3 Bangladeshis die in Libya evacuation

Mon Mar 7, 2011

At least three Bangladeshi nationals have died and 11 others have gone missing as they fled from a ship transporting them from Libya to Greece.

The Cypriot-flagged ship was carrying 1,280 evacuees, most of them from Bangladesh, to the island of Crete in Greece on Sunday, AFP reported.

"Forty-nine people left the ship" while it was preparing to dock in Souda Bay. "They used a rope to climb down," local coast guard chief Antonis Daskalakis said.

Two of the Bangladeshi nationals drowned at sea and the third died on the way to a hospital, the merchant marine ministry said in a statement.

Coast guard vessels and a rescue helicopter were dispatched to search for the missing, Greece's Ministry of Maritime Affairs said.

It is speculated that the passengers left the ship stealthily because they did not have official papers and feared they would be sent back to Bangladesh.

From the beginning of unrest, the United States, European countries and some Asian countries, including China sent warships and planes to Libya to evacuate thousands of nationals.

However, Bangladesh and African countries have not been able to save their people from the mounting unrest in Libya.

Libyan migration officials say about 2.5 million foreigners, including one million Egyptians, worked in Libya, mostly in the eastern city of Benghazi, before the revolution.

UN refugee agency spokeswoman Melissa Fleming said on Saturday that most of migrant workers in Benghazi have been evacuated and her agency is gearing up efforts to get out 8,000 others, most of whom are from Bangladesh, India and Sudan.

The influx of people to Libya-Tunisia border has been increasing by thousands every day to reach over 100,000 refugees, creating a humanitarian crisis.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/168600.html.

British team heads home after Libyan rebel meet

Sun, 06 Mar 2011

London- A British diplomatic team is on its way back home Sunday after meeting with Libyan rebel groups during a confusing weekend that, at one point, had the British team held prisoner by the Libyans, according to media reports.

London had confirmed earlier Sunday that it has a diplomatic team inside Libya, which had made contact with rebels there, but initially declined to comment on reports that British special forces soldiers guarding the team had been captured by Libyan troops.

Defense Secretary Liam Fox confirmed in an interview on BBC that a "small diplomatic team" was in the eastern city of Benghazi, but declined to discuss the situation further.

"We are in touch with them but it would be inappropriate for me to comment further on that for reasons I am sure you will understand," Fox added.

Asked if the diplomats were in danger, he said "we are in touch with them but I'm not giving further comment on that."

Eventually, as reported by the BBC, it became known that the team landed near Benghazi Friday morning. When confronted, the members of the group said they were unarmed, but a search showed that the six British special forces (SAS) commandos were carrying weapons and passports from four different countries.

At this point, the group was apprehended.

Earlier, the Sunday Times had reported that eight were captured by rebel forces in eastern Libya.

The paper said the soldiers were escorting a junior British diplomat through rebel-held territory who was hoping to make contact with the insurgent forces. It further reported that the British teams presence was not welcomed by the rebel forces, who said that Libyan leader Moamer Gaddafi would use the visit to argue that the opposition had ties to Western powers.

On Sunday, Libyan television began playing a recording of the British ambassador to Libya speaking to a rebel leader, attempting to clear up the "misunderstanding," saying the team had been in country to prepare the way for humanitarian missions.

Later that day, British media reported that the team was on its way back to Malta with further plans to head back to Britain.

It was then that British Foreign Minister William Hague reported the team had difficulties that had been solved. He noted that Britain would, in coordination with the rebels, attempt to send a new team to strengthen the dialogue.

Fox said in a BBC interview that there were a number of different groups in opposition to Gaddafi, and these groups "do seem relatively disparate."

London's aim was to try to "clearly understand what dynamic" was involved "because we want to work with them to ensure the demise of the Gaddafi regime, to see a transition to greater stability in Libya and ultimately to more representative government," Fox said.

He said the effort to get a picture of the situation had been "relatively difficult" with communications being interrupted, problems with mobile phone links and the internet being possibly interfered with.

"So we are trying to build a picture," Fox said. "It's essential that all Western governments do that so we are able to get a clearer idea of what we are able to do in terms of helping the people in Libya."

A Geneva-based human rights group also said it was aware that a team of special forces troops had been seized by Libyan rebels, but was unaware of their nationality.

The Times report said the rebels took the captive SAS soldiers to Benghazi, the largest city held by the opposition, during their detention.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/370517,home-libyan-rebel-meet.html.

Libyan Rebels Capture British SAS Unit

British Troops Sent to 'Offer Help' After Repeated Warnings Against Foreign Meddling

by Jason Ditz, March 05, 2011

Sometimes no really means no.

That’s what the British military learned today when, after a solid week of Libyan rebel leaders insisting that they didn’t want any foreign intervention in the ongoing efforts to oust long-time dictator Moammar Gadhafi, they decided a great idea would be to dispatch a unit of their special forces, the SAS, to Benghazi to “offer help.”

The troops arrived in plain clothes and accompanied a “junior diplomat” who had ostensibly been dispatched to “establish relations” with the opposition’s leadership council. The rebels have been in control of virtually the entire eastern half of the nation plus a number of cities in the west for over a week.

But the rebels’ troops spotted the plain clothes troops and hauled them away, worrying that public support would be damaged if they were seen as a Western-backed coup against Gadhafi, one of the chief reasons they have repeatedly spurned US and British offers of military help.

Though the diplomat’s arrival doesn’t appear to have been a major problem, the protest movement has sought international recognition as the “legitimate government of Libya” over the Gadhafi regime, the fact that he showed up uninvited with a unit of soldiers appears to have angered the rebel leadership council, which immediately ordered the lot of them thrown into a military brig.

Publicly the British Defense Ministry has declined comment on the arrests, saying that they never comment on any activities of the SAS, but officials have said off the record that they don’t expect the matter to escalate and that the rebels are “just making a point.”

The point, which appears to have been lost on Western officials the first hundred times they said it, is that Libya’s protest movement does not want a NATO-led occupation, or any other occupation, and that they feel perfectly capable of taking the rest of the nation on their own, using a combination of the military defectors (which amount to most of Libya’s military) and the massive popular support for Gadhafi’s ouster.

Source: Antiwar.
Link: http://news.antiwar.com/2011/03/05/libyan-rebels-capture-british-sas-unit/.

Algeria Evacuates 3,800 Nationals from Libya

2011-03-05

Algeria has evacuated more than 3, 800 of its citizens from Libya which has been swept by the two- week protest against Muammar Gaddafi's 42-year rule, state-run APS news agency reported Saturday.

Halim Benattalh, a ministerial delegate in charge of Algerian expatriates, said the 3,800 have been evacuated via flights, vans and vessels.

He said Algerian authorities have also evacuated 2,200 foreigners from Libya, adding the 6,000 have fled Libya until Wednesday.

Humanitarian groups said a lot of foreigners in Libya have begun fleeing into Algeria after reports that pro-Gaddafi forces started to guard exit routes to Tunisia and Egypt.

The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said it is seeing fewer people arriving at borders with Tunisia and Egypt. Libya also shares its borders with Sudan and Niger.

Source: CRIEnglish.
Link: http://english.cri.cn/6966/2011/03/05/2801s624343.htm.

Turkey may lose battle to win hearts of Libyan opposition

06 March 2011, Sunday
Mahir Zeynalov, İstanbul

While the international community is strongly pushing major powers to take steps to loosen Libya’s tin-pot dictator’s grip over security forces through numerous sanctions, anti-Western sentiments among the Turkish leadership have increasingly isolated Turkey in fight against the Libyan leader’s atrocities against his own people.

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi continued over the weekend to lead the struggle against armed rebel groups demanding the end of his 42-year rule, allegedly killing up to 6,000 rebels since the start of the conflict.

The United Nations Security Council slapped an arms embargo, a travel ban and an assets freeze on Gaddafi, his family and top associates during an emergency weekend meeting. It also agreed to refer the case to the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague -- a permanent war crimes tribunal -- to investigate and prosecute possible crimes against humanity. But the UN has not yet included an authorization for the use of military force against Libya.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Monday firmly opposed any NATO intervention in the Libyan crisis and strongly criticized European countries for their “double standard” towards developments in North Africa. Erdoğan accused European countries of remaining silent on the killings in Libya.

Gaddafi lashed out against Europe and the United States on Wednesday for pressuring him to step down. “We will fight until the last man and woman,” he vowed, warning that thousands of Libyans will die if the US and NATO forces intervene in the conflict. Erdoğan also slammed those who criticized him for remaining indifferent to the Libyan crisis. “We are ruling a state, not a tribe,” he said, underlining that he needs to act responsibly as a statesman to ensure the safety of Turkish nationals in Libya.

Erdoğan also criticized sanctions and interventions in Libya to stop the bloodshed, claiming that this would hurt people instead of the Libyan regime. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, however, has taken a different route in suggesting that Turkey is closely monitoring the latest UN Security Council resolution regarding Libya sanctions and said Turkey will make any kind of effort to contribute to the implementation of the sanctions.

“Erdoğan is trying to protect his nationalist flank in advance of the upcoming elections,” Henri Barkey from Lehigh University said, adding that the prime minister does not want to appear to be working in tandem with the US or Europe. He said Erdoğan seems worried that he will be accused of collaborating with the West “against Muslims.”

Europe outlined fresh sanctions to force the dictator to stop attacks on civilians and step down after 42 years of iron-fisted rule. The European Union issued travel bans and an asset freeze against senior Libyan officials, and ordered an arms embargo on the country. Germany went further, proposing a 60-day economic embargo to prevent Gaddafi from using oil and other revenues to repress his people. Erdoğan’s remarks in Germany might be targeted against this country’s proposed move, but the prime minister did not elaborate on which sanctions he is against.

Shashank Joshi from Harvard University said Erdoğan’s statement was remarkably hostile and particularly provocative in its claim that “when we [Turkey] look at the Middle East, we are not among those who look at its oil.” “This reflects a serious misunderstanding of Western intent and a complacent attitude towards the possibility of intensifying airstrikes by the Gaddafi regime,” Joshi said.

Libya was also suspended from the top UN human rights body this week. The Arab League, the African Union and the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) have recently condemned the Gaddafi regime for its brutal response to protests.

A columnist at a Turkish newspaper who wanted to remain anonymous said he feels “anti-Western sentiment” in Erdoğan’s remark. Turkey vetoed economic sanctions on Iran for the Islamic republic’s suspected nuclear program on June 12 of last year and frequently uses harsh rhetoric against foreign involvement in its vicinity. The columnist said Turkey is against sanctions because the “Western nations have taken the lead.” He also said what Turkey should do now is wait and try to implement UN sanctions as best as it can.

Joshi said as the stalemate continues in Libya, there is every possibility that Gaddafi will deploy helicopter gunships and jet aircraft against heavily populated defensive positions around capital Tripoli and in the East. He said rather than wait for a repeat of Bosnia’s Srebrenica massacre in 1995 or the indiscriminate violence of Kosovo in 1999, it is imperative that responsible states impose a no-fly zone, adding that this would not be a panacea but would furnish the opposition with breathing space and slightly reduce the chance of an atrocity. “In this respect, Dr. Davutoğlu demonstrates far greater foresight and wisdom than his prime minister,” the expert added.

Joshi noted that Erdoğan is calculating that the regional diplomatic stature he has accumulated over the past five years would be put at risk were he to align himself with a narrow Anglo-American alliance, but he has misunderstood or ignored the clear requests for limited assistance made by coordinated rebel groups in Libya. Barkey said the irony is, of course, that it is Gaddafi who is in the process of killing innocent civilians. If Gaddafi survives, Barkey argued, Turkish business interests in Libya will be protected. However, he warned, the danger for Turkey is that the longer it takes for the regime to change and the bloodier it is, the greater is the likelihood that the new regime in Libya will have less than positive feelings towards the Turkish government.

Source: Sunday's Zaman.
Link: http://www.sundayszaman.com/sunday/newsDetail_getNewsById.action?newsId=237429.

Libya migrants' plight 'desperate'

British minister demands "unfettered access" to help thousands of migrants fleeing violence amid anti-Gaddafi uprising.

05 Mar 2011

Andrew Mitchell, Britain's minister for international development, has said that migrants fleeing violence in Libya are in a "desperate position" and demanded that Libya allow world powers "unfettered access" to help them.

In an interview with Al Jazeera on Saturday, Mitchell blamed Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader, for the plight of those fleeing and said that world powers should be prepared to act.

"The whole of the international community should recognize that there are people in a desperate position inside Libya thanks to the way Colonel Gaddafi is behaving and that the international community must make sure it is able to respond to every eventually," he said.

"We call immediately for unfettered access into Libya for the international community ... It has been cut off by Colonel Gaddafi and we call for it immediately to be reopened."

More than 191,000 people have fled the violence in Libya, according to a report by the UN's Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), citing figures from the International Organization for Migration.

About 3,500 Bangladeshi workers have returned home since the anti-government protests began, according to the OCHA, but tens of thousands of others remain stuck in Libya, where forces loyal to Gaddafi are suspected of preventing many from crossing the border.

Migrants 'trapped'

People fleeing Libya for Tunisia said they had to pass through dozens of checkpoints on their way from Tripoli, the capital, and that they had been robbed by Gaddafi's security forces.

Some people who crossed into Tunisia in the last two days have reported seeing thousands of fellow migrant workers on the Libyan side, but UN officials said it was unclear why they were not approaching the border.

Speaking to Al Jazeera's David Frost, Antonio Guterres, the UN high commissioner for refugees, warned that many, mainly African, workers trapped in Libya were at risk.

Guterres said Gaddafi's use of African mercenaries had generated popular suspicion towards anyone from sub-Saharan Africa.

"There are hundreds of thousands of African workers in Libya, and very few have shown up at the borders," he said.

"We have received phone calls from people in a desperate situation, afraid of leaving their homes. It's the situation of these African communities inside Libya that now corresponds to our biggest concern."

Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary general, is expected to name a special envoy to Libya in coming days. Abdul-llah Khatib and Marwan Muasher, both Jordanian diplomats, are said to be under consideration for the post.

Humanitarian aid

Tunisia is readying for an influx of hundreds more people fleeing the unrest in the coming days.

