Moammar Gadhafi - ICC Issues Arrest Warrant

ICC Issues Arrest Warrant for Gadhafi

VOA - Lauren Comiteau | Amsterdam

June 27. 2011 

 

Moammar Gadhafi is now an internationally wanted war crimes suspect. The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Gadhafi, his son, Seif al-Islam and the head of Libyan intelligence, Abdullah al-Senussi. Judge Sanji Monageng said there are grounds to believe the three are responsible for a state policy to quell opposition by any means and then cover up their alleged crimes.

"There are reasonable grounds to believe that as from 15 February 2011 and within a period of less than two weeks in February 2011, the security forces killed and injured, as well arrested and imprisoned, hundreds of civilians," judge Monageng said.

Judges say the alleged crimes took place in the first two weeks of the uprising to force Gadhafi from power. The United Nations Security Council had asked the international court’s prosecutor to investigate the situation in February.

In requesting the warrants last month, prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo said Gadhafi’s security forces had opened fire on demonstrators, used artillery on funeral processions and deployed snipers to target worshippers leaving mosques. Ocampo said the Libyan officials ordered the detention and torture of dissidents.

The judges say the arrest warrants are needed to stop future crimes and prevent more cover-ups.

The International Criminal Court does not have enforcement power but the statute establishing its jurisdiction will now oblige any member nation to arrest the Libyan leader and hand him over for trial.

 

ICC Issues Arrest Warrant for Gadhafi

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North African Migrants Risk Lives to Reach Italian Island of Lampedusa

N. African Migrants Risk Lives to Reach Italian Island

VOA - Henry Ridgwell | Lampedusa, Italy May 16, 2011

More than 30,000 migrants have arrived from north Africa on the tiny southern Italian island of Lampedusa, so far, this year.  Most of the migrants leave the coasts of Tunisia and Libya onboard rickety fishing boats.  Thousands of people have died making the journey.  Despite the dangers, the ongoing violence in Libya is forcing many more people to set sail for European shores.

ICC Prosecutor Calls for Arrest of Libyan Leader Moammar Gadhafi, one of his sons and his intelligence chief for crimes against humanity.

ICC Prosecutor Calls for Arrest of Libyan Leader
VOA - Monday, May 16th, 2011

The International Criminal Court prosecutor has asked judges to issue arrest warrants for Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, one of his sons and his intelligence chief for crimes against humanity.

Luis Moreno-Ocampo said at The Hague Monday that he had gathered direct evidence that Mr. Gadhafi, Saif al-Islam Gadhafi and Libyan intelligence chief Abdullah al-Sanousi committed crimes with the goal of preserving the Libyan leaders authority.

He added that evidence showed Mr. Gadhafi had personally ordered attacks on civilians in Libya since launching a brutal crackdown on anti-government rebels in February.

The ICC chief prosecutor says he will file a 74-page document outlining allegations that Libyan forces have systematically attacked their people.

The judges will study the evidence and either accept the warrant requests, reject them or ask for additional evidence. The process is likely to take weeks.

Libyan Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim has dismissed the ICC's efforts, calling them “questionable.”

On Friday, the ICC chief prosecutor said investigators had collected “extensive and solid evidence” after 30 missions to 11 countries, more than 50 interviews and the review of videos and photographs.
The warrant requests come a day after Libya's prime minister offered a truce in return for an immediate NATO cease-fire. His offer came as Libyan state television reported that a new NATO airstrike hit the western city of Zuwara, near the Tunisian border.



ICC Prosecutor Calls for Arrest of Libyan Leader
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Libya Bombing - Chinese President Criticizes France

Chinese President Criticizes France About Libya Bombing

VOA News March 30, 2011

Chinese President Hu Jintao has warned that coalition airstrikes on Libya could violate the spirit of the UN resolution on the North African country if civilians are killed in the process.

Speaking at a press conference with visiting French President Nicolas Sarkozy Wednesday, Hu also said violence would not resolve the armed political stand-off in Libya.

Rebels in eastern Libya are fighting to end Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's 41-year hold on power.

Sarkozy is a strong backer of the coalition operation against Gadhafi that aims to destroy the Libyan leader's air and land defenses, and prevent him from attacking his own people.

