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Africa North

Abdel Jalil case sparks controversy in Libya

2012-12-21

[Magharebia] A Benghazi military court on Wednesday (December 19th) withdrew its jurisdiction over the Abdel Fattah Younes case. Younes, who served as Moamer Qadaffy's interior minister before switching sides and joining the rebels, was rubbed out on July 28th, 2011, while returning to Benghazi from Brega. The armed forces commander had been summoned from the front lines by former National Transitional Council (TNC) chief Mustafa Abdel Jalil. He was killed while on his way to the meeting. The military court was taken off the case "because of the turn taken by the investigation into Mustafa Abdel Jalil", presiding judge Colonel Abdullah al-Saiti told AFP. Al-Saiti said that the file was sent to the High Authority of Military Justice to appoint a new tribunal. He did not give details on the reasons that led the court to make such a decision. Speaking to the press on Thursday, Justice Minister Salah al-Mirghani discussed pending legislation to try civilians in regular courts. He was asked whether the measure was related to the charges against Abdel Jalil. "We do not comment on cases before the court. But Mr. Abdel Jalil is a civilian and if this bill is passed, his judgment will be transferred to the civilian courts," the minister said. Abdel Jalil was charged in December with "abuse of power" and undermining national unity. He was allowed to go free on bail and a travel ban was issued until his February 20th military court appearance. General Younes was the highest-ranking military officer to have joined the rebellion against the Qadaffy regime. The charge against Abdel Jalil generated considerable controversy. People erupted into the streets after accusing the court of "bias", particularly after the release on social networks of a video showing Colonel al-Saiti making a victory sign after calling Abdel Jalil for questioning. Ali al-Tajouri, an employee, said that the main road at Tajoura was closed off in protest. "They have to start with the other terrorist criminals," he noted.

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Africa North

Libyan rebels reshuffle leadership

2011-08-10

[Al Jazeera] Libya's opposition National Transitional Council (NTC) has dissolved its executive board and asked Mahmoud Jibril, its chairman, to elect a new one. Al Jizz's Tony Birtley, reporting from the opposition stronghold city of Benghazi, said the news on Monday came unexpectedly. "This came completely out of the blue. There's a lot of speculation now that there is some sort of inner fallout following the murder of Abdel Fattah Younes, the commander of the opposition forces, more than a week ago." Birtley said there had been complaints over the handling of Younes' death by the NTC and the disbanding of the executive board could be related. Abdul Jalil, the head of the Libyan opposition, in an interview with Al Jizz on Monday said: "Administrative mistakes have been noted in the NTC bureau performance in the recent period, prompting the NTC to take the decision to dissolve the bureau. "A newly formed bureau would be entrusted with reviewing the 'conspiracy' that involved the liquidation of General Younes." He said, "The members of the executive bureau did not dispose with the liquidation issue in a proper manner." Asked whether they were accusing anyone, Abdul Jalil said, "No member of the opposition fighters would behave that way with the commander of the national army and his colleagues, unless there is a conspiracy." Speaking about whether the decision had something to do with recently noted conflicts and disputes among the NTC members, Jalil said the decision has nothing to do with subsidiary issues. He said Jibril, the outgoing chairman of the NTC executive board, would be entrusted with forming the new bureau and would submit the new panel to the NTC for endorsement. Push to Tripoli Our correspondent said it was doubtful that the political moves would affect the opposition's push towards Libyan leader Muammar Qadaffy ...dictator of Libya since 1969. From 1972, when he relinquished the title of prime minister, he has been accorded the honorifics Guide of the First of September Great Revolution of the Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya or Brotherly Leader and Guide of the Revolution. With the death of Omar Bongo of Gabon on 8 June 2009, he became the longest serving of all current non-royal national leaders. He is also the longest-serving ruler of Libya since Tripoli became an Ottoman province in 1551. When Chairman Mao was all the rage and millions of people were flashing his Little Red Book, Qadaffy came out with his own Little Green Book, which didn't do as well. Qadaffy's instability has been an inspiration to the Arab world and to Africa, which he would like to rule... 's stronghold, Tripoli. "Even the men who were said to be loyal to General Younes are said to be fighting in the frontline," said Birtley. Libya's opposition fighters had announced earlier on Monday that they would begin their push towards the capital but expected a tough fight, after capturing the town of Bir al-Ghanam on Sunday. The capture of Bir al-Ghanam was the biggest rebel breakthrough in weeks of largely static fighting on three fronts across Libya. Libya's prime minister told news hounds in Tripoli on Sunday that government forces were in control of Bir al-Ghanam after fighting off a rebel attack. But in the town early on Monday, the only sign of government forces was the weaponry they had left behind when they decamped, the Rooters news agency reported. Al Jizz's Zeina Khodr, reporting from Bir al-Ghanam, said that an offensive was not only made in that town by opposition forces on Saturday but that an offensive, which is holding, was also made along the road that led to the city of Surman. "Rebels advanced some 30km and are only 50km from the city of Surman," she said. "If they manage to take that town they will be able to cut off Qadaffy's main supply line in the west," she said. "They know that they can get support from inside that city, that rebels there are ready to rise up against the Qadaffy regime but they need help from outside."

