April 6 (UPI) -- Former Libyan Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril, who took charge of the country nine years ago after the popular uprising that ousted longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi, has died of COVID-19, officials said Monday.
Jibril, 68, died in a Cairo hospital after being admitted 10 days ago with coronavirus symptoms.
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Jibril headed a transitional council that took over the Libyan government immediately after the successful revolt against Gadhafi's regime in 2011, which was part of the wave of "Arab Spring" uprisings against authoritarian rulers in the Middle East.
Three years later, Jibril became head of the National Forces Alliance, a pro-democracy coalition of dozens of secular and independent groups.
Jibril was born in Benghazi in 1952 and earned a master's degree and Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh in the United States in the early 1980s.
The former prime minister served under the Gadhafi regime as a member of the national planning council and economic development board -- a fact some analysts say hindered his efforts to move Libya toward a lasting democracy following Gadhafi's ouster.
Jibril's death was acknowledged Monday by Faiez al-Sarraj, prime minister of Libya's internationally recognized Government of National Accord.
Scenes from a pandemic: World copes with COVID-19
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Health workers register swabs used to test for COVID-19. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo
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A medical worker collects a sample for polymerase chain reaction tests for coronavirus during a simulation for drive-through. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo
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A shop displays the national flag for Remembrance Day and Independence Day. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo
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Palestinians leave the Muscat Medical Center after 21 days in quarantine, following an order to protect against potential coronavirus spread in the Gaza strip. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI | License Photo
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A Catholic priest reads on Palm Sunday in the Old City of Jerusalem on April 5. The traditional Palm Sunday Procession on the Mount of Olives was cancelled due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo
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A woman shops in the Mea Shearim neighborhood in Jerusalem, on April. 2. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo
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Palestinian municipality workers wearing protective gear disinfect a park to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus in Gaza on March 11. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI | License Photo
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Guests have their temperature checked before being allowed to enter an international shopping mall in Beijing on March 10. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo
Chinese President Xi Jinping visits patients via video calls on March 10 at the Huoshenshan Hospital in Wuhan, where the outbreak began. Photo by Ju Peng/EPA-EFE/XINHUA
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A notice posted at St.Thomas's Hospital in London on March 9 proclaims a lack of face masks. Photo by Andy Rain/EPA-EFE
A girl wears a protective face mask outside a shop selling hand sanitizer in Beijing on March 8. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo
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Researchers with the Emerging Infectious Disease branch at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, conduct studies in order to find a solution for the coronavirus, on March 3. Photo by USAMRDC/UPI | License Photo
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Transit workers use a thermal sensor to check a passenger's body temperature at a subway station in Daegu, South Korea on February 21. Photo by Thomas Maresca/UPI | License Photo
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Public service announcements in the subway advise people to wear protective face masks in Beijing on February 6. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo
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Pedestrians wear protective respiratory masks in downtown Beijing on January 21. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo
