Mashambulizi hayo yamefanyika saa chache baada ya bomu kuripuka katika kituo cha basi kilichokuwa na watu wengi katikati ya mji wa Jerusalem ambapo mwanamke mmoja aliuawa na watu wengine zaidi ya 20 kujeruhiwa.
Hakuna kundi lolote ambalo limedai kuhusika, lakini viongozi nchini Israel wanawashutumu wanamgambo wa Kipalestina. Jana, Waziri Mkuu wa Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu alionya kuwa nchi hiyo itajitetea yenyewe iwapo italazimika kufanya hivyo, wakati ambapo ghasia na Wapalestina zinazidi kuongezeka.
Waziri Mkuu wa Ureno ajiuzulu
Waziri Mkuu wa Ureno Jose Socratesh amejiuzulu baada ya bunge la nchi hiyo kukataa mpango wa serikali yake wa kubana matumizi. Vyama vyote vitano vya upinzani vilipiga kura kuukataa mpango huo, vikisema kuwa hatua za kukaza mkwiji katika mpango huo ni kali mno.
Waziri huyo Mkuu wa Ureno alisema kuwa asingeweza kwa sasa kuwa na hakikisho la mustakhbali wa uchumi wa nchi hiyo baada ya hatua alizopanga kuchukua, kutupiliwa mbali. Pia amedokeza kuwa Ureno huenda ikafuata nyayo za Ugiriki na Ireland na kuhitaji kupigwa jeki na jumuiya ya kimataifa.
Kura hiyo imefanyika siku moja kabla ya mkutano muhimu wa wakuu wa Umoja wa Ulaya kuhusiana na mzozo wa madeni katika nchi zinazotumia sarafu ya Euro
Aomba talaka baada ya kugundua mumewe katinga kwa babu
NDOA moja iliyodumu kwa muda wa miaka mitatu imeingia matatani baada ya mke kudai talaka baada ya kugundua mumewe amekwenda Loriondo kwa siri bila kujua.
Ndoa hiyo inayoishi maeneo ya Chang’ombe imeingia utata mkubwa baada ya kuhisi mumewe ameambukizwa ukimwi na kumtoroka kwenda kwa babu kupata kikombe cha dawa ya Mchungaji Ambilikile.
Imedaiwa kuwa mke huyo amechachamaa kutaka talaka hiyo mara baada ya kwenda kituo cha afya na kupima afyaa yake na kujikuta hajapata maambukizi ya VVU.
Imedaiwa kuwa mke huyo alichukua uamuzi wa kwenda kuchukua vipimo hivyo baada ya kupata taarifa kuwa mumewe alikwenda Loriondo kunywa dawa hiyo na bila kujua maradhi anayosumbuliwa mumewe.
Imedaiwa kuwa mke huyo aliagwa na mumewe huyo kuwa anasafiri kwa muda wa wiki mbili kikazi mkoani Arusha na alishtushwa na mmoja wa rafiki zake alipofika nyumbani kwake kumuulizia mumuwe kama alikuwa amerudi kwa kuwa aliwaaga kuwa anakwenda kunywa dawa hiyo.
Imedaiwa mwanamke huyo alihamaki na kuanza kumuuliza maswali ya ya kiundani rafiki yake huyo ili aweze kumbainishia ukweli na aligundua kuwa walikwenda Loriondo na marafiki zake wawili, dada yake mmoja na shemeji yake na kumbainishia kuwa yeye alishindwa kwenda kwa kuwa hakuwa na nauli ya kutosha.
Imedaiwa kuwa mumewe aliporudi alianza kumuuliza kuwa alikuwa ameenda Arusha kikazi au alikuw a amekwenda Loriondo na mumewe kumjibu alikwenda kikazi ndipo varangati lilianzia hapo na kumbainishia kuwa alikuwa wamekwenda Loriondo na mumewe huyo kumbishia kwa asilimia miamoja
Hata hivyo mwanamke huyo alishikwa na wasiwasi mkubwa huenda mumewe alikuwa ameathirika na kumficha na alimsihi wakapime afya na mume huyo kuonekana hakuwa tayari kupima afya yake ndipo mwanamke huyo alipochachamaa kumt aka mume huyo kumpa talaka yake
Hata hivyo imedaiwa mwanaume huyo alikwenda kutoa taarifa hiyo kwa wazazi wa pande zote mbili ili waweze kumsaidia sakata hilo na kumtuliza mke wake asiendelee kuomba talaka na kumbainishian kuwa hakwenda Loriondo.
Merkel aelezea msimamo wa serikali yake
Kansela wa Ujerumani akizungumza bungeni mjini Berlin ameainisha malengo yake katika mkutano wa kilele wa siku mbili wa wakuu wa mataifa ya Umoja wa Ulaya unaonza leo huko Brussels Ubelgiji.
Kansela Merkel amesema katika mkutano huo ataangazia zaidi katika kuimarishwa kwa mfuko wa kudumu wa kusaidia nchi za umoja huo zitakazokabiliwa na mzozo wa madeni.
Mkutano huo unalenga kuanzisha utaratibu kamili utakaojumuisha ushirikiano zaidi katika sera za kiuchumi na pia kuanzishwa kwa mfuko wenye thamani ya mabilioni ya Euro kwa ajili ya kuyapiga jeki mataifa yatakayokabiliwa na madeni.
Kansela Merkel pia anaratajiwa kuyashinikiza mataifa ya Ulaya kuvifanyia majaribio vinu vya nyuklia kwa nia ya kuvipima kama ni thabiti na kuviboresha
Atembea na kinyesi kuiba mali madukani
MWANAUME mmoja anayekadiriwa kuwa na umri kati ya miaka 30 hadi 35 amenusurika kifo baada ya kupata kipigo kutoka wananchi wenye hasira kali baada ya kuiba chupa ya manukato dukani huko maeneno ya Mwenge jijini Dar es Salaam.
Mwanaume huyo aliweza kuingia duka liuzalo urembo kwa kujifanya mteja na kufanikiwa kuiba chupa ya manukato yenye thamani ya shilingi 2000 na kuificha.
Bila kujijua manukato hayo yalikuwa ni maalumu na kutumiwa na wanawake na alipoificha hakutambua hilo.
Aligundulika baada ya kupekuliwa kwa kushitukiwa kwa kukaa muda mrefu na ndipo alipokutwa na kichipa hicho cha manukato na ndipo alipotangazwa kuwa ni kibaka na wananchi wenye hasira kali wakaanza kumtia mikononi na kuanza kumpa adabu kwa kumpa kichapo.
Katika harakati za kumopa kichapo mwizi huyo ghafla hali tya hewa ikaanza kubadilika dukani humo kwa kuanza kusikika harufu yan kinyesi cha mwanadamu baada ya chupa aliyokuwa amehifadhia kufunguka na baadhi ya atu kuchoshwa na hali hiyo
NIFAHAMISHE ilipokuwa ikipita maeneo hayo ilimkuta mwanaume huyo akiwa hoi kwa kipigo baada ya kunusurika na mtandao huu ulipojaribu kumdodosa kwa maswali mawili matatu alibainisha kuwa ni ugumu wa maisha ndio uliomsababisha kufanya hivyo.