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Africa North

McCain urges recognition for Libyan 'heroes'

2011-04-23

Senator John Maverick McCain ... the Senator-for-Life from Arizona, former presidential candidate and even more former foot soldier in the Reagan Revolution... , one of the strongest proponents in the US congress of American military intervention in Libya, has called on Washington to recognise Libyan rebels' transitional council as the true voice of the Libyan people and transfer frozen assets to them. McCain also called for NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Originally it was a mutual defense pact directed against an expansionist Soviet Union. In later years it evolved into a mechanism for picking the American pocket while criticizing the style of the American pants... to step up its air campaign and said Western allies should provide rebels with training, weapons and command-and-control activities to help overthrow Muammar Qadaffy, Libya's longtime leader. "I would encourage every nation, especially the United States, to recognise the transitional national council as the legitimate voice of the Libyan people," McCain said, speaking to news hounds in the eastern rebel stronghold of Benghazi on Friday. "They have earned this right and Qadaffy has forfeited it by waging war on his own people." McCain, believed to be the most senior Western politician, and the first from the United States, to visit Benghazi since the conflict broke out in late February, made the trip to Libya on his own. An aide said he met rebel leaders including finance chief Ali Tarhouni and armed forces head Abdel Fattah Younes. McCain also said he was worried the battle between Qadaffy's troops and rebel forces was reaching a stalemate that could "open the door to radical Islamic fundamentalism". Rebels 'my heroes' The US senator's arrival came close on the heels of the US president approving the use of armed drones in Libya against ground forces for the first time since America handed over the military operation to NATO. Al Jizz's Mike Hanna, reporting from Benghazi, says broader recognition "gives the transitional council a legal standing which it does not at the moment enjoy" along with "extra finance" and "greater political authenticity within Libya itself". "If the council is recognised as the authentic voice of the Libyan people, then they could receive those funds that have been frozen abroad from the Qadaffy regime," he said. McCain also denied concerns about the possibility of myrmidon or al-Qaeda elements fighting alongside the pro-democracy forces, telling Al Jizz "they [opposition fighters] are my heroes".

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Africa North

Rebels accuse NATO of abandoning them

2011-04-06

The head of Libya's rebel army has accused Nato of abandoning people to their deaths after a sharp reduction in the number of western air strikes. Abdel Fattah Younes said that the limited number of air strikes since Nato took command of the operation last week had permitted Gaddafi's forces to advance once again, after earlier attacks forced them in to headlong retreat. "The gift horse needs dental work." "Nato is moving very slowly, allowing Gaddafi forces to advance ... Nato has become our problem," Younes said. "Either Nato does its work properly or I will ask the (rebel) national council to raise the matter with the (UN) security council." "... and a pony!" Reflecting a growing anger and sense of betrayal among many Libyans in rebel-held areas, Younes said that the failure to keep up the assault meant it was not living up to the UN resolution to protect civilians in cities such as Misrata where Gaddafi's forces are killing people "every day". Earlier this week, thousands demonstrated in front of the revolutionary council headquarters in Benghazi to demand Nato launch more attacks. The rebel army has relied on the protection of western air strikes destroying government armour to advance close to the city of Sirte, which, as Gaddafi's birthplace, is strategically and politically important. But after Gaddafi shifted tactics to rely less on tanks and artillery and more on a force with increased mobility, the revolutionaries have been forced back more than 150 miles to Brega. In the initial stages of the air campaign, strikes by French, US and British aircraft destroyed scores of tanks, armoured vehicles, guns and other military equipment. But Gaddafi's forces have copied the rebels in using pick-up trucks on which guns are mounted, which are harder for aircraft to target, and even if they are hit, have less impact on the Libyan leader's forces than the destruction of large armour.