Algeria and Egypt, as well as France and Italy, have also all mobilized to receive and repatriate refugees.

In Algeria authorities said they were reinforcing their reception capacity for refugees from Libya with a new facility at Ifri, about 2,000km southeast of Algiers.

A humanitarian convoy left Tabessa in the far east of Algeria for the border between Libya and Tunisia to help refugees, the Algerian news agency APS said.

Also on Saturday, an Italian navy patrol boat set out for Libya on Saturday with a cargo of aid, as part of a humanitarian mission, the Italian defense ministry said.

The "Libra" carried tents, 4,000 blankets, water purification kits, power units and first aid kits to Benghazi, the second largest city in Libya and a stronghold for anti-government fighters.

Before the uprising in Libya there were 2.5 million migrant workers in the country, including one million Egyptians, migration officials say.

Most were in the eastern city of Benghazi, which is held by the rebels.

Source: al-Jazeera.
Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/03/201135165632260669.html.

List of Hizb ut-Tahrir activists martyred by Gaddafi

Tuesday, 22 February 2011

Gaddafi has a long history of brutal suppression and murder of Muslims in Libya. In light of recent events where hundreds of Muslims have been martyred by the Libyan regime we list some of those activists from Hizb ut-Tahrir who were martyred previously to show Gaddafi's actions are nothing new. His oppression continued with the full support of Britain, America and the EU despite what they say now.

Mohammed M. Ramadan, 11 April, 1980, London. Journalist and announcer at BBC, Arabic section. Assassinated by Gaddafi operatives outside Regent Park mosque. Libyan regime refused him burial in Libya and returned the body to be buried in London. Two Libyans were tried for the crime and in Sep. '80, sentenced to life in prison.

Mohammed M. Hfaf, 7 April 1983, Tripoli. Student. Imprisoned in April '73, accused of membership in Islamic Liberation Party (Hizb ut-Tahrir). Ten years later, on 7 April '83, executed by hanging in College of Engineering, Tripoli.

Abdallah A. al-Mesallati, April, 1984, Tripoli. Student. Arrested on April 16, 1973, charged with membership in Islamic Liberation Party (Hizb ut-Tahrir), sentenced to prison. Retried by Revolutionary Courts, sentenced to death, and executed in Tripoli Central Prison.

Abdul Aziz al-Gharably, April, 1983, arrested. Student, Tripoli. Suspected of membership in political party. Died in Jan. '84 as a result of torture and lack of medical care.

Hasan A. al-Kurdi, April 1984. Arrested among hundreds in Spring '73. In June, accused with nine others of membership in Islamic Liberation Party and of writing articles opposing the regime. On 7 Dec. '73, the Revolutionary Council issued resolution to stop the courts and release the accused. Re-arrested on the same day and held without trial until Feb. '77, sentenced to 15 years in prison, days later, the sentence increased to life imprisonment. Executed in prison without trial, April 1984.

May Allah سبحانه وتعالى accept them as shuhada and even if some Muslims forget their sacrifices, Allah سبحانه وتعالى will not, nor the countless more Muslims who were disappeared, imprisoned, tortured and killed.

This list is excerpted from more extensive list in al-Inqadh Magazine, Vol. 10, Issue No. 37, September 1991, Pages 80-105, published by Libyan opposition group NFSL.

Gadaffi carried out a personal crusade against Hizb ut-Tahrir ever since the Party sent a delegation to discuss with him his denial of the validity of the ahadith of the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم. After four hours of discussion wherein they proved that the ahadith were a source of Sharia like the Quran, the Party distributed reports of the discussion. So incensed was Gaddafi that he murdered thirteen members; they were hanged in universities and schools in front of their teachers, pupils and families. One of them was brought down still alive, he was hung a second time, then they tied his body to the back of a car which was driven in full view of his family and sons.

May Allah grant the martyrs the highest place in Jannah. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:

سَيِّدُ الشُّهَدَاءِ حَمْزَةُ بْنُ عَبْدِ المُطَّلِبِ وَ رَجُلٌ قَامَ إِلَى إِمَامٍ جَائِرٍ فَأَمَرَهُ وَ نَهَاهُ فَقَتَلَهُ

"The master of the martyrs is Hamza ibn Abdul Mattalib, and a man who stands (in front of) an oppressive ruler and enjoins the good and forbids the evil and so is killed for it." [Haakim]

Source: Khalifah.
Link: http://www.khilafah.com/index.php/activism/africa/11323-list-of-hizb-ut-tahrir-activists-martyred-by-gaddafi.

Syria send ships to evacuate nationals from Libya

February 24, 2011

Two ships left Syria Thursday for Libya to evacuate Syrians there from turmoil, Syrian official news agency SANA reported.

The Syrian transport ministry is seeking to hire additional ships to secure the evacuation of Syrian nationals from the violence in Libya, Syrian Transport Minister Yarub Badr was quoted by SANA as saying.

Ghaida Abdullatif, the director general of the Syrian Arab Airlines, said the institution would continue to run flights to the airport in the Syrian capital of Tripoli, adding that additional flights would be put into operation after getting necessary permission.

Resources estimate the number of Syrians in Libya at 150,000 to 20,000. Syrian Ambassador to Libya Hilal al-Atrash confirmed that no casualty was registered in the Syrian community in Libya.

Source: People's Daily.
Link: http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90777/90855/7299425.html.

Qaddafi's Regime Will Fall in Days, Houni Tells Al-Hayat

By Massoud A. Derhally - Feb 23, 2011

Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi’s regime has a matter days before it falls, Al-Hayat reported, citing Major Abdel Moneim al-Houni, a former member of Libya’s revolutionary command council who resigned as the country’s ambassador to the Arab League on Feb. 20.

Houni told the Saudi-owned newspaper that Imam Moussa al- Sadr, chairman of Lebanon’s Shiite Islamic Council, who went missing on a visit to Libya in August 1978, was killed and buried in the Sabha region in the southern part of the north African country. Houni said his brother-in-law, who was the pilot of Qaddafi’s private plane, was tasked with transporting Sadr’s to Sabha and was killed himself shortly after doing so to keep the crime secret.

Lebanon’s examining magistrate issued a summons in 2008 for Qaddafi to appear for questioning about Sadr. Relations between Libya and Lebanon were strained by the disappearance of the cleric and two of his aides. Libya has always maintained that Sadr left the country to Italy.

Source: Bloomberg.
Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-23/qaddafi-s-regime-will-fall-in-days-houni-tells-al-hayat.html.

Hamas condemns violence against Libyan protesters

February 22, 2011

Islamic Hamas movement, which controls the Gaza Strip, on Tuesday condemned violence by the Libyan forces against protesters.

A statement by Hamas said that the movement "strongly condemns massacres, airstrikes and artillery fire against Libyan people by the Libyan regime."

Protests have been reported in several cities in Libya, where people call for an end of leader Moammar Gaddafi's 42-year rule.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian leadership said it hopes that peace, security and stability would prevail in Libya.

Nabil Abu Rdineh, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said the incidents in Libya were "internal affairs."

Libya was rocked by unrest in the past week with unconfirmed media reports of hundreds of protesters killed in clashes with the security forces.

The United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-Moon called for an immediate end to the violence in Libya given the report that the Libyan government used war planes and helicopters against demonstrators, according to the statement from Ban's spokesman.

