Democracy News
Qadhafi Clings to Power in Libya
March 3, 2011
By: Carlos Aramayo| Printer Friendly
Forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi are waging a violent battle to keep him in power. As demonstrations escalated, Al-Jazeera reported that almost 600 people have been killed across the country during the unrest to oust the Arab region's longest serving autocrat. According the Wall Street Journal, there are widespread reports that government forces – which allegedly include paid mercenaries flown in from neighboring countries – fired live rounds at protesters in the capital city of Tripoli.
The Wall Street Journal reported that fierce fighting also raged in Libya’s second largest city of Benghazi, after residents who had just finished burying an early victim of the protests were shot by soldiers as their funeral procession neared an army base.
According to CNN, demonstrators who started the anti-regime protests in Benghazi took control of the city after police turned their guns on the army. The change of allegiance demonstrated by the local police took army forces by surprise, resulting in their retreat to an airport on the outskirts of the city. Residents of several eastern cities also said that government security forces had withdrawn from the streets to their bases, temporarily ceding all or parts of the cities to protesters. In the capital city of Tripoli, protests are reported to be escalating, despite the fact that it is the city where Qadhafi has the greatest support.
A growing number of Libyan embassies around the world – including in neighboring Tunisia and in the United States (US) – have raised the country’s pre-Qadhafi flag as a symbol of the revolt. Libyan diplomats around the world, including Libya’s ambassadors to the US, India and Bangladesh, said they had resigned to protest the Qadhafi‘s bloody crackdown.
In an interview with the New York Times, Ali al-Essawi, the former Libyan ambassador to India, stated that warplanes were used to "bomb" protesters. Essawi also added that there are widespread reports that the regime hired mercenaries from Sudan and other African countries.
Libya's ambassador to the US, Ali Aujali, formally broke with the Qadhafi government on Monday and called for the country’s strongman ruler to step down. Additionally, the deputy head of Libya's delegation to the United Nations (UN), Omar al Dabashi, declared in an interview with Al-Jazeera that he had also stopped taking orders from the government and appealed to the international community to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya's airspace so it could not bring in more mercenaries. In an interview with BBC News, Al Dabashi stated, "The information that we are getting is that the regime is killing whoever goes out on the streets." Al Dabashi also said, "Qadhafi has clearly declared genocide against his own people." In response, the Libyan deputy foreign minister Khalid Kaim denied these accusations during an interview with Al-Jazeera.
In response to reports that he had fled the country, Qadhafi briefly appeared on television only to stress that he was still in the country. The Financial Times reported that Qadhafi stated, "I am in Tripoli, not in Venezuela. Do not believe these channels – they are dogs." The Financial Times reported that international observers feared Qadhafi will employ “mass killings” to subdue the population.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appealed for an end to the "unacceptable bloodshed" in Libya. "We join the international community in strongly condemning the violence in Libya," she said in a statement. In addition, the State Department ordered its embassy staff to evacuate. Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for the non-use of force and respect for basic freedoms.
On February 22, BBC News reported that Qadhafi – in his first major speech since unrest began – said the whole world looked up to Libya and that the protesters were "serving the devil." He added that enemies of Libya would be executed and blamed the unrest on "cowards and traitors" who were seeking to portray Libya as a place of chaos.
Qadhafi urged his supporters to, "Come out of your homes, attack [protesters] in their dens. Withdraw your children from the streets. They – protestors – are drugging your children, they are making your children drunk and sending them to hell," he claimed.
Moreover Qadhafi warned, "if matters require, we will use force, according to international law and the Libyan constitution.” He also stated his will to “cleanse Libya house by house if the protestors do not surrender."
The events mark the first time that uprisings roiling the broader Middle East have destabilized a major oil-producing state, threatening to add the Libyan strongman to the list of autocratic leaders ousted since the beginning of the year. According to CNN, international oil companies working in Libya shut down operations and flew staff to safety amid intensifying clashes.
Al-Jazeera reported that the UN general assembly had unanimously suspended Libya from the UN Human Rights Council, citing the government's use of violence against protesters. The statement issued by the Council said that Libya had committed "gross and systematic violations of human rights".
Meanwhile, Qadhafi ordered airstrikes and hit the rebel-held oil port of Marsa el-Brega, as pro-regime forces and rebels battled for control over the strategic oil installation. In their first major counteroffensive against pro-Qadhafi forces, rebel soldiers were able to regain control of the city of Brega after a ferocious battle, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The Financial Times also reports that the Libyan opposition has requested the US and its allies to impose a no-fly zone and bomb forces supporting the regime, but there appears to be international opposition to such a proposal.
US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates warned Congress during a hearing at the Armed Forces Appropriations Committee that even a more modest effort to establish a no-flight zone over Libya would require for “the US first to wipe out Libya's air defenses to protect its own planes, this would amount to an act of war,” gates stated. The 22-member Arab League has stated it opposes the imposition of a no fly zone imposed by any foreign military.
The U.S. Senate did call for an imposition of a no-fly zone over Libya, by unanimously approving a non-binding resolution that went further and also endorsed US outreach to forces opposing Qadhafi’s regime. The resolution calls on the Security Council to take action to protect civilians in Libya, including imposition of a no-fly zone and other measures. Senators Robert Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, and Mark Steven Kirk, an Illinois Republican, teamed up on the measure, which passed without debate or a roll-call vote.
Bloomberg reports that the Pentagon is currently working to provide President Obama with a “full range of options.” So far two Class A carrier warships and 400 Marines have been routed to the Mediterranean Sea near Libya to help with humanitarian relief and evacuations.
In a statement President Obama, briefly outlined sanctions to be imposed on the Libyan regime and stated that, “Going forward, the United States will continue to closely coordinate our actions with the international community, including our friends and allies, and the UN. We will stand steadfastly with the Libyan people in their demand for universal rights, and a government that is responsive to their aspirations. Their human dignity cannot be denied.”
CNN reports that the International Criminal Court at The Hague announced a summary of alleged war crimes committed by the Qadhafi regime since the anti-government protests started last month.
So far, Qadhafi has received support from Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who has proposed to send a “peace committee” to Libya. According to the New York Times, Amr Moussa – the head of the Arab League – the proposal is currently “under consideration,” but gave no specific details.
The UN estimates 80,000 to 90,000 refugees have fled to neighboring Tunisia since the uprising began and thousands more are still waiting to leave. According to BBC News, Britain, France, Spain, and other countries are conducting emergency airlifts to evacuate those gathered at the border.
Sources:
BBC News - Defiant Gaddafi refuses to quit amid Libya protest
Al-Jazeera - Fresh violence rages in Libya
U.S. Department of State - Press Statement, Situation in Libya
UN News Centre - UN chief urges restraint by Arab leaders as protests continue
New York Times - Chaos Grows in Libya as Strife in Tripoli Intensifies
CNN - Oil prices surge 7% on Libya unrest
The Guardian – UN Security Council to Meet over Gaddafi Crackdown
Wall Street Journal - Fleeing Egyptians Tell of Libya Carnage
Wall Street Journal - Oil Companies Suspend Operations in Libya
White House - Statement by the President on Libya Sanctions
New York Times - Gadhafi Forces Bomb Brega, Keep Control of Zawiya Refinery
Financial Times - Regime bombs east Libya towns
New York Times - Rebels Win Battle but Fail to Loosen Qaddafi’s Grip
BBC News - Libya revolt: Gaddafi in crimes against humanity probe
New York Times - Libya Refugee Crisis Called a ‘Logistical Nightmare’
New York Times - Gates Warns of Risks of a No-Flight Zone
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