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Africa North

Libyan rebels call for Arab support

2011-03-09

[Asharq al-Aswat] Military officials in the National Transitional Council, set up by the Libyan rebels, have called on the Libyan rebel forces not to attack Qadaffy's home town of Sirte for fear of sustaining heavy losses. Libya's former representative to the vaporous Arab League, Abdul-Monem al-Houni, who is a senior member of the National Transitional Council, called on the Arab states to recognize the legitimacy of this body as the sole representative of the Libyan people. In a letter addressed to ambassadors and diplomatic representatives of Arab countries in Cairo, al-Houni said that the Libyan opposition forces are in control of 90 percent of the country, and he predicted that the remaining 10 percent of Libya would be liberated from Qadaffy control in the coming days. A source within the Libyan National Transitional Council confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that until now 16 countries have recognized the council, and that 10 European countries are set to announce their recognition of the National Transitional Council in the near future. Al-Houni also urged the Arab League and its member-states to take the initiative and recognize the Libyan National Transitional Council. Al-Houni told Asharq Al-Awsat that it is shameful that Western countries have taken steps to recognize the Libyan National Transitional Council whilst Arabs remain silent about this issue, he also stressed that the Libyan people are waiting for political and moral support from their Arab brothers in order to complete the revolution against Qadaffy's rule. There has also been talk about disputes emerging between Qadaffy's children, with sources claiming that the Qadaffy family has divided amongst itself with regards to those who support the Libyan leader's military efforts to suppress the rebels, and those who oppose this policy. A source in the Libyan capital Tripoli confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that the exchange of gunfire heard by the residents of Tripoli two days ago from inside Qadaffy's fortified stronghold of Bab al-Azizah was due to a sharp dispute that erupted between Qadaffy's offspring. According to the source, a fight broke out between Qadaffy's children, who are divided amongst themselves over whether they should remain in Libya or flee the country. The source confirmed that Saif al-Islam, Al-Saadi, Muatassim, and Khamis Qadaffy support their father's plan to quell the popular uprising against them by any and all military means at his disposal, whilst his other sons Muhammad and Hannibal, and his daughter Aisha, oppose this plan. In a reference to the escalating conflict between the Qadaffy regime and the popular resistance against him, an official close Colonel Qadaffy and his family told Asharq Al-Awsat that the fighting will decide which side will emerge victorious from this battle, the Libyan regime or the rebels. He added "in the past they claimed that we would flee to Venezuela, and yesterday they said Nicaragua, but the only place we are going is Libya, and are only plan of escape is to stay [in Libya]." Whilst an official in the rebel Libyan National Transitional Council told Asharq Al-Awsat that "it is true that there is no comparison between our weaponry and the weapons possessed by Qadaffy's army, but we have the force of will. We are determined to remove him from power whatever the consequences." Qadaffy's forces continue to pressure the rebel forces in the strategically important cities of Zawiya and Misurata, attempting to prevent them moving towards Tripoli. Qadaffy is utilizing the Libyan air force to bombard the rebels and prevent them from advancing, whilst it has been revealed that the Libyan opposition forces are attempting to obtain anti-aircraft weaponry and heavy artillery to counteract this. Sources close to the Libyan National Transitional Council, which is headed by former Libyan Justice Minister Mustafa Abdel Jalil, have said that military officials in this rebel organization have called on the opposition forces not to advance on Sirte. The Libyan rebel forces are being led by General Abdel Fattah Younes, who is the former Libyan Interior Minister and head of Special Forces, and he has called on the rebels to wait for the Libyan National Transitional Council to obtain military jeeps and heavy weaponry to utilize against the military forces loyal to Qadaffy before advancing on Sirte. The source also revealed that the Libyan National Transitional Council has called on the rebels to change their military tactics and use guerilla tactics to surprise and ambush the better armed Qadaffy forces. According to sources in the city of Misurata, the Qadaffy forces were -- as of Monday night -- planning a new attack against the rebel-controlled city. The source also informed Asharq Al-Awsat that the Qadaffy forces had amassed a tank division around the city of Misurata, in preparation for an attempt to take back the coastal city. Reports indicate that Qadaffy forces have carried out multiple Arclight airstrikes on the eastern oil port of Ras Lanuf which is in the hands of the Libyan opposition forces. Whilst in the west, the rebel-controlled city of Zawiya, which lies only 50 km from Tripoli, has come under fierce attack from Qadaffy forces. There have been unconfirmed claims that the government has re-taken this city, and that government forces -- utilizing tank divisions -- have destroyed a number of buildings, including hospitals. A Libyan activist also showed Asharq Al-Awsat video footage of a group of mercenaries disembarking from a Libyan Airlines plane in the south-western Libyan city of Ubari.