Source: People's Daily.
Link: http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90777/90854/7296429.html.

Libyan Embassy in Malaysia condemns 'massacre,' distances itself from Gadhafi's regime

Feb 21, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — The Libyan Embassy in Malaysia is distancing itself from Moammar Gadhafi's regime, and has condemned the "barbaric" killing of civilians protesting against him.

An embassy statement says it will "stand with our Libyan nationals."

It says, "We strongly condemn the barbaric, criminal massacre ... of our innocent civilians."

The statement was issued Tuesday after embassy officials opened the compound's gates to about 200 Libyans in Malaysia, mainly university students.

They staged a peaceful protest for about an hour, chanting, "Game over, Gadhafi!"

Embassy official Osama Saleh said the ambassador and most other staff planned to return to work Wednesday, and that no diplomats in Malaysia were stepping down.

Copyright © 2011 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Libyan unit "defects" as more Arab protests simmer

TRIPOLI/MANAMA | Sun Feb 20, 2011

(Reuters) - Members of a Libyan army unit said they had defected and "liberated" the country's second city from forces loyal to veteran leader Muammar Gaddafi after scores of protesters were killed in the bloodiest revolt now shaking the Arab world.

Two residents of Benghazi told Reuters on Sunday that members of the army's "Thunderbolt" squad had switched sides after days of violence that mark the most serious challenge to Gaddafi's 42-year rule. Al Jazeera reported clashes in the capital between thousands of protesters and Gaddafi supporters.

Revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt have shaken the Arab world and inspired protests across the Middle East and North Africa, threatening the grip of long-entrenched leaders.

In the Gulf kingdom of Bahrain, thousands of protesters gathered in a square in Manama, calling for political change and awaiting promised talks with the island's Sunni rulers.

But after days of violence, the mood among the mainly Shi'ite protesters appeared to be more conciliatory.

Unrest also hit Yemen, Tunisia, Morocco, Oman, Kuwait, Algeria and Djibouti over the weekend as people took to the streets demanding political and economic change.

In Iran, thousands of security personnel deployed in the streets of Tehran and other cities to prevent protesters rallying in spite of a ban, opposition websites said.

But the most dramatic developments were in Libya.

Al Jazeera, citing unnamed sources, said thousands of protesters clashed with supporters of Gaddafi in Tripoli's Green Square.

In the port city of Benghazi, two residents said members of the army's Thunderbolt squad had arrived at the local hospital with soldiers wounded in clashes with Gaddafi's personal guard.

"They are now saying that they have overpowered the Praetorian Guard and that they have joined the people's revolt," lawyer Mohamed Al-Mana said by telephone. It was not possible to independently verify the information.

Habib al-Obaidi, who heads the intensive care unit at Benghazi's Al-Jalae hospital, said at least 50 people had been killed and 100 seriously wounded since 1300 GMT on Sunday.

"Today has been a real tragedy ... since 3 p.m. (1300 GMT) and up to 9.15 pm, we received 50 dead, mostly from bullet wounds," he said. "There are 200 wounded, 100 of them are in very serious conditions."

Human Rights Watch said 84 people were killed on Saturday and 20 overnight, bringing the toll by Sunday morning to 173.

One witness had earlier said that many police and soldiers had joined protesters.

Another witness said security forces had opened fire on protesters demanding an end to the 41-year rule of Gaddafi, who has responded to the biggest challenge of his power with ruthless force.

Benghazi residents said tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands of protesters had taken to the streets to bury some of the dead.

The clamor for reform across a region of huge strategic importance to the West and the source of much of its oil began in Tunisia in December. The overthrow of President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali then inspired Egyptians to rise up against strongman Hosni Mubarak, overthrowing him on February 11.

The tide has challenged Arab leaders, including many who have long been backed by the West as vital energy suppliers and enemies of Islamist militants. While each uprising has its own dynamics, from religion to tribalism, all protesters seem united by frustration over economic hardship and a lack of political freedom under entrenched elites.

U.S. SAYS GRAVELY CONCERNED

The United States said it was "gravely concerned" by credible reports of hundreds of deaths and injuries in Libya, and warned its citizens to delay travel there.

"Libyan officials have stated their commitment to protecting and safeguarding the right of peaceful protest," said Philip Crowley, assistant secretary of state, in a statement.

"We call upon the Libyan government to uphold that commitment, and hold accountable any security officer who does not act in accordance with that commitment."

U.S. Embassy dependants were being encouraged to leave the country.

In Bahrain, the main opposition party said it wanted the crown prince to show signs of addressing opposition demands before any formal dialogue could start.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the Bahraini government should step up reform efforts rather than attacking peaceful protesters.

Crown Prince Sheikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa, of the ruling Sunni Muslim dynasty, made conciliatory noises after days of violence in which six people died.

"All political parties in the country deserve a voice at the table," he told CNN. "I think there is a lot of anger, a lot of sadness...We are terribly sorry and this is a terrible tragedy for our nation," said the prince, who is seen as a reformist.

But Ibrahim Mattar, a lawmaker of the main opposition Wefaq party, said that they wanted the crown prince to show signs of addressing their demands before any formal dialogue could start.

"We are waiting for an initiative from him, with a scope for dialogue," he said, adding that the prince should "send a small signal he is willing to have a constitutional monarchy."

The opposition is demanding a constitutional monarchy that gives citizens a greater role in a directly elected government. It also wants the release of political prisoners.

On the crown prince's orders, troops and armored vehicles left Manama's Pearl Square on Saturday, which they had occupied after a police attack on protesters who set up a tent city there. The demonstrators quickly reoccupied the square.

Speculation was growing that Prime Minister Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa, in office since independence from Britain in 1971, would be replaced by the crown prince, who has pushed aside for now the hawks in the royal court.

Shi'ites complain of unfair treatment in Bahrain, an ally of the United States, whose Fifth Fleet is based there.

In Tunisia on Sunday, security forces fired into the air as tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered downtown to call for the replacement of the interim government -- a sign that problems are not all swept away with the removal of a dictator.

In Yemen, the leader of the secessionist Southern Movement was arrested and shots were fired at a demonstration in the capital Sanaa on the ninth consecutive day of unrest.

Thousands are demanding the departure of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who called for dialogue with the opposition.

But the coalition of main opposition parties said there could be no dialogue with "bullets and sticks and thuggery," or with a government "which gathers mercenaries to occupy public squares ... and terrorize people."

At least 2,000 protesters gathered in a square in Morocco's capital on Sunday to demand that King Mohammed give up some of his powers and clamp down on government corruption.

(Reporting by Reuters bureau; Writing by Diana Abdallah; editing by Mark Trevelyan)

Source: Reuters.
Link: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/20/us-protests-idUSTRE71F41K20110220.

Libya's ambassadors to India, Arab League resign in protest against government

21/02/2011

Libyan Ambassador to India Ali al-Essawi resigned in protest against his government's violent crackdown on demonstrators who have called for the ouster of the country's leader, Muammar Gaddafi, the Indian Express daily website reported on Monday.

Ambassador al-Essawi also accused the government of using foreign mercenaries to break up mass protests.

There was no immediate comment from the Libyan Embassy in New Delhi.

