Photographing the final days of Gaddafi and his last stronghold

A photojournalist describes capturing some of the most memorable moments of the war in Libya.

In February 2011, anti-government protests began in Libya, inspired by the successful uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt. Months later, the demonstrations turned into civil war as forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi faced off against armed opposition groups. Brazilian photographer Mauricio Lima travelled to Gaddafi’s hometown in October 2011, where he witnessed some of the most memorable events of the Libyan conflict. He recounts the last days of the Battle of Sirte and the day the former leader was killed. In October 2011, Sirte, the hometown of late Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, was the last stronghold of his loyalists after seven months of civil war between the Libyan army and anti-Gaddafi forces. It is a conflict that still gives me chills every time I stop to look back at my old photographs, or when I remember those unimaginable sunny days and the cruelties human beings are capable of inflicting on one another in the worst of times.