Mtandao huu ulipojaribu kumuuliza kuhusu kinyesi hicho alibainisha “ kinyesi ni mnbinu yangu ya wizi ninapokamatwa na mwenye duka akitaka kunifanyai fujo nawamwagia kinyesi na wanapokwua katika hali ya taharuki huniacha na mimi kupata upenyo wa kukimbia” alibainisha mwizi huyo
Libyan forces sock oil port as global pressure against Gadhafi grows
Ras Lanuf, Libya (CNN) -- The military forces of Moammar Gadhafi on Friday pounded Ras Lanuf, the key oil port once in the hands of rebel forces, with its leadership confidently vowing to retake all territory from the opposition despite growing international pressure.
Even as it targeted its domestic enemies, the Tripoli government continued to parry with leaders around the globe.
Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim, for instance, said Friday that Libya has suspended diplomatic relations with France, one day after the French government recognized the newly created Libyan opposition movement as the sole representative of the country.
In Ras Lanuf, pro-Gadhafi forces cranked up an intense and steady bombardment of the city, believed to be by rocket, artillery and tank fire. A storage tank at an oil refinery was on fire after an air raid there.
"We saw a bomb fall about a kilometer to the southwest of the refinery, and moments later saw thick black smoke rising from the refinery. We don't know, and no one we spoke to could say with any level of certainty or veracity, what caused the fire," said CNN Correspondent Ben Wedeman.
Dozens of pickup trucks and cars belonging to the opposition were heading away from the city amid fear that Libyan forces were advancing as the bombardment continued. The rebels evacuated to a checkpoint outside the town, but that and other rebel positions also were targeted by airstrikes.
Rebel forces retreat in Libya
Are Libyan rebels losing momentum?
No-fly zone carries challenges
NATO awaits U.N. mandate on Libya Rebels said the eastern city has been essentially empty as civilians fled and opposition forces retreated from sustained attacks. On Thursday, state media said the town was "cleansed" of the fighters.
This reflects the turn in fortunes for Gadhafi's well-equipped military, which has gained an upper hand after rebel fighters seized ground across Libya.
Along with its offensive in Ras Lanuf, government soldiers beat back rebels Thursday in Zawiya east of the capital, Tripoli.
Zawiya's Martyrs' Square was littered with the bombed-out, scorched carcasses of army tanks and other military vehicles. Workers swept up the evidence as Gadhafi supporters chanted slogans and waved green flags.
Saif al-Islam Gadhafi, one of Gadhafi's sons and a spokesman for the regime, vowed Thursday to retake other areas in eastern Libya that were controlled by the opposition and warned the international community that Libyans won't welcome NATO and Americans. NATO is contemplating the establishment of a no-fly zone, but says it needs a clear U.N. mandate to do it.
"I receive hundreds of calls from the east daily, and they are saying, 'Save us.' They are begging us and pleading for us to save them, and my answer is two words. Listen to me, and I want those armed groups to listen to me real well, and I want our people in the east to hear this as well: We're coming," he said.
Saif al-Islam Gadhafi is one of two Moammar Gadhafi sons who share the first name Saif.
On the diplomatic front, meanwhile, opposition to Moammar Gadhafi continues to gain momentum.
U.S. President Barack Obama reiterated Friday that he wants the Libyan leader to "step down." He added that he "won't take (the) decision lightly" to decide whether to use military force, including helping enforce a no-fly zone, saying it is critical to "balance costs versus benefits."
Obama noted that NATO officials will meet Tuesday to consider whether to implement a no-fly zone. He said U.S. actions so far, including freezing assets and other sanctions, are "slowly tightening the noose" on Gadhafi.
"We have moved about as swiftly as an international coalition has ever moved to impose sanctions," he said.
The U.S. Treasury Department beefed up those sanctions Friday, freezing the assets of nine more individuals. Among them are the wife and four sons of Libya's leader, including Saadi, Hannibal, Muhammad and Saif Al-Arab Gadhafi. Libya's defense minister, military intelligence director, external security organization head and public works coordinator are also included.
Also Friday, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon introduced former Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdul Ilah Khatib as his new special envoy to Libya. Khatib will leave New York over the weekend, accompanied by humanitarian and U.N. officials, to "convey, in no uncertain terms, the concerns of the United Nations and the international community," Ban said.
"I (hope) that this effort ... will succeed in stopping the killings and ending the suffering of the civilian population, in addressing their humanitarian needs and in preserving the unity of the Libyan people and the territorial integrity of their homeland," Khatib said, adding that Gadhafi's government "welcomed" the visit.
In Brussels, Belgium, the European Council, a body of the European Union, issued a declaration saying Gadhafi "must relinquish power immediately."
"His regime has lost all legitimacy and is no longer an interlocutor for the EU. The European Union has adopted restrictive measures against the country's leadership and against entities holding sizeable assets controlled by the regime and stands ready to adopt further sanctions.
"The objective is for Libya to rapidly embark on an orderly transition to democracy through a broad-based dialogue. The European Union welcomes and encourages the interim transitional national council based in Benghazi which it considers a political interlocutor."
Some members are clearer than others in their support for the National Transitional Council as the legitimate representative of the Libyan people.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy said in his news conference that "we consider the National Council based in Benghazi as the proper interlocutors for Libya and they need to be recognized as such and encouraged." German Chancellor Angela Merkel was more cautious in her approach to the council and called them a possible interlocutor.
Sarkozy said the European Council decision is a very strong one, and he stressed that a U.N. mandate and a request from the region are needed for intervention.
"We are considering and examining all necessary options to deal with the situation," he said. "We cannot stand by and watch this happen."
He wouldn't say whether France or Britain would take unilateral military action if a U.N. mandate wasn't achieved.
British Prime Minister David Cameron said in Brussels that authorities are tightening "the net" on Gadhafi and "his henchman" with tougher financial sanctions.
"We have added the Libyan Central Bank and the Libyan Investment Authority to the Libyan EU asset freezing list and, in doing so, the UK has frozen a total of 12 billion pounds of Libyan assets," Cameron said.
On Friday, the Libyan ambassador to the United States and to the United Nations will call on the United States to follow France's lead and recognize the opposition as the legitimate representative of Libya.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has announced plans to meet with opposition leaders when she visits Tunisia and Egypt next week. She said the United States was suspending relations with the Libyan Embassy in Washington, and an administration official added that the embassy "must shut down."
Protests against the 68-year-old Gadhafi began February 15 as anti-government demonstrators sought his ouster after nearly 42 years of rule, and the discontent devolved into a fierce and bloody civil war.
Death toll estimates earlier this week ranged from more than 1,000 to as many as 2,000.
