Jalal Muhammad Mansur al-Digheily, sometimes transliterated al-Dogheily () is a Libyan politician who served as the Defence Minister of Libya under the

National Transitional Council The National Transitional Council (NTC) was a transitional government established in the 2011 Libyan civil war. After rebel forces overthrew the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya of Muammar Gaddafi in August 2011, the NTC governed Libya for a further ...

during the

2011 Libyan civil war The Libyan civil war, also known as the First Libyan Civil War and Libyan Revolution, was an armed conflict in 2011 in the North African country of Libya that was fought between forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and rebel groups that were ...

. Digheily succeeded

Omar El-Hariri Omar Mokhtar El-Hariri (; – 2 November 2015) was a leading figure of the National Transitional Council of Libya who served as the Minister of Military Affairs in 2011, during the Libyan Civil War. He controlled the National Liberation Army a ...

no later than 19 May 2011 after the latter was relieved over ongoing tensions with General

Abdul Fatah Younis Abdul Fatah Younis Al-Obeidi (; , sometimes transliterated ''Fattah Younis'' or ''Fattah Younes'' or ''Fatah Younes''; 1944 – 28 July 2011) was a Libyan military officer and politician. He served as Libya's interior minister until his resignat ...

, then the National Liberation Army chief. Though El-Hariri held the title of Minister of Military Affairs, virtually all sources have referred to Digheily as the Defence Minister of the National Transitional Council. He was fired along with 14 other members of the 16-person Executive Board on 8 August 2011, but was reappointed in early October 2011 after continuing in the role of interim defence minister for almost two months. When Prime Minister Abdurrahim El-Keib announced his cabinet on 22 November 2011, Digheily was excluded in favor of Zintan Brigade commander Osama al-Juwali.

Background

According to ''

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British newspaper published weekly in printed magazine format and daily on Electronic publishing, digital platforms. It publishes stories on topics that include economics, business, geopolitics, technology and culture. M ...

'', Digheily is a civilian, not a military man. The Jamestown Foundation reported that he holds a

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

2011 Libyan civil war

Unlike his predecessor,

, Jalal al-Digheily was reportedly a member of the Executive Board of the National Transitional Council. Digheily met with the chief of staff of the Qatar Armed Forces on 5 July in

Doha Doha ( ) is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor (city), Al Khor and Lusail, it is home to most of the country's population. It ...

. On 20 July, Digheily visited Nalut in western Libya's Nafusa Mountains. He heralded the alliance forged between

Arabs Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of yea ...

and

Amazigh Berbers, or the Berber peoples, also known as Amazigh or Imazighen, are a diverse grouping of distinct ethnic groups indigenous to North Africa who predate the arrival of Arabs in the Maghreb. Their main connections are identified by their u ...

in the region, expressed confidence in Amazigh fighters' ability to defend the nearby Wazzin border crossing with

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

, and confirmed that the NTC was working with

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

commanders to pinpoint targets loyal to the Libyan Jamahiriya Government, led by

Muammar Gaddafi Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi (20 October 2011) was a Libyan military officer, revolutionary, politician and political theorist who ruled Libya from 1969 until Killing of Muammar Gaddafi, his assassination by Libyan Anti-Gaddafi ...

, whom the NTC was trying to oust, on the western front. He was accompanied by a Qatari representative on his trip to Nalut, a journalist with The Jamestown Foundation reported. Digheily was in

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

when Younis, his top military commander, was assassinated outside

Benghazi Benghazi () () is the List of cities in Libya, second-most-populous city in Libya as well as the largest city in Cyrenaica, with an estimated population of 859,000 in 2023. Located on the Gulf of Sidra in the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean, Ben ...

on 28 July. He chose to continue his business in Egypt rather than return to Libya immediately, drawing criticism and sparking calls for his resignation from some quarters. The members of the Executive Board, including Digheily, were dismissed ''en masse'' on 8 August 2011, and ''de facto'' Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril was asked to form a new board. Digheily's replacement was set to be Salem Joha, a

Misrata Misrata ( ; , Libyan Arabic: ; also spelled Misratah and known by the Italian spelling Misurata) is a city in northwestern Libya located in the Misrata District, situated to the east of Tripoli on the Mediterranean coast near Cape Misrata. ...

n commander favored by Islamist factions, but

Mustafa Abdul Jalil Mustafa Abdul Jalil (; also transcribed ''Abdul-Jelil, Abd-al-Jalil'', ''Abdel-Jalil'', ''Abdeljalil'' or ''Abdu Al Jeleil''; born 6 November 1952) is a Libyan politician who was the Chairman of the National Transitional Council from 5 March 201 ...

interceded and said Digheily would retain his position instead.

Al Jazeera Al Jazeera Media Network (AJMN; , ) is a private-media conglomerate headquartered in Wadi Al Sail, Doha, funded in part by the government of Qatar. The network's flagship channels include Al Jazeera Arabic and Al Jazeera English, which pro ...

claimed that Digheily is also regarded well by Libyan Islamists, with whom liberal politicians like Jibril and Jalil have occasionally clashed during the transitional period. On 22 November 2011, Osama al-Juwali of the Zintan Brigade was announced as Digheily's official successor. Juwali was named after a successful raid by his troops succeeded in capturing Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, one of the leading figures of the old regime who remained at large for a month after the formal conclusion of the war.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Digheily, Jalal Muhammad Year of birth missing (living people) Living people People of the Libyan civil war (2011) Libyan military personnel Members of the National Transitional Council Ministers of defence of Libya