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Africa North

Diplomats, officials desert Libyas Gaddafi

2011-02-28

[Ennahar] Several Libyan diplomats and politicians have resigned their posts or voiced their opposition to the violent crackdown on anti-government protesters in their country. Here are some more details: * Denotes new or updated entry: ARAB LEAGUE: The Libyan delegation to the vaporous Arab League in Cairo on Friday abandoned Qadaffy, condemning "the heinous crimes against unarmed citizens." AUSTRALIA: Omran Zwed, the Libyan mission's cultural counselor, speaking in front of the embassy, told a small band of emotionally charged Libyan protesters: "We represent the Libyan people and no longer the Libyan regime." AUSTRIA: The Libyan embassy in Austria, in an unsigned statement on Wednesday, "confirms that it represents the Libyan people and wishes to express its deepest condolences to the families of the victims. The embassy condemns the use of excessive violence against peaceful demonstrators and calls on the global community to adhere to its obligation to protect the civilian population and put into place concrete measures to avoid further victims." It was not clear if ambassador Ahmed Menesi had resigned. BANGLADESH: Ahmed A.H. Elimam, Libya's ambassador in Dhaka has resigned, Bangladeshi media reports said, quoting Foreign Ministry officials. CHINA: A senior Libyan diplomat in Beijing, Hussein Sadiq al Musrati, resigned during an interview with al Jazeera and later called on Libyan leader Muammar Qadaffy to step down and leave the country. EGYPT: Staff at the Libyan consulate in the Egyptian city of Alexandria lowered the Libyan flag and joined protesters nearby urging those inside to renounce their allegiance to Qadaffy. "Resign and join the honorable diplomats who have turned against the killer Qadaffy or else the Libyan youth will break into the consulate and stage a sit-in," a protester shouted. FRANCE: Tripoli's ambassador to La Belle France, Mohamed Salaheddine Zarem, and its ambassador to UNESCO, Abdoulsalam El Qallali, resigned on February 25 in response to the revolt against Qadaffy, a Libyan official said. Both had offered a statement on February 22 saying: "We announce to the people of Libya, the Arab world and the international community our support for the people in its revolt against the machine of oppression and aggression." INDIA: The entire staff of Libya's embassy in New Delhi renounced ties with Qadaffy's government on February 25, al Jazeera reported. "We at the Libyan embassy represent the Libyan people and do not represent the former regime. We're fully aligned to the people's revolution," a statement from the embassy was quoted as saying. Ali al-Essawi, Libya's ambassador to India resigned his post last weekend in protest at the violent crackdown. INDONESIA: Salaheddin El Bishari, Libya's ambassador in Indonesia, resigned on February 22, media reports said Wednesday. JORDAN: Mohammed Al-Barghathi, Libya's ambassador to Jordan said on February 24 he left his post and called for the overthrow of Qadaffy. * LIBYA: In Libya, prosecutor-general Abdul-Rahman al-Abbar became the latest bigwig to resign and told al Arabiya television on February 25 he was joining the opposition Interior Minister Abdel Fattah Younes al Abidi has resigned in protest and Justice Minister Mustafa Mohamed Abud Al Jeleil resigned on February 21 over "the excessive use of violence against protesters," Libya's privately owned Quryna newspaper reported. -- Ajleil has led the formation of an interim government based in the eastern city of Benghazi, Quryna reported on February 26. -- Youssef Sawani, a senior aide to Saif al-Islam Qadaffy, a son of the Libyan leader, resigned on February 20. -- On February 21, Nuri al-Mismari -- who has been at Qadaffy's side for almost 40 years although he left Libya in late 2010 to undergo heart surgery in La Belle France -- resigned from his post as chief of state protocol in Libya. Al-Mismari was jugged in La Belle FranceLibya, which wants to try him for embezzlement, but he said he had not been removed from his post and has remained in contact with the Qadaffy administration. in November 2010 at the request of MALAYSIA: Libya's embassy in Malaysia called Qadaffy's crackdown on protesters "barbaric and criminal" after the mission in Kuala Lumpur was briefly occupied by around 200 protesters. Protesters smashed a portrait of Qadaffy and hauled down the country's flag to replace it with what they said was a pre-Qadaffy flag. Osama Ahmed, a counselor at the embassy, told Rooters that the ambassador would remain in place to help around 5,000 Libyans living in Malaysia. * UNITED NATIONS: Libyan Deputy Ambassador Ibrahim Dabbashi and most other diplomats at Libya's U.N. mission announced on February 21 they were no longer working for the Qadaffy government and represented the country's people. They called for Qadaffy's overthrow. On Saturday Dabbashi, said that his delegation supported "in principle" Abud Ajleil's caretaker government in Libya. -- "In principle we support this government," Dabbashi told Rooters. "We are seeking more information about it, but yes, I think we support it." -- A day earlier, on February 25, Libyan U.N. Ambassador Abdurrahman Shalgham, Libya's U.N. ambassador, a former Libyan foreign minister who did not associate himself with a statement denouncing Qadaffy earlier this week, joined Dabbashi in condemning him in an impassioned speech to the council. -- Adel Shaltut, a diplomat at Libya's delegation to the U.N. in Geneva, also said on Friday that his entire delegation now represented the "free will" of the Libyan people. * UNITED STATES: Libya's ambassador to the United States called on Washington to speak up strongly in defense of the Libyan people, saying it is time to get rid of Qadaffy's government. Ambassador Ali Aujali told ABC's "Good Morning America" on February 22 that he no longer represented his country's government and called on Qadaffy to step aside to avoid further bloodshed. -- On Saturday, Aujali threw his weight behind a caretaker government formed by former Libyan justice minister Mustafa Mohamed Abud Ajleil. OTHER DEFECTIONS: -- Two Libyan Air Force fighter pilots defected on Monday and flew their jets to Malta where they told authorities they had been ordered to bomb protesters, Maltese government officials said. They said the two pilots, both colonels, took off from a base near Tripoli. One of them has requested political asylum.