As of Thursday morning, the war had forced out nearly 250,000 people, many of them poor migrant workers who have been stranded at both the Tunisian and Egyptian borders, the U.N. refugee agency said.
Mashambulizi zaidi Libya
Polisi Dubai wakamata shehena ya silaha ikipelekwa Yemen
Polisi huko Dubai wamefanikiwa kuzima jaribio la kutaka kusafirisha kimagendo silaha kwenda katika jimbo la kaskazini mwa Yemen la Saada ambalo ni ngome ya waasi wa kishia.
Shehena hiyo ambayo iliingia kwa meli huko Dubai njiani kuelekea Yemen inajumuisha bastola elfu 16 zilizotengenezwa Uturuki.Yemen imeshuhudia kuongezeka kwa upinzani dhidi ya serikali ya Rais Ali Abdullah Saleh katika kipindi cha miezi miwili iliyopita.
Waandamanaji wamekuwa wakitaka kuondoka madarakani kwa kiongozi huyo ambaye amekuwa madarakani kwa miaka 32 sasa.
Waziri wa Maendeleo wa Ujerumani Dick Niebel ametishia kuiwekea vikwazo vya misaada serikali ya Rais Saleh, iwapo majeshi ya nchi hiyo yatatumia nguvu dhidi ya waandamanaji.Wafanyakazi wanane wa misaada kutoka Ujerumani wameondolewa kutoka Yemen
Amuua Mkewe Na Kuuza Nyama Za Viungo Vyake
Kamanda wa polisi mkoa wa Shinyanga, Diwani Athuman, alisema Katinda alikamatwa na polisi katika eneo la benki ya CRDB tawi la Kahama akitaka kuwauzia viungo hivyo polisi waliokuwa kwenye lindo.
Kwa mujibu wa kamanda huyo, Katinda alikamatwa jana asubuhi baada ya kufika katika eneo hilo akidai anauza nyama ya nguruwe iliyokuwa kwenye mfuko wa sandalusi hali iliyomfanya kila mtu aliyekuwa katika eneo hilo kubaki na mshangao kwa kile kilichokuwa kikiendelea.
Kamanda huyo alisema kuwa baada ya kufika eneo hilo askari aliyekuwa kwenye lindo pamoja na wenzake, baada ya kuiangalia nyama hiyo iliyodaiwa kuwa ni ya nguruwe cha ajabu waliona kichwa cha binadamu kikiwa pamoja na viungo hivyo na ndipo walipomweka chini ya ulinzi.
Kwa mujibu wa kamanda huyo wa polisi, awali kijana huyo alionekana kwenye eneo la stendi ya mabasi maeneo ya CCM Kahama akiuza viungo hivyo ndipo alipoelekezwa kwenda kuuza kwa maaskari waliokuwa katika lindo la benki za CRDB na NMB, bila watu hao kujua kuwa kijana huyo amebeba nini katika furushi lake.
Aidha alisema kuwa baada ya kufika benki ya NMB, aliwaambia maaskari hao kuwa anauza kitimoto lakini walimjibu kuwa wao ni Waislamu hawatumii nyama hiyo na kumwelekeza kwenda kwa askari waliokuwa wakilinda benki ya CRDB ndipo alipokamatwa na kufikishwa katika kituo cha polisi cha wilaya.
Alisema kijana huyo baada ya kukamatwa alikiri kuwa viungo hivyo vilikuwa ni vya mkewe aliyemtaja kwa jina la Kabula Luziga (18) mkazi wa Itobo, wilayani Nzega.
Baada ya kijana huyo kuhojiwa, alisema alimuua mkewe usiku kwa kutumia panga baada ya kumvizia akiwa amelala.
Kamanda alisema baada ya kumhoji kijana huyo alidai kuwa alifikia uamuzi huo baada ya kusikia matangazo kwenye redio moja ya mjini Kahama kuwa viungo hivyo vinahitajiwa na kuna wateja wa kununua ndipo alipoamua kumuua mkewe
Jeshi la anga la Libya lazidi kurudi nyuma
Moja ya ndege za Uingereza zilizokwenda Libya
Kamanda wa juu wa Uingereza amesema kuwa vikosi vya jeshi la muungano vimekiangamiza kikosi cha jeshi la anga la Libya. Jemadari Greg Bagwell amesema ndege za vikosi hivyo sasa zinaruka kwa uhuru kuzunguka Libya.
Mashambulizi yanawalazimisha wanajeshi watiifu kwa kiongozi wa Libya, Kanali Muammar Gaddafi kurudi nyuma, ingawa bado wanashambulia kambi za waasi katika miji ya Misrata ulioko magharibi na Adjabiya ulioko mashariki.
Kituo cha televisheni cha Al-Jazeera kimetangaza kuwa kikosi hicho cha muungano wa kimataifa kinaendelea na mashambulizi yake dhidi ya vikosi vya Kanali Gaddafi kwenye mji mkuu wa Libya, Tripoli
Kituo cha televisheni cha Al-Jazeera kimetangaza kuwa kikosi hicho cha muungano wa kimataifa kinaendelea na mashambulizi yake dhidi ya vikosi vya Kanali Gaddafi kwenye mji mkuu wa Libya, Tripoli. Waziri Mkuu wa Uingereza, David Cameron
Wakati huo huo, Uingereza imetangaza kuandaa mkutano wa kimataifa utakaojadili maendeleo ya kikosi cha Umoja wa Mataifa nchini Libya. Mkutano huo utakaofanyika Jumanne ijayo mjini London, utalenga zaidi kuhusu maazimio ya Baraza la Usalama la Umoja wa Mataifa pamoja na mahitaji ya kibinaadamu ya watu wa Libya.
Bado haijafahamika jukumu ambalo Jumuiya ya Kujihami ya NATO italitimiza katika kutekeleza operesheni ya kuzuia ndege kuruka kwenye anga ya Libya, ambayo kwa sasa inaongozwa na Marekani. Rais Barack Obama wa Marekani anataka kukabidhi jukumu hilo haraka iwezekanavyo. Wiki iliyopita, Ujerumani haikupiga kura katika baraza hilo la usalama.
Waziri wa Ulinzi wa Ujerumani, Thomas de MaiziereAidha, juzi Jumanne Ujerumani ilijiondoa katika operesheni za NATO kwenye Bahari ya Meditteranean kutokana na jumuiya hiyo kujiingiza katika mzozo wa Libya na kurejesha udhibiti wa meli nne za kijeshi chini yake. Lakini katika hatua ya kukisaidia kikosi cha muungano nchini Libya, baraza la mawaziri la Ujerumani jana lilipitisha mipango ya kupeleka wanajeshi wa kurusha ndege za uchunguzi za NATO nchini Afghanistan
Afrika na Gaddafi: "Hatuwezi kuwa wizi wa fadhila"
Huku mataifa ya Ulaya yakiizuia akaunti za fedha za kiongozi wa Libya, Muammar Gaddafi, kiongozi huyo ana hazina nyengine ya mamilioni kwenye nchi kadhaa za Afrika; na ambayo haionekani kuwa itakauka kwa karibu.