But China's state news agency reported that Hu said if the military action were to "bring disaster" to civilians, then the operation would run counter to the intent of the United Nations resolution. Hu also said China disapproved of the use of military force in international affairs.

Sarkozy was in China at a meeting of the Group of 20 top world economies.

China abstained from the UN Security Council vote on Libya, but did not veto the resolution.

 

 

Chinese President Criticizes France About Libya Bombing

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Gadhafi Vows to Defeat Western Forces in Libya

Libya's Gadhafi Vows to Defeat Western ForcesU.S. and British ships and submarines in the Mediterranean fired more than 112 Tomahawk missiles Saturday. Libyan state television says Western assault killed 48 people and wounded 150
VOA - Elizabeth Arrott | Cairo March 20, 2011


Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi says his people will defend their nation to the last from an international coalition. Western-led forces have been attacking military positions in a bid to enforce a no-fly zone and protect anti-Gadhafi forces.

In an audio address broadcast on state television, Colonel Gadhafi spoke to his enemies in typically stark terms.

"You are with the devil," he said, "and the party of the devil will be defeated." Colonel Gadhafi added that there is no justification for the attack that began Saturday led by the United States, Britain and France. He accused the nations of interfering in order to steal Libya's oil wealth.

The Libyan leader also promised a strong counterattack, saying that he had opened the nations arms depots and all Libyans would take up weapons against foreign forces.

His audio message was televised Sunday morning, along with the image of a statue of a fist crushing a U.S. jet, a reminder of his long history at odds with western nations.

The initial launch of more than 100 Tomahawk cruise missiles against Libyan military and air defense targets, and continued overflights by military jets, seemed to have had some effect. Residents of the eastern city of Benghazi reported that a government advance on the rebel headquarters appeared to have stalled.

Opposition forces say they are preparing to resume their offensive against pro-Gadhafi forces.

But in the west, both in the capital, Tripoli, and in Misrata, which has been under government siege, those who have opposed Colonel Gadhafi say they remain afraid to go outside.

Pro-Gadhafi groups in Tripoli rallied to the leader's defense, camping out at his Bab al-Azizia compound - effectively serving as a human shield.

Libyan officials said dozens of civilians had been killed in the initial attacks, though there was no independent confirmation of the reports. It is the largest attack on an Arab nation since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

The initiative drew praise from some for protecting the lives and aspirations of those opposed to Colonel Gadhafi. But others saw a double standard, and questioned why similar action has not been openly considered against leaders in Bahrain and Yemen, both U.S. allies, when they have met popular uprisings with force.



Libya's Gadhafi Vows to Defeat Western Forces
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USA and Allies Attack Libya

US, Allies Attack Libya
VOA - Nico Colombant | Washington March 19, 2011

U.S.-led coalition forces have launched more than 100 Tomahawk missiles on key air defense sites across Libya as part of operations to protect the population from the forces of long-time leader Moammar Gadhafi.

U.S. Vice Admiral William Gortney outlined what is being called "Operation Odyssey Dawn" several hours after he said the missiles started hitting more than 20 Libyan sites.

"The United States military has and will continue to use our unique capabilities to create the conditions from which we and our partners can best enforce the full measure of the U.N. mandate. Our mission right now is to shape the battle space in such a way that our partners may take the lead in execution," he said.

He said Admiral Sam Locklear was leading the operations from the USS Mount Whitney in the Mediterranean Sea.

A U.N. Security Council resolution was approved Thursday in New York allowing outside forces to use all measures necessary to protect civilians in Libya, where eastern rebel-controlled areas have been under attack.

Admiral Gortney said one British submarine was used as part of Saturday’s strikes as well as U.S. ships and submarines. He described Libya’s air defense sites as being built with old Soviet technology.

He said some countries who were taking part in the military operation had asked to be identified, while others wanted to announce their involvement themselves.

"Of the coalition, the countries that have asked us to mention their names, of course, the United States, UK, French, Italy and Canada. The other countries have asked for them, that they want to be able to make the announcement and it is the same for the Arab countries as well," he said.

A mediation delegation from the African Union was due in the capital Tripoli Sunday, but as sites in and around Tripoli were also reported hit, it was unclear if that mission would go ahead.

Earlier Saturday, French fighter planes which had departed from France flew over Libya bombing at least one tank that a senior French military official identified as belonging to forces loyal to Mr. Gadhafi.