Libyan security forces began withdrawing from the country's capital Tripoli on Monday, the satellite channel Al-Jazeera reported.

On Sunday evening, Libya's permanent representative in the Arab League, Ambassador Abdel Moneim al-Huny, announced his resignation to protest Libyan authorities' use of violence against demonstrators, Al-Masry Al-Youm news agency reported.

Protests in Libya, one of the world's major oil suppliers, started on February 15 amid violent anti-government demonstrations across the Middle East. Riots are largely centered in the eastern cities of Benghazi, Bayda and Tobruk, but there are reports that unrest has been spreading to the west of the country as well.

The human rights organization Human Rights Watch reported that the death toll has reached at least 233, but Libyan authorities have confirmed the death of 84 people.

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, a son of President Gaddafi, has blamed opposition members outside the country of organizing protests in Libya.

Libyan protesters have reportedly attacked the state television center and set several public buildings on fire in the capital.

NEW DELHI, February 21 (RIA Novosti)

Source: RIA Novosti.
Link: http://en.rian.ru/world/20110221/162698818.html.

Nearly 100 killed in Libyan crackdown on unrest

By MAGGIE MICHAEL, Associated Press – Sat Feb 19

CAIRO – Libyan forces opened fire on mourners leaving a funeral for protesters Saturday in the flashpoint city of Benghazi, and a medical official said 15 people were killed, with bodies piling up in a hospital and doctors collapsing in grief at the sight of dead relatives.

The deaths pushed the overall estimated death toll to 99 in five days of unprecedented protests against the 42-year reign of Moammar Gadhafi. Government forces also wiped out a protest encampment and clamped down on Internet service throughout the North African nation.

As relatives buried their dead, they fell victim to a mixture of special commandos, foreign mercenaries and Gadhafi loyalists armed with knives, Kalashnikovs and even anti-aircraft missiles trying to quell the demonstrations, witnesses said.

"The blood of our martyrs is still leaking from coffins over the shoulders of the mourners," one female protester, who is also a lawyer, said while standing in front of about 20 coffins lined up in front of the Northern Court building in Benghazi, Libya's second-largest city and the epicenter of the current unrest.

Before Saturday's violence, Human Rights Watch had estimated at least 84 people have been killed.

Hospitals ran low on medical supplies and were packed with bodies shot in the chest and head, said the medical official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of fears of reprisal.

"Many of the dead and the injured are relatives of doctors here," the official, who provided the figure of 15 dead, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "They are crying, and I keep telling them to please stand up and help us."

Information is tightly controlled in Libya, where journalists cannot work freely, and some of the accounts could not be independently confirmed. Other information comes from opposition activists in exile.

Gadhafi has been trying to bring his country out of isolation, announcing in 2003 that he was abandoning his program for weapons of mass destruction, renouncing terrorism and compensating victims of the 1986 La Belle disco bombing in Berlin and the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am airliner over Lockerbie, Scotland.

Those decisions opened the door for warmer relations with the West and the lifting of U.N. and U.S. sanctions, but Gadhafi continues to face allegations of human rights violations in the North African nation.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague called reports of the use of snipers and heavy weapons against demonstrators in Libya "clearly unacceptable and horrifying," and criticized restrictions on media access.

Before the Internet was shut down, videos posted on a Facebook page showed Libyan protesters smashing a stone representation of the "Green Book," which is Ghadhafi's manifesto, as well as destroying billboards of the Libyan leader. Video of torched Revolutionary Committees buildings also were posted.

Protesters say that defiance is growing with the increasing bloodshed and attempts by authorities to silence them by offering financial compensation to relatives of the dead.

"Gadhafi's men came to us and tried to bribe many of our colleagues," said the female protester, but she added that the opposition would not agree to any negotiations with the regime because of the bloodshed.

Her account could not be verified independently but was identical to those of several others contacted by the AP.

Hatred of Gadhafi's rule has grown in Benghazi in the past two decades. Anger has focused on the shooting deaths of about 1,200 inmates — most of them political prisoners — during prison riots in 1996.

Families of the dead since then have been holding small demonstrations calling for the prosecution of those responsible for the killings. But the current protests have been larger, apparently spurred by revolts that ousted the Tunisian and Egyptian leaders.

"There's no turning back," said Mohammed Abdullah, a Dubai-based member of the Libyan Salvation Front. "It is over for Gadhafi."

According to several accounts, police in Benghazi initially followed orders to act against the protest but later joined with them because they belong to the same tribe and saw the foreign mercenaries taking part in the killings.

A similar scenario took place in other eastern cities, including Beyda, which once housed Libya's parliament before Gadhafi's military coup in September 1969 toppled the monarchy.

Protests spread to outside the southern city of Zentan and west to Mesrata, the third-biggest city in Libya.

"Now people are tearing down the posters of Gadhafi. This never happened before," a protester from Mesrata said by phone who did not want to give his name because of fear of reprisal.

The capital of Tripoli, however, remained a stronghold of support for Gadhafi, with security forces swiftly curbing small protests erupting in the outskirts. Secret police were heavily deployed on the streets, as residents kept their opinions and emotions secret.

Residents reported receiving short messages on their mobile phones warning about taking any action against Gadhafi, national security and the oil industry, which are among "red lines" in Libya that must not be crossed.

A female protester said she tried to rally people in the streets Friday but ended up among 150 protesters detained by police at the end of the day. She was let go because she was the sole woman among them.

"It is very, very difficult for protesters to appear in the streets of Tripoli, except at night. People are under siege and those who dare to show up are arrested," she said.

State-run media show only footage of the flamboyantly dressed Gadhafi, which it called "the inspiring leader," waving to hundreds of cheering loyalists.

Libyan author Hisham Matar, whose novel "In the Country of Men" was shortlisted for the 2006 Man Booker Prize, said the regime wants to make "an example of Benghazi."

"The danger now is that because of the extraordinary impunity with which the Gadhafi regime and security apparatus are able to act, we might see the death toll rise even higher," said Matar, whose father, a political dissident, was kidnapped in Egypt in 1990 and never seen again.

110 Jordanians arrive from unrest-hit Libya

Saturday, 26 February 2011

Amman, February 26 (Petra) -- 110 Jordanian citizens arrived in Amman Saturday morning coming from Libya within a continued evacuation process ordered by His Majesty King Abdullah II to airlift Jordanians wishing to return home.

Jordanian Ambassador to Libya Monther Qaba'ah said the citizens were flown home by a Jordan Aviation plane. He added that a Royal Jordanian aircraft will bring home another batch of Jordanian citizens from Tripoli airport.

Source: Jordan Directions.
Link: http://www.jordandirections.com/2011022619570/local/110-jordanians-arrive-from-unrest-hit-libya.

Jordan's Muslim opposition say protests to resume; Government condemns Libya's crackdown

By Dale Gavlak (CP) – Feb 22, 2011

AMMAN, Jordan — Jordan's powerful Muslim Brotherhood vowed to resume protests, saying Tuesday that the government did not keep a promise of speedy reforms.

The announcement puts added pressure on Jordan's King Abdullah II to give up some of his sweeping powers, but is not seen as a threat to his rule. Opposition figures have called on the king to surrender the authority to appoint Cabinets and dissolve parliament.