Kwa miongo kadhaa sasa, kiongozi huyo amekuwa akiwekeza katika miradi mikubwa mikubwa ya ujenzi wa miundombinu, huduma na usafiri katika bara hilo. Kampuni ya taifa ya mafuta ya Libya, peke yake, ina mtandao wa matangi 2000 ya mafuta katika nchi 20 za Afrika.
Ni rahisi kwenye nchi za Afrika kukuta barabara inaitwa mtaa wa Gaddafi, au msikiti wa Gaddafi, au jengo la Gaddafi, maana nchi nyingi za bara hilo zinamtukuza kiongozi huyu.
Na hili, hapana shaka, linaonesha namna ambavyo Gaddafi amekuwa na ushawishi katika sehemu kadhaa za bara hilo.
Kwenye Benki ya Maendeleo ya Afrika, Libya peke yake ina mtaji wa euro milioni 260, jambo ambalo mwakilishi wa benki hiyo kwa kanda ya Afrika ya Kaskazini, Emanuele Santi, anaona kuwa halitabadilika.
"Libya ni mshirika muhimu kwenye benki yetu. Sifikirii kuwa Gaddasi atazitoa fedha zake, maana daima amekuwa akionesha mshikamano na bara la Afrika na kwa hivyo hawezi kubadilika. Na sisi pia hatukusudii kuzizuia fedha zake."
Kwa ujumla, thamani ya vitega uchumi mbalimbali vya Libya kwenye nchi mbalimbali za Afrika inafikia euro bilioni sita. Miradi na makampuni kadhaa makubwa yanafaidika na mkopo wa kifedha kutoka Libya.
Mfano ni kampuni ya simu za mkononi ya Uganda Telecom, ambayo mbili ya tatu ya hisa zake inamilikiwa na Mamlaka ya Uwekezaji ya Libya, ambayo thamani yake ni karibuni euro milioni 10.
Na kama hilo halitoshi, katika miaka ya hivi karibuni, Gaddafi, ambaye mwenyewe aliwahi kujiita mfalme wa wafalme, aliahidi mabilioni zaidi ya euro kuwekezwa kwenye uchumi wa bara la Afrika.
#b#Miongoni mwa wanufaikaji wakubwa wa uwekezaji huu ni nchi ya Burkina Faso iliyoko magharibi mwa Afrika. Hapa Gaddafi amejenga miundombinu na hospitali kubwa kabisa.
Tangu zamani, serikali ya nchi hii imekuwa na mahusiano makubwa sana Gaddafi, jambo ambalo hata kiongozi wa Muungano wa Upinzani, Hama Arba Diallo, hana sauti ya kupingana nalo sana.
“Kuna uwekezaji mkubwa kama ule wa chuo kikuu, ambao serikali yetu peke yake isingeliweza kuumudu, lakini Muammar Gaddafi ametusaidia. Na hajawekeza hapa Burkina Faso tu, bali pia kwenye nchi nyengine nyingi za Afrika, na kwa hilo tunamshukuru sana. Kinachotokea Libya hivi sasa, kinatusikitisha sote. Lakini hakuna nchi ya Afrika ambayo Gaddafi ameisaidia kifedha, ambayo leo itakuwa mwizi wa fadhila kwake."
Kwa umoja na utegemezi huu wa kiuchumi uliopo, si jambo la ajabu kwamba nchi za Kiafrika hazinyanyui sauti sana kupinga yale yanayofanywa na Gaddafi dhidi ya raia wake.
Wataalamu wa mambo ya siasa za Afrika, wanaona kuwa isitegemewe kwa siku za karibuni, viongozi wa Afrika watamuwacha mkono Gaddafi.
"Gaddafi amejijenga sana Afrika, kupitia anavyozungumzia uzalendo wa Kiafrika, kupitia ujenzi wa misikiti Afrika nzima. Na kusema kwamba hili linaweza kubadilika kwa haraka, bado ni suala la kuangaliwa." Anasema Helmut Asche, Mkurugenzi wa Taasisi ya Mambo ya Afrika ya mjini Leipzig.
Polisi wa Uganda washutumiwa kwa utesaji
Imesema katika matukio mengine walikuwa wakiwaingizia pini chini ya kucha za washukiwa.
Msemaji wa polisi wa Uganda alisema kumekuwa na ripoti za utesaji, lakini idadi yao imepungua.
Ripoti hiyo yenye kurasa 59 imetolewa kutokana na ushahidi wa zaidi ya watu 100 na waliokuwa washukiwa, familia zao, na waliokuwa kwenye kikosi cha polisi pamoja na ambao bado wapo kwenye nafasi hizo.
'Magari yasiyo na nembo'
Imeonyesha madai ya kuwepo mauaji holela ya watu sita mwaka 2010. Watu wawili walikufa kutokana na kupigwa wakati wa kusailiwa, huku wengine wanne wakipigwa risasi na kufa walipokamatwa, HRW ilisema.
Kitengo hicho maalum cha polisi hukamata watu wanaodaiwa kufanya uhalifu wa makosa mbalimbali, yakiwemo makosa madogo na ugaidi.
Ilisema kuwa kitengo hicho kimemteua mkurugenzi mpya mwaka jana, iliyoanzisha huduma ya simu ya bure na idaraya kutoa malalamiko.
Msemaji wa polisi wa Uganda Judith Nabakooba alisema: " Kesi zinapoletwa kwetu hufanyiwa uchunguzi na hatua huchukuliwa."
Rais Yoweri Museveni aliunda kitengo hicho mwaka 2002. Mwanzo kikiitwa Operation Wembley, kabla ya kubadilishwa jina na kuitwa Violent Crime Crack Unit na baadae Rapid Respone Unit.
Hatumlengi Gaddafi - Majeshi
Majeshi ya ushirika yanayoendesha mashambulio ya anga yanasema Kanali Muammar Gaddafi sio lengo lao, licha ya kushambulia makazi yake usiku.
Ndege ya kivita
Mkuu wa jeshi la Marekani kikosi cha Afrika Jenerali Carter F Ham
Msemaji wa jeshi la Ufaransa,
amesema hata kama watafahamu kiongozi huyo wa LIbya yuko wapi, hawatamshambulia.
Umoja wa Mataifa ulipitisha muswada wa kulinda raia, wakati Kanali Gaddafi akipambana na waasi, katika ghasia zilizozuka mwezi uliopita.
Siku ya Jumapili, waziri wa ulinzi wa Uingereza alisema kumlenga Gaddafi huenda "ukawa uwezekano".
Hata hivyo siku ya Jumatatu, mkuu wa majeshi wa Uingereza Jenerali Sir David Richards alisema kumlenga Kanali Gaddafi pekee "hairuhusiwi chini ya muswada wa Umoja wa Mataifa".