Leaders from France, Britain and the United States have said the operations are necessary and that Mr. Gadhafi’s forces were still staging attacks despite warnings to stop.

Libya’s head of parliament, Abdul Qasim al-Zuai denied this, saying a ceasefire was in place and that the missile strikes were what he called a "barbaric aggression" from Western powers. He said civilian areas and civilian infrastructure were being targeted.

Earlier in the day, Mr. Gadhafi wrote a letter to President Obama and other world leaders saying they would regret what he called "intervention in the internal affairs of Libya."

Libyan state media said the strikes caused casualties in Tripoli.

At a summit earlier Saturday in Paris, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Libyans like other Arabs were fighting for democracy and freedom from oppressive regimes and that it was the duty of outside powers to help them.

The British Prime Minister David Cameron said British forces were helping end what he called "the appalling brutality" of Mr. Gadhafi’s government.

Several countries have spoken out against the operations including Russia and Venezuela. Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez said it was irresponsible to create more deaths and more war.

The International Committee of the Red Cross called on all warring parties to spare civilians and respect international humanitarian law.

The armed rebellion against Mr. Gadhafi began last month, following people power movements which successfully toppled long-time leaders in Egypt and Tunisia and spurred uprisings across north Africa and the Middle East.



US, Allies Attack Libya
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Libya’s Former US Ambassador Says West Should Intervene

VOA Exclusive: Libya’s Former US Ambassador Says West Should Intervene

VOA - Cecily Hilleary March 10, 2011

Photo: VOA

Libya's former Ambassador to the US Ali Suleiman Aujali at VOA studios

NATO members are meeting in Brussels to consider military options in response to the growing crisis in Libya.  One of NATO's chief concerns is how to impose a no-fly zone without descending into all-out war.

Ali Suleiman Aujali recently resigned his post as Libyan ambassador to the United States, but he remains in Washington on behalf of the newly-formed Interim National Transitional Council. VOA’s Cecily Hilleary sat down with Aujali in our studios and spoke to him about the issue of a no-fly zone and other challenges facing Libya today.

Aujali: You know the problem the uprising is facing now – they are facing the air superiority of [Libyan leader Moammar] Gadhafi. And the other challenge is the shortage of rebels. Of course, they are not professional fighters. They are young people, students, doctors and lawyers. We have no soldiers supporting the revolution, except for the soldiers who quit the Gadhafi regime.
We need protection, but our people will fight. But protection must be provided  by the international community. We must paralyze the Gadhafi superiority in the air. The world must do something. There are options on the table. They have to pick one which would stop Gadhafi killing his own people.

Hilleary: The no-fly zone is not a simple matter though. In order to stop Libyan airstrikes, you have to strike at the Libyan air defense and you also need to hit the missile sites on the ground.

Aujali: If the international community, the European Union and the United States want to do it, they can do it. If they don’t want to do it, then they make [the situation] very complicated. This regime [Gaddhafi’s] would not be able to [put up any resistance] if there was one strike or two. They would collapse.

Hilleary: Mr. Gadhafi has said that if we take any action, Libyans are prepared to take up arms.

Aujali: How can Gadhafi – he failed to control his own country and he is going to fight the West? He blackmailed the West with [the threat of a deluge of] illegal immigrants, he blackmailed the West with al-Qaida, their fighting in Libya, and unfortunately there are some countries that believe what he’s saying. But this is not true. Libya has never been a home to al-Qaida.

The Libyan society is a very open society, a very compassionate society. And when he said “al-Qaida,” everybody [listened] up, especially in the West, and he used this word to make the West worried. Now, the Gadhafi regime is preparing boats and sending ordinary African people who came to work in our country and sends them [off to other countries], saying – look, if I’m not here, this is the challenge you are going to be facing. Europe, I think, does understand [this trickery], and I hope they will be more serious [in the effort] to stop Gadhafi.

Hilleary: NATO has said it is not going in without U.N approval, and the U.S. is saying the same thing, but two key votes on the U.N. Security Council are likely to veto any action.

Aujali: If the United Nations cannot do it, I think NATO can do it.

Hilleary: NATO is reluctant, though.

