Osama al-Juwaili
Osama al-Juwailiأسامة الجويلي | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Minister of Defense | |
| In office22 November 2011 – 14 November 2012 | |
| Prime Minister | Abdurrahim El-KeibAli Zeidan |
| Preceded by | Jalal al-Digheily |
| Succeeded by | Mohammad al-Bargathi[1] |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1961 (age 64–65) |
| Profession | Trainer Military Commander[2] |
Major General Osama al-Juwaili (Arabic: أسامة الجويلي) is a Libyan military officer who served as Minister of Defence in the government of Abdurrahim El-Keib, Libya's interim Prime Minister. Since the formation of the Government of National Accord (GNA) in 2015, al-Juwaili served it as a senior commander, since 2017 being the commander of the Western Military Zone. On 6 April 2019 he became the commander of the joint operations room, created by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj to coordinate military operations since the start of the 2019 Western Libya offensive.
He fought in the First Libyan Civil War against the government of Muammar Gaddafi. Immediately prior to his appointment on 22 November 2011, Juwali's Zintan Brigade, a band of anti-Gaddafi fighters based in Zintan in Libya's Nafusa Mountains, located and captured Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, one of the former Libyan leader's most prominent sons, in the Libyan Desert.[3] al-Juwaili is said to be aligned with the Tripoli Revolutionary Council (TRC) led by Abdullah Naker,[4] who warned in an interview 18 November that his men could overthrow the government even before it was appointed if it failed to meet their demands for representation.[5][6]
Studied "Electronic Support" and Graduated from the Tripoli Military Academy in 1982, he remained to be a trainer at the academy until 1987. He resigned from the army in 1992 with rank of captain. Juwali was then appointed as head of the Vocational Guidance center in Yifrin part of the Libyan Ministry of Workforce and Training. He defected to the anti-Gaddafi forces during the 2011 civil war, becoming the head of Zintan's military council. His uncle was reportedly a deputy governor of the Central Bank of Libya under Gaddafi.[2]
In August 2022, Juwaili was involved in Fathi Bashagha's failed attempt to take Tripoli and overthrow the UN-recognized government of Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh.[7][8]
Political life
Juwaily met with Major General Isa Saif Al Mazrouie, Deputy Chief of Staff of the UAE Armed Forces in Tripoli on 6 December 2011 and discussed areas of cooperation between the two countries and ways of enhancing them, especially in the military sector.[10]
Since January 2012 Juwaily is responsible for integrating the rival militias into a fully functioning army and police force.[11]
References
- ^"Barghathi removed as Defence Minister".
- ^ ab"PENPIX-Ministers in new Libyan government". Reuters. Reuters. 22 November 2011. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
- ^"Gaddafi son capturer Osama al-Juwali appointed Libya Defense Minister". PanARMENIAN. 22 November 2011. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
- ^Misrata Militia In Tripoli Clashes With Local GroupArchived 2015-10-01 at the Wayback Machine. Libyan Embassy in the UK. January 2012.
- ^Libyan rebel chief warns Egypt over pro-Gaddafi TVMSNBC Africa. 31 December 2011.
- ^Militia warning as Libyan PM forms governmentReuters Africa. 18 November 2011.
- ^"Libya: Tough Choices After Bashagha's Failure". Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
- ^Magdy, Samy (2022-06-02). "Divided again, Libya slides back toward violence, chaos". Associated Press. Retrieved 2025-11-03.
But Bashagha faced stiff resistance from militias loyal to Dbeibah, leading to hourslong clashes that rocked the city until Bashagha withdrew and a day later set up his government headquarters in the coastal city of Sirte, half way between Libya's power centers in the east and the west. The withdrawal emboldened Dbeibah, who promptly sacked Qaddur and another military official, Osama Juwaili, who heads the military intelligence agency. The dismissal of Qaddur was subsequently reversed by the presidential council — an apparent crack within Dbeibah's camp. According to an official close to Dbeibah, the Tripoli-based prime minister is convinced Bashagha could not have entered the Libyan capital without "approval or coordination" with Juwaili, a powerful figure from the western city of Zintan, and also Qaddur.Juwaili's forces, the official said, manned checkpoints and control areas near Gharyan, a town south of Tripoli, where Bashagha's convoy passed on its way to the capital. The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence details.
- ^https://www.war.gov/Multimedia/Photos/igphoto/2002013268/
- ^"Libya Prime Minister receives Deputy Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces". Zawya (in Arabic). 6 December 2011. Archived from the original on 1 July 2012. Retrieved 7 December 2011.
- ^Libya to include rebels in military from JanuaryReuters, 26 December 2011.
