University of Benghazi Reopens After 11 Years in Historic Milestone, Breaking Three Guinness World Records

Engineer Belqasim Khalifa Haftar's Dream Project Brings One of Libya's Most Prestigious Educational Institutions Back to Life

BENGHAZI, Libya, Sept. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- On September 4, 2026, the University of Benghazi officially reopened all its faculties and facilities following a comprehensive reconstruction and rehabilitation project implemented by the Libyan Development and Reconstruction Fund, headed by its Director General, Engineer Belqasim Khalifa Haftar.

The reopening marked a historic milestone for higher education in Libya, restoring life to the university's main campus after more than eleven years of closure due to the extensive destruction it sustained during the Libyan Armed Forces' war against terrorist groups.

Engineer Belqasim personally followed the project's finest details. What began as a personal dream evolved into one of the Fund's most prominent educational initiatives. In an exceptional achievement, an integrated university city was rebuilt in just three years, providing a modern academic environment designed to serve current and future generations.

Known as the "Mother of Libyan Universities," the University of Benghazi is among the country's oldest and largest academic institutions, with nearly 100,000 students. Over the decades, it has provided free education and graduated generations of scientists, academics, experts and officials who have contributed to building Libya's institutions.

The project covered the Faculties of Engineering, Arts, Law, Science and Languages, alongside the central library, academic and administrative buildings, laboratories, service facilities, student residences, infrastructure and internal roads.

The inauguration ceremony welcomed prominent Libyan figures, ambassadors, international delegations and approximately 240 foreign guests. Led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar and Engineer Belqasim Khalifa Haftar, the event featured 3D mapping, advanced visual effects and an aerial drone performance that achieved three Guinness World Records: an eagle formation, a quill writing "University of Benghazi" across the sky and the formation of a peace symbol.

The Fund has also sent more than 1,000 university students abroad to continue their studies, combining physical reconstruction with investment in human capital.

The achievement forms part of more than 2,300 development projects being implemented across eastern and southern Libya. These include the rehabilitation of universities and educational institutions in Kufra, Al Bayda, Derna, Al Marj, Ajdabiya, Sirte, Brak al-Shati and Murzuq, alongside approximately 250 schools.

The reopening is therefore far more than the return of an educational institution: it restores one of Libya's most prominent scientific and historic landmarks to the heart of national life.

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