Aujali: Then they will regret [this], because what are they waiting for? Everyday day that Gadhafi is in power [longer], this means killing. Everyday day that Gadhafi is in power [longer], he is controlling the air. He is taking no [risks] now when he strikes, because there is no action [in response]. What is the international community waiting for? Srebrenica? Rwanda? And then what will happen? They will come on TV and say how sorry they are for this to have happened.

 

VOA Exclusive: Libya’s Former US Ambassador Says West Should Intervene

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Africa’s Silence on Libya - Former U.N. Official Alarmed

Former U.N. Official Alarmed Over Africa’s Silence on Libya

Peter Clottey March 01, 2011 - VOA

 

The former director of governance at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa questions why African leaders and the African Union have been “alarmingly silent” about the crisis in Libya following what he describes as the grave human rights abuses perpetrated by forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi.

Okey Onyejekwe says a number of people across Africa are surprised and embarrassed that the continental body has failed to back Libya’s anti-government protesters who want democracy in their country.

“A number of people are quite surprised that the African Union and African states have been rather quiet on the goings on in North Africa and particularly recently in Libya. The issue here for me is that we in the continent should indentify with what is going on because we started the path of democratization on the fall of the Berlin Wall, in which African masses were beginning to demand the say-so in their affairs of the state and how they were governed.”

Officials of the African Union have yet to comment officially on the crisis in Libya, as anti-government protesters demand reforms and Gadhafi’s ouster after 42 years of rule.

“One of the challenges which African states have to address in this decade is the issue of becoming relevant players in global politics and on the reaction to what is going on in Libya, particularly the fact that unarmed civilians, who were simply asking for their basic rights, were being gunned down,” said Onyejekwe.

“Something which we in the African Union should join the rest of the world because across Asia, across Europe, there is total condemnation. And then, if we must become active players and be taken seriously in global politics, we need to have our voices heard on issues like this.”

Onyejekwe says it is unfortunate Africa’s leaders remain silent in the face of the ongoing crisis in Libya.

“There are quite a number of views on what some people have called alarming, deafening silence on taking a position, at the very least, on condemnation of the reaction of the Libyan government to the peaceful demonstrators. A number of people have speculated that some African states have identified with Gadhafi and are quite reluctant to be critical,” said Onyejekwe.

“Others have said that he (Gadhafi) has deep pockets (and he) has a lot of investments in several African countries, and they are quite also reticent based on this factor. But, it is misplaced given the fact that these are human rights issues, basic issues of decency, especially in the sense that African states themselves…have affirmed commitment to good governance and democratization.”

Recently, Jean Ping the African Union Commission chief condemned what he described as the “disproportionate use of force” against Libyan anti-government protesters. But, critics say the continental body has been ineffective in handling the crisis in Libya.

Meanwhile, in a Monday interview with several Western news organizations, Gadhafi said he cannot step down because he holds no official government position.

Former U.N. Official Alarmed Over Africa’s Silence on Libya

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Newspaper: Lockerbie Bomber Blackmailed Moammar Gadhafi

Newspaper: Lockerbie Bomber Blackmailed Gadhafi
Sunday, February 27th, 2011 - VOA

A former Libyan justice minister tells a British newspaper that Lockerbie bomber Abdel Baset al-Megrahi blackmailed Moammar Gadhafi into getting him out of a Scottish prison.

Mustafa Abdel-Jalil tells London's Sunday Times that al-Megrahi threatened to “reveal everything” unless Mr. Gadhafi worked to free him.

Abdel-Jalil told Sweden's Expressen newspaper last week that Mr. Gadhafi personally ordered the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 270 people. Abdel-Jalil resigned last week.

Mr. Gadhafi has always denied knowing about plans for the bombing, but he accepted responsibility on behalf of Libya in 2003.

Al-Megrahi is the only person convicted for the Lockerbie bombing. Scotland freed him from prison on humanitarian grounds in 2009 when doctors said he had cancer and only months to live. He remains alive and free in Libya, infuriating the Pan Am victims' families.