South Africa shut down its Embassy in Libya
South Africa shut down its Embassy in Libya on Sunday night and evacuated 30 of its nationals from the strife-torn country.Clayson Monyela, a spokesman for South Africa's International Relations and Cooperation Department, said on Monday that the country "remains deeply concerned at the deteriorating situation in Libya, which has resulted in untold atrocities and countless loss of civilian lives."
Meanwhile, Libya's Ambassador to South Africa Abdallah Alzubedi told reporters that he had considered resigning as envoy of the Qadhafi regime, but held back as he did not want to desert his people at a time of crisis.
After voting in the U.N. Security Council at the weekend in favor of adopting tough punitive actions on the Libyan government, South Africa said it was sending "a clear and unambiguous message to the Libyan authorities to end the carnage against its people."
Canada imposed a wide range of sanctions against Libya on Sunday
France’s 1271 Year Battle With Islam
Hardly a week goes by without an article appearing in a newspaper telling of further conflict between a European nation and its Muslim population. Population is the correct term, as issues are broad and deal with citizens, immigrants, and individuals there illegally. This week, it is Frances turn.
Edward Cody, a staff writer for the Washington Post’s Foreign Service, penned an article covering the controversy in France dealing with mundane subject of hamburgers[1]. While, at first glance, it might appear humorous, the subject simply highlights how Christians and Muslims lack an understanding of each other, a problem we, here in the United State, share. In the end, both camps must face the problem, and overcome it, if they intend to live together.
While most people understand the conflict between the two religions goes back centuries, they may not realize it started before the Crusades. Over 350 years before the first Crusade, Muslims invaded Europe forcing European Christians to defend their homeland. After securing the Iberian Peninsula, the Muslim leader Abd ar-Rahman I, set his sights on territory held by the Franks.
Europe, at the time, was a fragmented and had little chance of standing up against the organized invaders. That is, until one man stepped back, formed a plan and convinced various groups to set aside their differences and work for the common goal of self-preservation.
With a nickname more akin to a Mickey Spillane character than the tony, aristocratic names of later French rulers, Charles “the hammer” Martel understood how to fight a battle. Without question, from the standpoint of defense, he was the right man at the right time. Under his guidance, the Franks developed a standing army capable of not only defending themselves, but able to push the invaders back across the Pyrenees Mountains. His efforts effectively ended the Muslim advance into Europe and lead to the formation of the Holy Roman Empire with his grandson Charlemagne.
Of course, then came the Crusades and all the carnage that came with them. Given the history between European Christians and Muslims in general, is it any wonder there is mistrust today? On the one hand, Muslims simply want to enjoy a hamburger that has been prepared in accordance with their religious tradition. On the other hand, secularist and Christians see it as forcing them to accept the Muslim tenet of halal, as prescribed by Islamic law. The businesses concerned do not care, they simply want to increases profits and market share.
Devout Muslims are only allowed to consume food prepared in the halal tradition, much like devout Jews restrict themselves to kosher foods[2]. Both traditions are similar but differ in the particular religious aspect and various restrictions. In the case of halal, it is less restrictive on process but does require a set of particular prayers. Still, it is a religious practice and many that do not follow the Islamic religion may take offence at some point. In the end, businesses will decide if they need to adopt the practice based on profit and loss, nothing wrong with that.
The practice of halal only becomes an issue if the government forces or bans it. In the end, the marketplace should determine the extent “halal only” restaurants and stores are accepted. Muslims in France voted with their money, as sales in halal stores increased. The French citizens in opposition are just getting started in applying pressure of their own. They see this as another step in Muslims finally taking control of the territory the Muslim army failed to conquer all those years ago.
That is the point; it is not halal, as an isolated practice, which is at issue. The issue is whether France is becoming an Islamic state. By law, France does not officially use a census to determine its population demographics racially or ethnically. As far back as 2004, various demographers estimated the Muslim population of France, under the age of twenty-five, as high as thirty percent[3]. As the Muslim population increases, it is natural for business to cater to the needs of that population. The question in France, as well as other European countries, is what to do when that population grows large enough to demand a change in government. In other words, the fear is France will become an Islamic state and lose its secular form of government.
In the end, France must find a way to deal with its growing Muslim population. As citizens, they enjoy the same religious freedom as other citizens. At least they enjoy the aspects of religious freedom that have not been legislated away, such as the ban on headscarves.[4] While something like how to create a hamburger highlights one of the many issues currently debated, that issue cannot be taken at face value. As the little, seemingly insignificant issues grow in number, France, as other countries, will be forced to reconcile its secular government with a religion that includes its own unique political system that defines what constitutes a legitimate government[5]
Civil war in Libya: Washington attempting to justify US–NATO military intervention?
Is Tripoli being set up for a civil war to justify US and NATO military intervention in oil-rich Libya, asks Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya. Are the talks about sanctions a prelude to an Iraq-like intervention
SOMETHING IS ROTTEN IN THE SO-CALLED ‘JAMAHIRIYA’ OF LIBYA
There is no question that Colonel Muammar Al-Gaddafi (Al-Qaddafi) is a dictator. He has been the dictator and so-called ‘qaid’ of Libya for about 42 years. Yet, it appears that tensions are being ratcheted up and the flames of revolt are being fanned inside Libya. This includes earlier statements by the British Foreign Secretary William Hague that Colonel Qaddafi had fled Libya to Venezuela.[1] This statement served to electrify the revolt against Qaddafi and his regime in Libya.
Although all three have dictatorship in common, Qaddafi’s Libya is quite different from Ben Ali’s Tunisia or Mubarak’s Egypt. The Libyan leadership is not outright subservient to the United States and the European Union. Unlike the cases of Tunisia and Egypt, the relationship that exists between Qaddafi and both the U.S. and E.U. is a modus vivendi. Simply put, Qaddafi is an independent Arab dictator and not a ‘managed dictator’ like Ben Ali and Mubarak.
In Tunisia and Egypt the status quo prevails, the military machine and neo-liberalism remain intact; this works for the interests of the United States and the European Union. In Libya, however, upsetting the established order is a U.S. and E.U. objective.
The U.S. and the E.U. now seek to capitalize on the revolt against Qaddafi and his dictatorship with the hopes of building a far stronger position in Libya than ever before. Weapons are also being brought into Libya from its southern borders to promote revolt. The destabilization of Libya would also have significant implications for North Africa, West Africa, and global energy reserves.
COLONEL QADDAFI IN BRIEF SUMMARY
Qaddafi’s rise to power started as a Libyan lieutenant amongst a group of military officers who carried out a coup d’état. The 1969 coup was against the young Libyan monarchy of King Idris Al-Sanusi. Under the monarchy Libya was widely seen as being acquiescent to U.S. and Western European interests.
Although he has no official state or government position, Qaddafi has nurtured and deeply rooted a political culture of cronyism, corruption, and privilege in Libya since the 1969 coup. Added to this is the backdrop of the ‘cult of personality’ that he has also enforced in Libya.
