Middle East Thread of Despair: More Broken Than Syria

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Xandu: Feb 19, 2006; It's hard to be humble when you're as great as I am.

Here's some better ones from Sana'a (capital city)

http://www.al-tagheer.com/news27325.html

And to scare the islamophobes:

edit: I know they're protesting for their rights, but something about wearing a niqab and a hat makes me laugh.

There's also one on the page showing people waving Tunisian and Egyptian flags, but the post was getting long.

Xandu fucked around with this message at 07:48 on Mar 2, 2011

# ? Mar 2, 2011 07:46

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# ? May 21, 2024 22:01

Xandu: Feb 19, 2006; It's hard to be humble when you're as great as I am.

And from Mauritania, though I know almost nothing about the protests here.

http://taqadoumy.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8161&Itemid=1

# ? Mar 2, 2011 07:54

Apology: Nov 12, 2005; by Y Kant Ozma Post

A little more about what a crazy fucker Gaddahfi is:

quote:

Libya�s Muammar Gaddafi Tried to Execute Me
by Fadel Lamen

When I met Muammar Gaddafi in September 2009, he cut off the aide who was introducing us. "I know him, I know him." Then the dictator, looking tired and frail following his first-ever flight to New York, gave me a hug: "I hope your family is well."

I offer this anecdote to anyone looking for insight into Gaddafi, on the heels of his deranged rant Monday to ABC's Christiane Amanpour about how there were no demonstrations against him in Tripoli and how "all my people love me." I've been dealing with Gaddafi for my entire life, and my family's relationship with him explains a lot about how he's managed to cling to power and why it's proving so hard to dislodge him.
It's important to understand that there is no central core to Gaddafi other than a perpetual power. The regime has never had a long-term strategy. The policies seem bipolar, because the only philosophy is survival, using three tools: fear, manipulation and money.
Thus, unlike Saddam, who thumbed his nose at foreign powers as vehemently as he gassed his rebellious countrymen, Gaddafi hunkers down when facing external threats to him or his regime, giving him a global reputation as an eccentric rather than a butcher. He exudes a certain disdain for Libya, so he's certainly not going to risk his neck for national glory. And he's only too happy to buy off his neighbors. African leaders used to send envoys to Gaddafi with a personal letter and small piece of paper passed separately with their own bank account numbers, a member of the his inner circle, called "the men of the tent," once told me.
But inside Libya, as the world has now seen, he resorts to the ultimate levels of brutality and repression. And he does this with the same type of practical caginess. Take the hug, and the friendly questions about my family. My grandfather, who shares my name, was one of the main figures in the struggle against the Italian occupation, a top military commander and advisor to Omar Mukhtar. Accordingly, since my family hails from Eastern Libya, when Qaddafi took power in 1969, he named one of his loyal military brigades in Benghazi after him, "Al-Fadhil Bu Omar."

Such public respect, however, is a show, conveniently thrown out whenever he felt the least bit threatened. He did not hesitate to sentence my brother, a journalist and a poet, and his friends, to life in prison because of his criticism of the regime in the late 1970s. The bogus charge: he was the head of a communist cell. Gaddafi always confided to his friends that he felt sorry for their fate�he of course knew they were innocent�yet this did not keep him from leaving them in jail for over a decade.
And despite those kisses, it also did not keep him from trying to do worse to me. While I attended Tripoli University (al-Fateh) in 1980, Gaddafi ordered the college militarized. Along with other student leaders, I rejected this order. In response, he sent in his revolutionary guards militia.
Numerous students were hanged in the university's main square. The security forces also attacked a local mosque, which they believed was encouraging the disobedience. Several worshippers were arrested, and tortured to death; the imam, meanwhile, was taken to a wooden area outside Tripoli, shot, and buried.
Then, they came looking for me. I had happened to be away from my home, visiting a friend, during the roundup. Some of my friends were taken hostage until I came back. But using my father's name, I managed to escape to America. As Gaddafi continued the executions, I was declared an enemy of the state�and sentenced to death. I would never see my parents again.
I never took it personally. After all, Gaddafi killed his own trusted cousin Hassan Eshakal after suspecting him of disloyalty. In some ways, Gaddafi did me a favor. I wound up in America. I started a family, and became a journalist in a country with no press restrictions. I became a columnist for Asharq Al-Awsat, and a consultant to the U.S. State Department.
And none of this was lost of Gaddafi. Three decades after he tried to kill me, his lieutenants and sons tried to woo me. More than a threat to their survival, now that they were trying to get into the good graces of America, I was now also viewed as a potential bridge. When my brother once complained to Gaddafi about corruption, he replied: "I know these guys are corrupt, and not very nice, but I need them." So would I fall into line? Come back and visit Libya, they implored. Come sit down with Gaddafi.
I agreed to the trip back home�I wanted to see my relatives. But I also insisted on meeting Gaddafi on neutral turf. Having observed this guy for 40 years, I knew that engaging him in his den�even with my blue American passport�was too risky.
Fate then offered the opportunity. Gaddafi was making his first trip to the U.S., and the U.N.�his reward for giving up his weapons of mass destruction program. As a showman who loves the theatrics, addressing the UN general assembly is the ultimate stage. "We have finally arrived," he told me, smiling. "This is a new era."
We exchanged small talk, and then I was turned over to his aides, including his brutal son, al-Muatasim. To this group, I encouraged them to use this "new era" to transition to democracy.
That was the state of play when I returned to Libya the following month. Come and see Gaddafi, his people again pleaded. I demurred, instead driving across the country from west to east, seeing my relatives and talking to my people for the first time in 29 years.