Newspaper: Lockerbie Bomber Blackmailed Gadhafi

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UN Security Council - Tears Flow Over Bloodshed in Libya

Tears Flow at UN Security Council Over Bloodshed in Libya

Margaret Besheer | United Nations February 25, 2011- VOA

 

The Libyan ambassador to the United Nations made an impassioned appeal Friday to the U.N. Security Council, calling on the U.N.’s most powerful body to adopt a strong resolution and "save Libya." His speech ended with him embracing his deputy, who had defected from Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's camp earlier this week, and both men sobbing as the U.N. Secretary-General and other ambassadors came over to embrace them and shake their hands.

It was not immediately clear that Ambassador Abd al-rahman Shalgham was going to change his position and take the side of the Libyan people, but as his emotional speech to the council took shape, it became clear he no longer supported Gadhafi, a man he has called a friend since childhood.

Shalgham refuted Gadhafi’s claims that anti-government protesters are taking to the streets because they are on drugs, saying "a mountain" of pills would not have been enough for all the people who have taken to the streets of Benghazi. Through an interpreter, he addressed the council about Gadhafi.

"Today I listen to him telling his people either I rule over you or I kill you, I destroy you. Don’t be afraid, Libya is united, Libya will remain united. Libya will be a progressive state. But I tell my brother Gadhafi, leave the Libyans alone," said Shalgham.

He went on to recall his time as a non-permanent member of the Security Council representing Libya during 2008 and 2009. He said at that time he had condemned Israel's killing of children in the Gaza Strip, and now he regretted having to condemn the killing of children in his own country.

"Please United Nations save Libya! No to bloodshed! No to killing of innocents! We want a decisive, a rapid and a courageous resolution from you."

After his remarks, Shalgham and his deputy, Ibrahim Dabbashi, who broke ranks with the regime on Monday, embraced and both men began to cry. Other ambassadors came over and hugged them, and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who was in the chamber to brief the council, also vigorously shook Ambassador Shalgham’s hand.

Speaking to reporters afterward, the Secretary-General summed up the feeling inside the chamber. "We have witnessed an extraordinary scene in the U.N. Security Council; a truly historic moment. The Libyan ambassador delivered an impassioned plea for our help."

During his briefing, Ban again condemned the violence and told the council that now is the time for decisive action. He urged the council to consider all measures available and recounted some that are being considered in a draft Security Council resolution circulated to members on Friday.

Those measures include a travel ban and asset freeze targeting Gadhafi, his sons and daughter, and 13 senior government officials, as well as a comprehensive arms embargo and a referral of the Libyan situation to the International Criminal Court at The Hague. The council plans to meet in a special session Saturday to discuss the sanctions and possibly vote on the resolution.

The Secretary-General also welcomed the adoption of a resolution in the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva earlier in the day, which condemned the violence and called for the establishment of an independent, international investigation into possible crimes against humanity during the crackdown. The Human Rights Council also recommended that Libya be suspended from that body.

Ban said the president of the U.N. General Assembly said it would take up the issue of Libya’s suspension early next week. Two-thirds of the General Assembly would have to vote to suspend Libya from the council for it to take effect.

The Secretary-General also said he would be traveling to Washington on Monday to discuss the Libyan situation with President Barack Obama.

 

 

Tears Flow at UN Security Council Over Bloodshed in Libya

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Oil Prices Up - Revolt in Libya

Oil Prices Surge on Libya Upheaval

Mil Arcega | Washington, DC February 24, 2011- VOA

 

Global stocks dipped again Wednesday as oil prices soared to new highs on fears that the revolt in Libya could spread.  International oil companies, including BP and Shell, have already cut production or evacuated staff. But analysts say whether Libya's current regime survives or not, the impact of the unrest on the global economy could be far-reaching.

Grainy YouTube video shows no letup in the popular but deadly uprising against Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. Critics vow to continue their protests despite Gadhafi's threat to crush the revolt.

With neither side willing to back down, international traders are increasingly on edge - driving up oil prices to their highest level in more than two years. Energy analyst Fadel Gheit says fear of the unknown is fueling the dramatic price hikes.

"What the market is anticipating is the next step.  If the situation does not come to a halt in Libya I think the market will be very jittery and oil prices will continue to remain inflated," Gheit said.

Although there is currently no shortage to justify higher prices, the immediate threat is from instability in markets that depend on Libyan oil.

Ian Lesser was an adviser on North Africa in the Clinton administration. "We don't import that much oil from Libya, but we have a stake in the effect of a loss of Libyan supply on the stability of global energy markets," he said. "And some of our European allies import a lot of energy from Libya."