Qaddafi has done everything to portray himself as a hero to the masses, specifically the Arabs and Africans. His military adventures in Chad were also tied to leaving his mark in history and creating a client state by carving up Chad. Qaddafi’s so-called ‘Green Book’ has been forcefully portrayed and venerated as being a great feat in political thought and philosophy. Numerous intellectuals have been forced or bribed to praise it.
Over the years, Colonel Qaddafi has tried to cultivate a romantic figure of himself as a simple man of the people. This includes pretending to live in a tent. He has done everything to make himself stand out. His reprimanding of other Arab dictators, such as King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, at Arab League meetings have made headlines and have been welcomed by many Arabs. While on state visits he has deliberately surrounded himself with an entourage of female body guards with the intent of getting heads to turn. Moreover, he has also presented himself as a so-called imam or leader of the Muslims and a man of God, lecturing about Islam in and outside of Libya.
Libya is run by a government under Qaddafi’s edicts. Fear and cronyism have been the keys to keeping so-called ‘order’ in Libya amongst officials and citizens alike. Libyans and foreigners alike have been killed and have gone missing for over four decades. The case of Lebanon’s Musa Al-Sadr, the founder of the Amal Movement, is one of the most famous of these cases and has always been a hindrance to Lebanese-Libyan relations. Qaddafi has had a very negative effect in creating and conditioning an entire hierarchy of corrupt officials in Tripoli. Each one looks out for their own interests at the expense of the Libyan people.
FRACTIONS AND TENSIONS INSIDE THE HIERARCHY OF QADDAFI’S REGIME
Because of the nature of Qaddafi’s regime in Tripoli, there are a lot of internal tensions in Libya and within the regime structure itself. One of these sets of tensions is between Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi and his father’s circle of older ministers. Libyan ministers are generally divided amongst those that gather around Saif Al-Islam and those that are part of the ‘old guard.’
There are even tensions between Qaddafi and his sons. In 1999, Mutassim Al-Qaddafi tried to ouster his father while Colonel Qaddafi was outside of Libya. Mutassim Qaddafi holds a Libyan cabinet portfolio as a national security advisor. He is also famously known amongst Libyans for being a playboy who has spent much of his time in Europe and abroad. There is also Khames Gaddafi who runs his own militia of thugs, which are called the Khames militia. He has always been thought of as possible contender for succession too against his other brothers.
There have always been fears in Libya about the issue of succession after Colonel Qaddafi is gone. Over the years, Qaddafi has thoroughly purged Libya of any form of organized opposition to him or prevented anyone else, outside his family, from amassing enough power to challenge his authority.
THE ISSUE OF LOYALTY AND DEFECTION IN LIBYA
Undoubtedly, little loyalty is felt for Qaddafi and his family. It has been fear that has kept Libyans in line. At the level of the Libyan government and the Libyan military it has been both fear and self-interest that has kept officials, good and corrupt alike, in line. That mantle of fear has now been dispelled. Statements and declarations of denunciation against Gaddafi’s regime are being heard from officials, towns, and military barracks across Libya.
Aref Sharif, the head of the Libyan Air Force, has renounced Qaddafi. Interior Minister Abdul Fatah Al-Yunis (Al-Younis), who is from Benghazi (Bengasi) and oversees a branch of the special operations work in Libya, has resigned. Yunis is reported to be Qaddafi’s ‘number two’ or second in charge, but this is incorrect. Abdullah Sanusi, the head of Libyan Internal Intelligence and Qaddafi’s relative through marriage, is the closest thing to a ‘number two’ within the structure of power in Tripoli.
Reports have been made about two Libyan pilots defected to Malt and Libyan naval vessels refusing to attack Benghazi. Defections are snowballing amongst the military and government. Yet, there must be pause to analyze the situation.
THE LIBYAN OPPOSITION
At this point, however, it must be asked who is the ‘opposition’ in Libya. The opposition is not a monolithic body. The common denominator is the opposition to the rule of Qaddafi and his family. It has to be said that ‘actions of opposition or resistance against an oppressor’ and an ‘opposition movement’ are also two different things. For the most part, the common people and corrupt Libyan officials, who harbour deep-seated hate towards Qaddafi and his family, are now in the same camp, but there are differences.
There is an authentic form of opposition, which is not organized, and a systematic form of opposition, which is either external or led by figures from within the Libyan regime itself. The authentic people’s internal opposition in Libya is not organized and the people’s ‘actions of opposition’ have been spontaneous. Yet, opposition and revolt has been encouraged and prompted from outside Libya through social media networks, international news stations, and events in the rest of the Arab World.[2]
The leadership of the internal opposition that is emerging in Libya is coming from within the regime itself. Corrupt officials that have rebelled against Gaddafi are not the champions of the people. These opposition figures are not opposed to tyranny; they are merely opposed to the rule of Colonel Qaddafi and his family. Aref Sharif and Al-Yunis are themselves Libyan regime figures.
It has to also be considered that some Libyan officials that have turned against Qaddafi are doing it to save themselves, while others in the future will work to retain or strengthen their positions. Abdel Moneim Al-Honi, the Libyan envoy to the Arab League in Cairo, can be looked at as an example. Al-Honi denounced Qaddafi, but it should be noted that he was one of the members of the group of Libyan officers who executed the coup in 1969 with Qaddafi and that later in 1975 he himself tried to take power in a failed coup. After the failed coup, he would flee Libya and only return in 1990 after Qaddafi pardoned him.
Al-Honi is not the only Libyan diplomat to resign. The Libyan ambassador to India has also done the same. There is an intention on the part of these officials to be members of the power structure in a Libya after the ouster of Qaddafi:
Libyan Ambassador to India Ali al-Essawi told the BBC that he was quitting, opposing his government's violent crackdown on demonstrators.
Mr. Al-Essawi was reported to be a Minister in Tripoli and could be an important figure in an alternative government, in case Libyan President Muammar Qadhafi steps down.
The second Libyan diplomat to put in his papers was Tripoli's Permanent Representative to the Arab League Abdel Moneim al-Honi, who said in Cairo that he had quit his job to ‘join the revolution’ in his country.
‘I have submitted my resignation in protest against the acts of repression and violence against demonstrators, and I am joining the ranks of the revolution,’ said Mr. Al-Honi. The Second Secretary Hussein Sadiq al Musrati, announced his resignation from China, in an interview with Al-Jazeera, and called on the Army to intervene in the uprising.[3]
Again, these revolting officials, like Al-Yunis and Sharif, are from within the regime. They are not mere diplomats, but former ministers. There is also the possibility that these types of ‘opposition figures’ could have or could make arrangements with external powers.
EXTERNAL FORCES AT PLAY IN LIBYA
The governments of the U.S., Britain, France, Germany, and Italy all knew very well that Qaddafi was a despot, but this did not stop any of them from making lucrative deals with Tripoli. When the media covers the violence in Libya, they should also ask, where are the weapons being used coming from? The arms sales that the U.S. and the E.U. have made to Libya should be scrutinized. Is this a part of their democracy promotion programs?