Under pressure from street protests inspired by uprisings roiling the Arab world, Abdullah instructed his government earlier this month to enact "quick and real" political reforms, allowing greater public say in the decision-making.

However, protesters say little has been done so far to meet their demands, such as changing a controversial election law, which the Brotherhood says favors the king's loyalists. The Brotherhood is Jordan's largest opposition group.

The Brotherhood and its political wing, the Islamic Action Front, had refrained from participating in protests for the past two weeks, saying they wanted to give newly appointed Prime Minister Marouf al-Bakhit a chance to carry out reforms.

However, Brotherhood spokesman Jamil Abu-Bakr said Tuesday that the government installed on Feb. 9 has not carried out the promised reforms.

He condemned attacks on protesters last Friday in Amman, which saw eight wounded in the first violence in weeks of demonstrations.

Abu-Bakr claimed that "thugs" were used or hired to carry out "aggression by groups that do not want reforms."

He urged the government to take action against those behind the attack and move quickly toward reform.

Meanwhile, Jordan urged Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi to halt his bloody crackdown on a weeklong uprising in the North African nation, signaling growing frustration across the Middle East with the longtime ruler's harsh response.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammed Kayed said that "spilling the blood of the brotherly Libyan people must stop immediately."

Jordan's relations with Libya have often been bumpy because Gadhafi is a vocal critic of Jordan's peace treaty with Israel.

About 500 protesters, including eight Jordanian women lawmakers, unionists and Brotherhood leaders gathered outside the Libyan embassy in Amman, demanding Gadhafi's ouster. They chanted: "Gadhafi, get out; Libya must be freed."

Also Tuesday, Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh sent a supportive message to Bahrain, where anti-government protests have rattled the monarchy.

Jordan has historically maintained warm relations with Bahrain, another Arab kingdom with similar pro-Western outlook and close alliance with the United States.

Jordan is concerned that unseating the Bahraini king would set a precedent, ultimately undermining other Arab monarchies.

___

Associated Press writers Jamal Halaby and Sameer N. Yacoub in Amman contributed reporting.

Copyright © 2011 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Gaddafi blames al-Qaeda for revolt

WARNING: Article contains propaganda!

* * * * *

Embattled Libyan leader says protesters being manipulated as pro- and anti-government forces clash across the country.

25 Feb 2011

Muammar Gaddafi, Libya's leader, has said that al-Qaeda is responsible for the uprising against him, amid attacks by pro-Gaddafi forces against anti-government protesters in several cities.

On Friday, tens of thousands gathered at cities in the country's east controlled by anti-Gaddafi forces for Friday prayers, expressing their desire for Gaddafi to leave office.

In a speech made via telephone and aired on state television on Thursday, Gaddafi claimed that the protesters were young people who had been manipulated by Osama bin Laden, al-Qaeda's leader, and were acting under the influence of hallucinogenic drugs.

As he spoke, troops loyal to Gaddafi launched a counter-offensive on Thursday against anti-government protesters, striking at two cities near the capital, Tripoli.

The worst violence was seen in the town of Az Zawiyah, about 50km west of Tripoli, where troops opened fire with automatic weapons and an anti-aircraft gun on a mosque where protesters had been taking shelter.

On Friday, witnesses in the city told Al Jazeera that anti-government protesters had seized four tanks and weapons from a military barracks, and that they were prepared to fight to hold on to the city.

In his speech on Thursday, Gaddafi argued that he was a purely "symbolic" leader with no real political power, and that citizens had "no reason to complain whatsoever". He hinted that he would be prepared to raise salaries, but warned that protesters would be tried in the country's courts.

On Friday, state television announced that every family in Libya would receive 500 dinars ($400), and that wages for some categories of public sector workers would increase by 150 per cent.

Our correspondent in eastern Libya reported on Friday that army commanders who had renounced Gaddafi's leadership had told her that military commanders in the country's west, which Gaddafi still largely maintains control over, were beginning to turn against him.

They warned, however, that the Khamis Brigade, an army special forces brigade that is loyal to the Gaddafi family and is equipped with sophisticated weaponry, is currently still fighting anti-government forces.

Pro-democracy protesters attacked

On Friday morning, our correspondents reported that the town of Zuwarah was, according to witnesses, abandoned by security forces and completely in the hands of anti-Gaddafi protesters. Checkpoints in the country's west on roads leading to the Tunisian border, however, were still being controlled by Gaddafi loyalists.

In the east, similar checkpoints were manned by anti-Gaddafi forces, who had set up a "humanitarian aid corridor" as well as a communications corridor to the Egyptian border, our correspondent reported.

Fierce clashes were reported from various cities in the country on Thursday. Some residents of Az Zawiyah fought back against army troops with hunting rifles. A doctor at a field clinic set up at the mosque that came under attack there told the Associated Press news agency that he saw the bodies of 10 people, in addition to around 150 injured people.

Witnesses told Al Jazeera the death toll in the violence there estimated to be close to 100.

Thousands massed in Az Zawiyah's Martyr's Square after the attack, calling on Gaddafi to leave office, and on Friday morning, explosions were heard in the city. Witnesses say pro-Gaddafi forces were blowing up arms caches, in order to prevent anti-government forces from acquiring those weapons.

Clashes were also reported in the city of Misurata, located 200km east of Tripoli, where witnesses said a pro-Gaddafi army brigade attacked the city's airport with mortars and rocket-propelled grenades.

They told Al Jazeera that pro-democracy protesters had managed to fight off that attack. "Revolutionaries have driven out the security forces," they said, adding that "heavy machine guns and anti-aircraft guns" had been used against them.

Mohamed Senussi, a resident of Misurata, said calm had returned to the city after the "fierce battle" near the airport.

"The people's spirits here are high, they are celebrating and chanting 'God is Greatest'," he told the Reuters news agency by telephone.

Another witness warned, however, that protesters in Misurata felt "isolated" as they were surrounded by nearby towns still in Gaddafi's control.

Protesters and air force personnel who have renounced Gaddafi's leadership also overwhelmed a nearby military base where Gaddafi loyalists were taking refuge, according to a medical official at the base. They disabled air force fighter jets at the base so that they could not be used against protesters.

Similar clashes between pro- and anti-government forces were also reported on Thursday in the towns of Sabha in the south and Sabratha, near Tripoli.

In Tripoli itself, witnesses said security forces had fired upon residents of the Tajoura neighborhood.

Protesters control east

Pro-democracy protesters appear to remain in control of much of the country's eastern coastline, running from the Egyptian border, through to the cities of Tobruk and Benghazi, the country's second largest city.

They also say they are in control of the western cities of Misurata and Zuwarah. Libyan army forces in many cities in the country's east say that they stand with the anti-government forces against Gaddafi.

Pro-democracy protesters say they have established committees to manage the affairs of the cities they are in control of.

Our correspondent reported that army commanders had told her that there were "cracks [appearing] in the whole system that Gaddafi has put in place and his whole grip in power is melting away by the hour".

She said that pro-democracy protesters in the east had overrun military barracks and now had access to heavy weaponry.

On Thursday, about a dozen people were held in Benghazi by pro-democracy protesters on charges of behind mercenaries working for Gaddafi.