Energy trader Will Hedden says that instability, coupled with rising oil prices, is a dangerous mix in a fragile global economy. "And certainly if the price continues to rise and we see further problems, this isn't going to have a good effect at all and it will have the potential to derail the global recovery," Hedden stated.

As the violence escalates, at least four international oil companies operating in Libya have already announced production cutbacks.

But Hedden says there is no reason to panic just yet.

The International Energy Agency says the 12 nation cartel of petroleum exporting countries, which includes Libya, is prepared to increase production if needed.

"We know that Saudi Arabia has a large supply and the IAEA will mandate the members responsible to help increase supply," Hedden said.

Libya provides less than two percent of the world's oil supply or about 1.6 million barrels per day. But fears that the turmoil could spread to major oil producing countries has sent oil prices skyrocketing. Some investment groups warn oil prices could reach historic highs near $147 a barrel if the unrest continues.

Oil Prices Surge on Libya Upheaval

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U.S. stocks dropped as Libya's violence sent oil prices up to $100. February 23, 2011.

Libya Protests Spread - Gadhafi Loyalists Reinforce Grip on Tripoli

Gadhafi Loyalists Reinforce Grip on Tripoli, Protests Spread

VOA News February 24, 2011

Fighters loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi are reinforcing their grip on the capital, Tripoli, as a growing popular uprising spreads across the eastern half of the country.

Anti-government forces there have consolidated control over key cities, and have vowed to "liberate" Tripoli.

Protest organizers in the capital, which is Gadhafi's stronghold, called for new rallies Thursday and Friday, raising the potential for a new bloody confrontation there.

Empty streets

Tripoli residents said the streets were largely deserted Wednesday, with people afraid to leave their homes. Armed militiamen and pro-Gadhafi loyalists - a mix of Libyans and African mercenaries - are reportedly roaming through Tripoli and fortifying the city's outer defenses. Security agents are said to be searching for people considered disloyal to the regime.

Anti-government forces claimed to have taken control of Misurata, Libya's third-largest city about 200 kilometers from Tripoli, marking the westernmost advance of the opposition movement. People fleeing across the border into Tunisia reported heavy fighting in the town of Sabratha, 80 kilometers west of the capital.

Protests spreading

Meanwhile, protesters and mutinous army units continue to consolidate their hold on nearly the entire eastern half of Libya's 1,600 kilometer-long coastline, setting up rudimentary governments and manning checkpoints along the main roads.

In the eastern city of Benghazi, cradle of the revolt against Gadhafi, rebels and supporters thronged the streets waving red, green and black monarchy-era flags and handing out food to passing cars. Benghazi residents also formed units to collect weapons and protect property.

In the eastern city of Baida, police stations, intelligence buildings and other installations representing Gadhafi's rule stood in ruins as people celebrated in the street. A VOA correspondent at the Egyptian border with Libya says "well-armed men" celebrating their control of the region were chanting and waving the country's pre-Gadhafi-era flag.

Military defections

In a further sign of Gadhafi's faltering hold, a Libyan newspaper reported Wednesday that two air force pilots parachuted out of their warplane and let it crash into the eastern Libyan desert rather than follow orders to bomb Benghazi. Earlier, two Libyan bombers had diverted to Malta rather than bomb civilians.

Gadhafi vowed to stay in power and called on his supporters to fight back against opposition protesters during a televised address Tuesday -- his first since the uprising began last week. He described anti-government demonstrators as "gangs" and "terrorists" on hallucinogenic drugs and threatened death to anyone who took up arms against Libya.

The overall death toll has been impossible to determine. Human rights groups say they have confirmed about 300 deaths, though witnesses suggest the number is far larger. On Wednesday, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said more than 1,000 people have likely been killed in Libya's week-long uprising.

Loyalist defections

In a significant setback to Gadhafi, a close associate, Interior Minister Abdel Fattah Younis, announced his defection and support for the uprising. Numerous other Libyan officials, including the justice minister, diplomats and military officers, have also turned against the Libyan leader in recent days.