Since rapprochement between the U.S. and Libya, the military forces of both countries have moved closer. Libya and the U.S. have had military transactions and since rapprochement Tripoli has been very interested in buying U.S. military hardware.[4] In 2009, a Pentagon spokeswoman, Lieutenant-Colonel Hibner, affirmed this relationship best: ‘[The U.S.] will consider Libyan requests for defen[c]e equipment that enables[Libya] to build capabilities in areas that serve our mutual interest[or synchronized U.S. and Libyan interests].’[5] The qualifier here is U.S. interests, meaning that the Pentagon will only arm Libya on the basis of U.S. interests.
In what seems to have happened overnight, a whole new arsenal of U.S. military hardware has appeared in Libya. American-made F-16 jets, Apache helicopters, and ground vehicles are being used inside Libya by Qaddafi.[6] This is a shocking revelation, if corroborated. There are no public records about some of this U.S. military hardware in the the arsenal of the Libyan military. In regards to the F-16s, Libyan jets are traditionally French-made Mirages and Russian-made MiGs.
Silvio Berlusconi and the Italian government have also been strong supporters of Qaddafi’s regime. There is information coming out of Libya that Italian pilots are also being used by the Libyan Air Force.[7] Mercenaries from Chad, Sudan, Niger, and Nigeria are also being used. This has been verified through video evidence coming out of Libya. The Libyan regime is also considering contracting American or European security firms (mercenaries).[8]
THE POLITICS OF AL JAZEERA
The Libyan government has shut down the internet and phone lines and an information war is underway. Although one of the most professional news networks in the world, it has to be cautioned that Al Jazeera is not a neutral actor. It is subordinate to the Emir of Qatar and the Qatari government, which is also an autocracy. By picking and choosing what to report, Al Jazeera’s coverage of Libya is biased. This is evident when one studies Al Jazeera’s coverage of Bahrain, which has been restrained due to political ties between the leaders of Bahrain and Qatar.
Reports by Al Jazeera about Libyan jets firing on protesters in Tripoli and the major cities are unverified and questionable.[9] Hereto, the reports that Libyan jets have been attacking people in the streets have not been verified. No visual evidence of the jet attacks has been shown, while visual confirmation about other events have been coming out of Libya.
Al Jazeera is not alone in its biased reporting from Libya. The Saudi media is also relishing the events in Libya. Asharq Al-Awsat is a Saudi-owned paper that is strictly aligned to U.S. interests in the Middle East-North Africa (MENA) region. Its editor-in-chief is now running editorials glorifying the Arab League for their decision to suspend Libya, because of the use of force by Tripoli against Libyans protesters – why were such steps not taken for Egypt, Tunisia, Bahrain, or Yemen? Inside and outside the Arab World, the mainstream media is now creating the conditions for some sort of intervention in Libya.
THE ROLE OF FOREIGN INTERESTS IN LIBYA
Qaddafi and his sons have run Libya like a private estate. They have squandered its wealth and natural resources. One of Gaddafi’s son’s is known to have paid the American singer Beyoncé Knowles a million or more U.S. dollars for a private music concert.[10] Foreign corporations also play a role in this story.
The positions and actions of foreign corporations, the U.S., and the European Union in regards to Libya should not be ignored.
Questioning the role of foreign governments and corporations in Libya is very important. The Italian and U.S. governments should be questioned about the role that pilots of Italian nationality and newly bought U.S. weaponry are playing in Libya.
It is very clear that democracy is only used as a convenient pretext against dictators and governments that do not bow down and serve U.S. and E.U. interests. All one needs to do is to just look at the way Mutassim Qaddafi was welcomed with open arms in Washington on April 21, 2009 by Hillary Clinton and the Obama Administration. Upon their meeting, Secretary Clinton publicly said:
I am very pleased to welcome Minister Gaddafi to the State Department. We deeply value the relationship between the United States and Libya. We have many opportunities to deepen and broaden our cooperation and I am very much looking forward to building on this relationship. So Mr.Minister welcome so much here.[11]
What the U.S. and the E.U. want to do now is maximize their gain in Libya. Civil war seems to be what Brussels and Washington have in mind.
THE BALKANIZATION OF LIBYA AND THE PUSH TO CIVIL WAR
Qaddafi’s son Saif Al-Islam has made statements on Libyan television about deviant Taliban-like faith-based organizations taking over Libya or attempting to take it over. Nothing is further from the truth. He has also warned of doom and civil war. This is part of the Qaddafi family’s efforts to retain power over Libya, but a path towards civil war is unfolding in Libya.
Amongst the ranking members of the military, Mahdi Al-Arab, the deputy chief of Libya’s military staff, was said to have renounced Qaddafi.[12] Al-Arab, however, has modified his position by saying that he does not want to see Libya spiral into a civil war that will allow foreign intervention and tutelage.[13] This is why Al-Arab prevented the people of his city, Zawarah, from joining the revolt and going to nearby Tripoli.[14]
The drive towards civil war in Libya is fuelled by two factors. One is the nature of Qaddafi’s regime. The other is an external desire to divide and weaken Libya.
Qaddafi has always worked to keep Libyans divided. For years there have been fears that Qaddafi’s sons would start a civil war amongst themselves or that some other high ranking officials could try to jockey for power once Qaddafi was gone. Civil war on the basis of ethnicity, regionalism, or tribalism is not a big threat. Tribes and regions could be co-opted or allied with, but the people that would spark a civil war are regime figures. The threats of civil war arise from the rivalries amongst regime officials themselves. Yet, it must be understood that these rivalries are delibertly being encouraged to divide Libya.
The flames of revolt are being fanned inside Libya. Chaos in the Arab World has been viewed as beneficial in many strategic circles in Washington, Tel Aviv, London, and NATO Headquarters. If Libya falls into a state of civil war or becomes balkanized this will benefit the U.S. and the E.U. in the long-term and will have serious geo-political implications.
All the neighbouring states in North Africa would be destabilized by the events in Libya. West Africa and Central Africa would also be destabilized. The tribal boundaries running in Libya and Chad extend into countries like Niger, Algeria, and Sudan. The chaos in Libya would also have a significant effect on Europe and global energy. Already the events in Libya are being used to validate the drive to control the Arctic Circle and its energy resources.[15]
WHAT WILL BE QADDAFI’S END?
It is very likely that Qaddafi will not have as fortunate an exit from power as Ben Ali in Tunisia and Mubarak in Egypt. Finding refuge for Qaddafi will not be easy. In general, Qaddafi is considered a liability by other governments. Saudi Arabia, which can be portrayed as a refuge for Arab dictators, will most likely not give Qaddafi refuge. Libya and Saudi Arabia have bad relations. He is also wanted for investigation in Lebanon. Generally, Qaddafi’s relationship with the leaders of the Arab petro-sheikhdoms in the Persian Gulf is tense and negative. He will not be granted refuge anywhere in the Persian Gulf.