Tripoli, the capital, meanwhile, remains under lockdown, amid reports that protesters have called for anti-government forces to march on the city after Friday prayers.

Libya has been in the grip of turmoil since anti-Gaddafi protests began on February 15. Two days later, the government launched a violent crackdown on protesters, with witnesses reporting that mercenaries had been hired to patrol the streets and fire on citizens indiscriminately with machine guns and heavy weapons.

The use of air attacks against civilian targets has also been reported by witnesses and air force personnel who have refused to carry out those orders.

Security forces have also been launching raids on homes and firing into the air on the streets of Tripoli. A witness told Reuters that security forces had also raided a hospital, searching for injured anti-government protesters.

Violence has ramped up after Gaddafi appeared on state television on Tuesday calling on his supporters to take back the streets and "cleanse" Libya.

Gaddafi increasingly isolated

Gaddafi, who has ruled Libya for 41 years, is growing increasingly isolated both from foreign governments, but also from elements within his government and military.

On Thursday Ahmed Gadhaf al-Dam, a cousin who is one of Gaddafi's closest aides, announced that he was renouncing Gaddafi's leadership in protest against "grave violations to human rights and human and international laws".

Al-Dam is one of the highest level renouncals to hit the regime, with many ambassadors, as well as the justice and interior ministers, either resigning or announcing that they are standing with protesters. The country's chief prosecutor and chief judicial investigator have also resigned.

Mustafa Abdel Galil, who earlier resigned as justice minister, spoke to Al Jazeera at a meeting of tribal leaders and representatives of eastern Libya in the city of Al Baida. That meeting was also attended by military commanders who refused orders to fire on protesters.

"We want one country. There is no Islamic emirate or al-Qaeda anywhere. Our only aim is to liberate Libya from this regime and then people choose the government they want." Abdel Galil said.

He warned that Gaddafi has biological and chemical weapons, and will not hesitate to use them.

UN meeting planned

The United Nations Security Council was to hold a meeting on the situation in Libya on Friday, with sanctions the possible imposition of a no-fly zone over the country under Article 7 of the UN charter on the table.

The UN's highest human-rights body was also holding a special session to discuss what it's chief had earlier described as possible "crimes against humanity" by the Gaddafi government.

The Swiss government, meanwhile, has ordered a freeze of any assets belonging to Gaddafi in the country. Libya's foreign ministry has denied that any such assets exist, and said that it would "sue" Switzerland.

The death toll since violence began remains unclear, though on Thursday Francois Zimeray, France's top human rights official, said it could be as high as 2,000 people killed.

Earlier, Franco Frattini, Italy's foreign minister, said a number of 1,000 was "credible". The Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights put the figure at 640 as of Wednesday.

Foreign governments are continuing to evacuate their citizens from the country, with thousands flooding to the country's land borders with Tunisia and Egypt.

Source: al-Jazeera.
Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/02/20112254231296453.html.

Libya's falling tyrant

Gaddafi reaps what he has sown during his four-decade rule: terror, nepotism, tribal politics and abuse of power.

21 Feb 2011

Larbi Sadiki

Libya cannot escape the infection of democratic revolutionary wind blowing through the Middle East and North Africa. If longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi falls, it will be a sweet victory for the heirs of Omar al-Mokhtar, the legendary anti-fascist and anti-colonial hero. But a lot of blood will spill before the Libyan colonel abandons ship.

After Iraq's Saddam Hussein and Tunisia's Ben Ali, Gaddafi is the worst of the Arabs’ surviving illegitimate rulers. He is now reaping what he has sown: terror, nepotism, tribal politics, and abuse of power.

In Gaddafi’s Libya, the so-called People’s Congress, universities and other regime-affiliated organizations have had to toe the official line: worship of the "brother leader", read his Green Book, and the brand of Pan-Africanism that no Libyan except Gaddafi and his henchmen believed in.

While visiting the country with a group of students from Exeter University, the hollow slogans of Gaddafi’s "Great Revolution" covered all public space. "Partners not salaried" one says. Another declares "People’s rule" (sultat al-sha’ab). Nothing could be further from the truth.

Gaddafi has ruled the country with the delusion of grandeur of a man who rose to power in a 1969 coup with fairly acceptable political ideals that got corrupted and abandoned. Gaddafi’s much vaunted socialism turned into distribution in favor of the Colonel’s clansmen.

Inner circle

An inner circle of Gaddafi’s confidants and close relatives decided and executed the hangings of the 1970s, relying on the fearsome and murderous "revolutionary committees".

No recourse to the people was taken when decisions were made and carried out about war such as in Chad and elsewhere in Africa. The people could not openly complain about the money lavishly disbursed in the pursuit of Gaddafi’s foreign adventurism, including the sponsoring of terrorist organizations.

Gaddafi’s regime has been linked to the 1972 Black September killings of Israeli athletes in Germany, the 1978 disappearance in Libya of Shia Imam Musa Al-Sadr, the 1984 murder of British police officer Yvonne Fletcher, the 1986 bombing of Berlin’s La Belle Discotheque, the 1987 arms vessel destined to the Irish Republican Army, and to the hijacking of Pan Am flight 73 in 1986 and the 1988 Pan Am flight 103 bombing. This does not exhaust the list.

The US bombing of Tripoli and Benghazi in 1986 or the large amounts of monies paid by Gaddafi to compensate all kinds of claims against Libya have been some of the prices paid by Libyans for their leader’s miscalculation.

The sanctions and pariah status have only been eased only in the past 10 years. Carrying the green Libyan passport has made Libyan citizens persona non grata in many parts of the world.

Gaddafi’s narcissism was such that very few of his comrades in arms from the original Free Officers cohort that executed the 1969 coup against King Idris have survived his brutality.

A few died in mysterious circumstances (Omar Limheshi; Imhammad al-Muqrif). Others withdrew from public life voluntarily (Abd al-Salam Jelloud).

Act of public disavowal

Like Egypt, the uprising in Libya qualifies as an act of public disavowal of an existing regime. These are countries which had military revolutions and today are experiencing civil revolutions.

Like Tunisia, but in a worse fashion, Libya has invested very little in social capital or civic capacity building. All organizations are committed to, and affiliated with, Gaddafi’s Great Revolution. Literally, these are cells that spy on the people or militias bribed to defend the regime. When protesters wave flags, chant pro-Gaddafi or anti-Western slogans, they do so on regime orders.

Regardless, Libyans have not been passive. For instance, the Libyan League for Human Rights, the National Conference for the Libyan Opposition (NCLO), and the banned Islamists all have used the internet to express their anger. In some cases, Libyan dissidents used the Internet as a political tool before activists in other part of the Middle East. The NCLO met in London in 2006 and it may plan a role in reforming post-Gaddafi Libya.

Attempts at removing Gaddafi began in the mid-1980s. The most famous was the May 1984 Bab Al-Aziziya Barracks coup when the National Front for the Salvation of Libya, made up of military and civilian dissidents, played a leading role.

The most serious challenge against Gaddafi’s authority came from the most populous and powerful Libyan tribe, the Warfallah, in October 1993. The rebellion led to kangaroo trials in 1995. Many tribesmen were executed in 1997.