On Wednesday, former justice minister Mustafa Abdel-Jalil was quoted as telling Swedish tabloid Expressen that Gadhafi personally ordered the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland that killed 270 people. Gadhafi has accepted Libya's responsibility for the bombing and paid compensation to the victims' families. But he hasn't admitted to personally giving the order for the attack.

The disintegration of Libya's government has added to the relative power of Libya's many tribes, each claiming the loyalty of thousands of members. Colonel Gadhafi's tribe, the Gadhafa, dominates parts of the armed forces. The Warfalla - cut out of the power structure since members allegedly attempted to overturn the regime in 1993 - have backed the eastern rebellion.

Gadhafi took power in a 1969 coup.

Video clips: Libya Protest (Some video clips courtesy of YouTube)

Gadhafi Loyalists Reinforce Grip on Tripoli, Protests Spread

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Libya's Newly Resigned Ambassador To India, expressed outrage at his country's use of fighter aircraft to bomb civilians in his home capital, Tripoli

Newly Resigned Libyan Ambassador Urges UN Action

Kurt Achin | New Delhi February 22, 2011 - VOA

The Libyan ambassador who resigned his post in protest of his government's handling of protesters is calling on the United Nations to take action against his country.

Ali El-Assawi, who up until this week was Libya's ambassador to India, expressed outrage at his country's use of fighter aircraft to bomb civilians in his home capital, Tripoli.

"This will increase the victims,” El-Assawi said. “This is unacceptable and we cannot imagine that."

El-Assawi quit his post Monday to protest the crackdown and says he has been receiving updates from sources inside the country.

He told an interviewer Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi has been recruiting mercenaries from other African nations to quell the popular uprising. The organization, Human Rights Watch says more than 200 people have been killed in clashes.

El-assawi says the United Nations Security Council should take immediate action.

"United Nations Security Council should issue decree to block the airspace of Libya to protect the people, of using aircraft against the Libyans," El-Assawi added.

El-assawi's resignation is part of a broader pattern of desertion of the Gadhafi government by its senior diplomats in Asia. Libyan diplomats in China, Malaysia, and Australia have also severed ties with the Libyan leader.

"We want the bloodshed to be stopped," he said.

India is among a growing number of nations urging its citizens to avoid non-urgent travel to Libya and has set up a hotline for information about 18,000 Indians working there.

Newly Resigned Libyan Ambassador Urges UN Action

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Anti-Government Protests in North Africa Spread

Anti-Government Protests Spread in North Africa

Lisa Bryant | Paris February 20, 2011 - VOA

 

Thousands of anti-government protesters took to the streets of Morocco and Tunisia Sunday, while there are reports of 173 people killed during clashes with security forces in eastern Libya.

Morocco was the latest Arab country with anti-government protests. Journalists report at least 2,000 people marched in the capital, Rabat, and other cities, calling for a new constitution, more economic opportunities, a crackdown on corruption, and for King Mohammed to cede some of his powers.

The protest sounds in Rabat, captured in a YouTube video, could not be independently verified. But news services report that unlike Saturday's anti-government protests in neighboring Algeria, Moroccan police kept a low profile.

By contrast, Libyan forces have reportedly cracked down brutally against anti-government protesters in Benghazi and other parts of eastern Libya. Human Rights Watch estimates more than 170 people have been killed. Others like Benghazi doctor Soheil Al Atrach, who was interviewed by Radio France Internationale, say about 200 people were killed in the area.

Dr. Al Atrach says about 100 bodies have been brought into the Benghazi hospital where he works. He estimates the crackdown by Libyan authorities have left another 100 dead in surrounding towns and about 600 to 700 people injured. He describes the scene at his hospital as a 'real butchery.'

But journalists have had a hard time independently verifying the events and casualty toll in Libya, because of controls on information.

The protests are part of larger calls for democracy and regime change that have resonated across the Arab world, starting with mass protests in Tunisia and Egypt that toppled the leaders of both countries.

Thousands of demonstrators also poured into the streets of Tunisia's capital, demanding the resignation of the interim government, which has been criticized for being slow to address economic and security concerns - and for its ties to the former regime of strongman Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. The caretaker government has promised elections within six months, but has yet to set a date. 

In Yemen, anti-government protests continued for the 11th straight day, with university students demonstrating in the capital, Sanaa.

 

 

Anti-Government Protests Spread in North Africa

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