The 2011 Libyan civil war (also referred to as the Libyan revolution) was an armed conflict in the North African state of Libya fought between forces loyal to Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi and his regime and those seeking to depose him. The situation began on February 17, 2011 as a series of peaceful protests which were met with military force by the Gaddafi regime. The protests escalated into an uprising that spread across the country, with the forces opposing Gaddafi establishing a government based in Benghazi named the National Transitional Council whose stated goal is to overthrow the Gaddafi-led government and hold democratic elections. By the begining of March, the uprising had escalated into a full blown civil war.