The eastern region, Benghazi, has always been a source of dissidence against the regime. Dozens died in protests in 2006. The map of the current mutiny is both tribal and regional. Two tribes have withdrawn allegiance to Gaddafi's regime, thus settling old scores. Gaddafi is now paying the price for humiliating the Wirfallah tribe, which he has excluded from his favors since the mid-1990s. Similarly, the Tabu tribe in the country's southeast has suffered appalling discrimination.

The misery belts of Libya are now leading the rebellion. Cities like Al-Baida, Derna, Ijdadia are all marginalized and are not beholden to Gaddafi, as they have not gained from his rule. Tripoli’s poorest suburbs, Zintan and Zawiya, which have come under heavy fire, are leading the rebellion in the capital.

Why is the revolution that ousted Tunisia's Ben Ali proving to be infectious? The reasons can be summed up by the following factors: the presence of a Ben Ali-type hegemon; dynastic and nepotistic rot; monarchical republicanism; rampant corruption; the marginalization of young people; human rights violations; information control and a police state.

All of these conditions apply to Libya. The only good in Gaddafi’s Libya is the absence of elections, which spared the Gaddafi’s revolutionary committees the additional misdemeanor of rigging them.

In addition to these factors, the eastern region, namely Benghazi, has been deprived of the dividends of petroleum. In a country with one of the longest stretches of coastline and high oil production, income and opportunity should be available to citizens. But this is has not been the case. Now, Gaddafi is reaping what he has sown.

Source: al-Jazeera.
Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/02/201122120055942895.html.

Egypt evacuates citizens from Libya

Army sets up field hospitals on Libyan border to receive returning Egyptians.

22 Feb 2011

Egypt's army has set up two field hospitals on the border with Libya near the Salloum border-crossing town to receive returning Egyptians.

Libyan guards have withdrawn from their side of the boundary following anti-government protests, the army said on its Facebook page on Monday.

Hossam Zaki, Egypt's foreign ministry spokesman, said at least one million Egyptians reside in Libya where increasingly bloody battles between Libyan security forces and protesters have been taking place.

At least 100 buses carrying Egyptians are making their way to the Libya-Egyptian border, Zaki said.

Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Egypt's foreign minister, had also called on Libyan authorities to swiftly issue permits to allow planes to enter Libyan air space.

The foreign minister's request came after the Egypt made plans to send planes to Libya and collect more citizens once the situation stabilized.

Egypt rejected remarks made by Saif al-Islam Gaddafi saying Egyptians had a role in the events in Libya. Gaddafi's son had made the accusation "without any clear basis", state news agency reported.

Egypt held Libya responsible for the protection of Egyptian lives and property, it said.

Source: al-Jazeera.
Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/02/2011221222342232993.html.

Libyan pilots and diplomats defect

Group of army officers have also issued a statement urging fellow soldiers to "join the people" and help remove Gaddafi.

22 Feb 2011

Two Libyan air force jets landed in Malta on Monday and their pilots have asked for political asylum.

The pilots claimed to have defected after refusing to follow orders to attack civilians protesting in Benghazi in Libya.

The pilots, who said they were colonels in the Libyan air force, were being questioned by authorities in an attempt to verify their identities.

Meanwhile, a group of Libyan army officers have issued a statement urging fellow soldiers to "join the people" and help remove Muammar Gaddafi.

The officers urged the rest of the Libyan army to march to Tripoli.

Diplomats side with protesters

Libya's ambassadors at several stations, including the US and the UN, have said that they are siding with protesters and have called for Gaddafi to quit.

Ali Aujali, the Libyan ambassador to the United States, called for the Libyan leader's resignation, telling the Associated Press news agency on Monday night that Gaddafi must step down and give Libyans a chance "to make their future".

He said he was not resigning, as he worked for the Libyan people.

On Tuesday, Ali el-Essawi, Libya's ambassador to India who has resigned in protest against the violence used against demonstrators, told Al Jazeera that warplanes had been used to bomb civilians, and that government forces, including "foreigners" were "killing Libyans". He described the violence as a "massacre", and called for the UN to declare a no-fly zone over Libya.

"Now [the UN security council] needs to prove that they believe in human rights ... and to prove to us that they really have these principles in their hearts," he said.

Late on Monday, A.H. Elimam, Libya's ambassador to Bangladesh, resigned to protest against the killing of his family members by government soldiers.

Earlier on Monday, diplomats at Libya's mission to the United Nations sided with the revolt against their country's leader and called on the Libyan army to help overthrow "the tyrant Muammar Gaddafi."

In a statement issued as protests erupted across Libya, the mission's deputy chief and other staff said they were serving the Libyan people, demanded "the removal of the regime immediately" and urged other Libyan embassies to follow suit.

Gaddafi was waging a bloody battle to hang on to power as the revolt against his 41-year rule reached the capital, Tripoli.

The statement issued in New York said hundreds had died in the first five days of the uprising.

A spokesman for the UN mission, Dia al-Hotmani, said the statement had been issued by deputy permanent representative Ibrahim Dabbashi and other staff.

Abdurrahman Shalgham, Libya's ambassador to the UN, was not present at the press conference, but told the Al-Hayat newspaper that all of the diplomats the country's UN mission supported the statement "excluding me". He said that he was in touch with the Gaddafi government and was trying "to persuade them to stop these acts".

Hotmani said that at a meeting on Monday at the mission's New York offices, staff "expressed our sense of concern about the genocide going on in Libya".

"We are not seeing any reaction from the international community," he added.

"The tyrant Muammar Gaddafi has asserted clearly, through his sons the level of ignorance he and his children have, and how much he despises Libya and the Libyan people," the Arabic language statement said.

It condemned Gaddafi's use of "African mercenaries" to try to put down the rebellion and said it expected "an unprecedented massacre in Tripoli."

'Cut the snake's head'

The statement called on "the officers and soldiers of the Libyan army wherever they are and whatever their rank is ... to organize themselves and move towards Tripoli and cut the snake's head."

It appealed to the United Nations to impose a no-fly zone over Libyan cities to prevent mercenaries and weapons being shipped in.

It also urged guards at Libya's oil installations to protect them from any sabotage "by the coward tyrant," and urged countries to prevent Gaddafi from fleeing there and to be on the lookout for any money smuggling.

Dabbashi and his colleagues called on The Hague-based International Criminal Court to start an immediate inquiry into war crimes and crimes against humanity they said Gaddafi and his sons and followers had committed.

They called on employees of Libyan embassies all over the world to "stand with their people", especially the mission at the UN European headquarters in Geneva, which they said should seek action by the UN Human Rights Council there.

On Tuesday, the country's embassy in Australia cut its ties with Gaddafi, Musbah Allafi, the Libyan ambassador, said.

The embassy in Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian capital, also cut ties with Gaddafi's government, with ambassador Bubaker al-Mansori telling AFP: "We are not loyal to him, we loyal to the Libyan people."

It was not immediately clear how many other Libyan embassies were likely to heed the call, although the country's ambassador in India, Ali al-Essawi, said he was resigning in protest at the violent crackdown in his homeland.

Libya's ambassadors to the European Union, Arab League and Indonesia have also resigned, while the embassy in Japan was shut on Tuesday.

Source: al-Jazeera.
Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/02/2011221222542234651.html.