In general, Arab governments will also be afraid to host him. In his efforts to present himself as a champion of the people, he has insulted many of his fellow Arab dictators. There is something to be said, however, when Qaddafi’s statements at Arab League meetings or about Palestine and Iraq are far more popular or candid than the rest of the Arab dictators.
It is highly improbable that any Latin American, European, or ex-Soviet countries will give him refuge. A country in sub-Sahara(n) Africa is the mostly likely place Qaddafi could seek refuge.
His options are limited and he is determined to hold on to power. Civil War seems to be looming in the horizon. It is highly unlikely that he will leave Libya peacefully and the U.S. and its allies have no doubt examined this scenario. On February 23-24, 2010, he met with the leaders of the three biggest tribes in Libya (Werfala, Tarhouna, and Wershfana), to secure their support.[16] His own tribe, Qaddafa is supporting him and it seems that the Madarha and Awlad Slieman tribes are also supporting him.[17]
THE THREATS OF NATO INTERVENTION AND U.S. AND E.U. CONTROL OVER LIBYA
Libya has been in the cross-hairs of the Pentagon for years. According to Wesley Clark, the retired general who was the supreme military commander of NATO, Libya was on a Pentagon list of nations to be invaded after Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. The list included Iraq, Somalia, Sudan, Lebanon, Syria, and lastly Iran. In Clark’s own words:
So I came back to see him[a high ranking military officer in the Pentagon] a few weeks later, and by that time we were bombing in Afghanistan. I said, ‘Are we still going to war with Iraq?’ And he said, ‘Oh, it’s worse than that.’ He reached over on his desk. He picked up a piece of paper. And he said, ‘I just got this down from upstairs’ — meaning the Secretary of Defence’s office — ‘today.’ And he said, ‘This is a memo that describes how we’re going to take out seven countries in five years, starting with Iraq, and then Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and, finishing off, Iran.’[18]
In one way or another all the nations on the list have been attacked directly or indirectly and all of them, but Syria and Iran, have succumbed to the U.S. and its allies. Again, the only exceptions are Iran and its ally Syria. In Lebanon, the U.S. has made partial gains, but it is now receding with the decline of the Hariri-led March 14 Alliance.
Libya started secret negotiations with Washington in 2001 that materialized into formal rapprochement after the fall of Baghdad to British and American troops in 2003. Yet, the U.S. and its allies have always wanted to expand their influence over the Libyan energy sector and to appropriate Libya’s vast wealth. A civil war provides the best cover for this.
LIBYANS MUST BE AWARE OF THE PRETEXT OF HUMANITARIAN INTERVENTION
The Libyan people should be on their high guards. In is clear that the U.S. and the E.U. are supporting both sides. The U.S. and the E.U. are not the allies of the people of the Arab World. In this regard, the U.S. supports Qaddafi on the ground through military hardware, while it also supports the ‘opposition.’ If the so-called Western governments were serious about democracy, they would have cut their business ties to Libya, specifically in the energy sector, before 2011.
Both Washington and the powers in Brussels could co-opt opposition forces. They have supported Gaddafi, but they do not control him or his regime like they controlled Ben Ali in Tunisia and Mubarak in Egypt. Libya is a very different story. The objectives of Washington and Brussels will be to strengthen their control over Libya either through regime change or civil war.
‘Actions of opposition to Gaddafi’ are strong, but there is no strong organized ‘opposition movement.’ The two are different. Nor is democracy guaranteed, because of the nature of the coalition opposed to Gaddafi, which includes corrupt regime officials.
There is now talk about a ‘humanitarian intervention’ in Libya, similar to Yugoslavia and Iraq. A ‘no-fly zone’ over Libya has been mentioned, as has NATO military intervention. The aims behind such statements are not humanitarian, but are intended to justify foreign interference, which could potentially lead to an invasion. Should this come to fruition, Libya would become an occupied country. Its resources would be plundered and its assets privatized and controlled by foreign corporations as in the case of Iraq.
Today, in Libya and the Arab World the ghosts of Omar Mukhtar and Saladin are still very much alive and active. Getting rid of Gaddafi and his sons alone is not the solution. The entire corrupt system of governance in Libya and the culture of political corruption must be dismantled. At the same time, however, foreign interference or domination should also not be allowed to take root in Libya. If the Libyan people are mobilized and steadfast, they can fight such schemes.
BROUGHT TO YOU BY PAMBAZUKA NEWS
* Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya specialises in the Middle East and Central Asia. He is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization.
* This article was first published by Global Research.
* Please send comments to editor@pambazuka.org or comment online at Pambazuka News.
NOTES
[1] ‘UK Hague: some information that Qaddafi on way to Venezuela,’ Reuters, February 21, 2011.
[2] One is taken back by the proliferation of pre-1969 coup Libyan flags. Where did all these flags come from?
[3] ‘3 Libyan Diplomats resign,’ The Hindu, February 22, 2011.
[4] James Wolf, ‘U.S. eyes arms sales to Libya,’ Reuters, March 6, 2009.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Information from sources in Libya; not publicly confirmed yet.
[7] Ibid.
[8] Ibid.
[9] Ibid.; I have been given two explanations for this. The first explanation is that government agents from Libya have been disseminating misinformation to Al Jazeera. This includes reports made to Al Jazeera that jets have been attacking civilians in the streets. Gaddafi has used this to try to discredit Al Jazeera internally in Libya by pointing out to the Libyan people that no jet attacks have occurred and that Al Jazeera is broadcasting misinformation. The second explanation is that Al Jazeera is simply spreading misinformation. Whatever the case, both explanations agree no Libyan jets have attacked protesters yet.
[10] Marine Hyde, ‘Beyoncé and the $2m gig for Colonel Gaddafi’s son,’ The Guardian (U.K.), January 8, 2010; it was Mutassim and not Hannibal Gaddafi that the music concert was for (the article is wrong). The article is not authoritative and has been cited to illustrate that these types of escapades are even vaguely known by the mainstream press in Britain and Western Europe.
[11] U.S. State Department, ‘Remarks With Libyan National Security Adviser Dr. Mutassim Qadhafi Before Their Meeting,’ April 21, 2009:
[12] Information from sources in Libya; not publicly confirmed yet.
[13] Ibid.
[14] Ibid.
[15] David Ljunggren, ‘Libya turmoil puts focus on Arctic oil: Greenland,’ ed. Robert Wilson, Reuters, February 23, 2011.
[16] Information from sources in Libya; not publicly confirmed yet. I have been told that Qaddafi promised the tribes reform and that he would step down in about one year in time. I was also informed that he claimed that none of his sons would control Libya either.
[17] Ibid.
[18] General (retired) Wesley Clark, ‘92 Street Y Exclusive Live Interview,’ interview by Amy Goodman, Democracy Now, March 2, 2007.
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