an event coded as an attempted military coup in Libya on 23 October 1993 against the rule of Muammar Gaddafi, part of a wave of military and tribal unrest that shook his regime in the early to mid 1990s. In October 1993 disaffected army officers, reportedly drawn substantially from the Warfalla tribe, one of Libya's largest, mounted a coup attempt or mutiny against Gaddafi, centered in the Bani Walid area and involving units resentful of the dominance of Gaddafi's own tribal and security networks and of the harsh conditions and marginalization they faced. The revolt was suppressed, and Gaddafi, who over decades had survived many plots by relying on his loyal revolutionary committees, security services, and the playing off of tribal factions, responded with executions and a crackdown on the Warfalla that deepened that powerful tribe's long simmering alienation from his regime.
Gaddafi weathered this challenge as he had the others and ruled Libya for nearly two more decades, until the Warfalla and other tribes turned against him decisively in the 2011 uprising that, with NATO intervention, finally brought him down and cost him his life.
Researched Details
Researched
Independent research, added record by record. Hover any label for what it means.
Sources
Editorial Note
Cross-Reference
Only one dataset carries it. One of the three reference datasets we check against carries this event; the others do not list it. That is not a contradiction — the datasets cover different periods and use different thresholds — but it means the record has had less outside corroboration.
Identifiers for finding this same event in the other datasets:
- Cline Center id
62010231993
How the match is made is described in crossref-report.md.
Outcome and Target
Coup Atlas research identifies the target as: Muammar Gaddafi suppressed the October 1993 military revolt and cracked down on the Warfalla tribe.
Baseline coding: Coup attempt failed to remove the incumbent. Recorded leader fate: remained in office; not physically harmed. The baseline file does not name individual targets; researched names are kept in a separate layer.
Baseline Dataset Citation
Baseline Source-Document Entries
CSP
Powell and Thyne
New York Times
LA Times
This is the citation trail carried by the baseline dataset, grouped by outlet and rejoined from the line-wrapped original. Coup Atlas has not independently re-checked every document; read the original before citing a specific claim. URLs the import damaged beyond safe repair are shown as plain text and listed in citations-report.md. How this list is built →