ABSTRACT
The British military occupation of Cyrenaica and Tripolitania in 1943 gave birth to strong hopes among the Libyans in Egypt about the possibility of a return to their homeland. Increasingly, the Tripolitanian colony felt the need to find an agreement with the Cyrenaicans regarding the future of Libya. In October 1943, the Tripolitanian Committee established its programme which vowed to respect the territorial unity of Libya without any divisions, oppose the occupation policy and demand unconditional independence and unity; it appealed to the inhabitants of Libya to be in favour of the unification of their country. 1 The same period also coincided with increased political activity within Libya during which time a number of political parties were founded. While independence was their common goal, there was little agreement regarding the means for its attainment. Three main tendencies can be discerned among these movements: those that accepted Idris al-Sanusi as Amir of a united Libya, those who were ready to accept a foreign mandate over the country for a transitional period until independence, and those who dreamt of setting up a democratic, constitutional republic. Exiles, particularly those who had returned from Egypt, played an active role in the formation of these political parties. 2 If, on one hand, the divergent points of view concerning Libya’s political future helped forge the creation of new political parties, on the other, it highlighted the conflicting interests of the big powers, and affected plans for Libya’s independence.