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Africa North

Italy says 1,000 killed in Libya

2011-02-24

[Ennahar] Muammar Qadaffy's attempts to crush a revolt against his four-decade rule have killed as many as 1,000 people and split Libya, Italy's Foreign Minister said on Wednesday. In the eastern city of Benghazi, cradle of the revolt against Qadaffy, people let off firecrackers and honked their horns to mark the end of days of bloodshed there. With much of the east said to be under control of the protesters, an empty jail burned in Benghazi and Britain's Sky News showed footage of anti-aircraft missiles at what it said was an abandoned military base near Tobruk. As countries with strong business ties to Africa's third largest oil producer scrambled to evacuate their citizens, and residents of the capital lay low for fear of pro-Qadaffy gunnies, La Belle France became the first state to call for sanctions. "I would like the suspension of economic, commercial and financial relations with Libya until further notice," President Nicolas Sarkozy said. But in the latest sign of international division over how to deal with Qadaffy, the prime minister of Qatar said he did not want to isolate Libya, where several bigwigs have declared their backing for protests that began about a week ago. Protesters have taken over the eastern, oil producing region of the country, Interior Minister Abdel Fattah Younes al Abidi and a senior aide to Qadaffy's influential son Saif were the latest to change sides. "I resigned from the Qadaffy Foundation on Sunday to express dismay against violence," Youssef Sawani, executive director of the foundation, said in a text message sent to Rooters. Gadaffi has deployed troops to the west of the capital to try to stop a revolt that started in the east from spreading. In the east, many soldiers have withdrawn from active service. abandoned military base near the eastern city of Tobruk. Much of the country is shut down, including up to a quarter of oil output, prompting fears the crisis could stall global economic recovery. Qadaffy, once respected by many Libyans despite his repressive rule, called for a mass show of support on Wednesday, but only around 150 people gathered in Tripoli's central Green Square, carrying the Libyan flag and Qadaffy's portrait. Most streets were almost deserted at a time when they are normally packed with rush-hour traffic. A handful of cafes appeared to be the only businesses open despite government appeals for a return to work sent to subscribers of Libya's two state-controlled mobile phone companies. "Lots of people are afraid to leave their homes in Tripoli and pro-Qadaffy gunnies are roaming around threatening any people who gather in groups," Marwan Mohammed, a Tunisian, said as he crossed Libya's western border into Tunisia. An estimated 1.5 million foreign nationals are working or traveling in Libya and a third of the population of seven million are immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa. Witnesses described scenes of chaos as people tried to leave.

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