But by not seeing Gaddafi, I had clearly set off an alarm. I was not going to be one of the corrupt guys he "needs." As I sat at the airport, waiting to leave, the Libyan Internal Security Services pulled me aside. I was still an official "enemy of the state," they pointed out. Someone condemned to death. For four hours, they detained me. My British Airways flight waited on the tarmac, as the other passengers awaited my fate. Finally, after various agencies conferred, I was cleared. "We were asked to let him enter without problems," one of the agents told me, "but nothing was mentioned about letting him leave."
Around that time, something more disturbing happened: My 10-year-old daughter traveled with her mother to Tripoli for a family wedding. She was greeted by security forces at the airport, who took her passport away from her. They told her mother she was free to leave, but since I was wanted man, she would remain hostage. "We just want her father," her mother was told.
For two weeks, her mother tried to get her out. Finally, I put heat on the State Department and the Libyan embassy, informing them that an American citizen was being held hostage. The demands went all the way to Gaddafi's son, Saif, who finally approved her release.
I never took any of this personally. With Gaddafi, you can't. But in the same regard, I always hope that he could change. Three weeks ago, as Egypt was in the middle of its revolt, I sent Gaddafi a five-page letter. It laid out the choice so obvious from over here: pave the way for free and fair elections, and a new constitution, and leave office as a hero. Or else face the violent realities that had gripped Tunisia and Egypt. A mutual friend confirmed that he had personally received the letter. I also emailed it to his son Saif, whose address I have. But the only response has been via fear, manipulation and money.
Fadel Lamen is a journalist, writer, and Middle East/North Africa expert and cultural adviser based in Washington, D.C. He is a frequent traveler to the Middle East and has been published in Arabic and English newspapers and magazines. He also has been interviewed by major media outlets in English and Arabic on issues related to the Middle East, Islam, and American foreign policy.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-03-01/libyas-gadaffi-tried-to-execute-me/2/

And a little bit about my favorite revolution in Ivory Coast:

quote:

Amid continuing political deadlock, nine newspapers suspend publishing and RTI transmitter attacked

Nine privately-owned newspapers suspended publication today until further notice in protest against threats and harassment by officials who support Laurent Gbagbo. The move came two days after the main transmission centre of Radio-T�l�vision Ivoirienne (RTI), the state-owned broadcaster controlled by the Gbagbo camp, was attacked by supporters of Gbagbo�s rival Alassane Ouattara during clashes in the Abidjan district of Abobo.

At the same time, a printing press employee of La Refondation, the company that publishes the daily Notre Voie, was beaten and hacked to death yesterday in the south Abidjan suburb of Koumassi. Notre Voie supports Gbagbo�s party, the Ivorian Popular Front (FPL).

�Our concern for press freedom in C�te d�Ivoire is mounting by the day,� Reporters Without Borders said. �We offer our support to the privately-owned newspapers that are being hounded and threatened and have decided to denounce a situation that has become impossible for the press.�

The organization added: �We fear that the repressive measures adopted by the National Press Council and the media war being waged between Gbagbo and Ouattara will result in the already very polarized media becoming even more radicalized.�

I'm not going to quote the rest of the article, which goes into rather dull detail about what happened to each and every one of the nine newspapers that have decided to shut down. I'll summarize and say that on top of the threats and intimidation, some newspapers have been suspended and fined by the government for printing �unbearable and shocking images� and making comments �defending violence� and �revolt� in their coverage of current events. It's all here if you want to read it:

http://en.rsf.org/cote-d-ivoire-amid-continuing-political-deadlock-01-03-2011,39652.html

More Ivory Coast news:

quote:

Ivory Coast families trapped in church without food, water: UNHCR

THE UN�S REFUGEE AGENCY says that up to 60 families in the Ivory Coast are trapped in a church without food or water by armed militants, as violence continues in the capital Abidjan.
The agency said it has been receiving reports of dead bodies, looting and burned-out vehicles.
It also said that it had heard reports of young militants attacking people in their own homes.
Violence erupted in the Ivory Coast after incumbent Laurent Gbagbo claimed victory in the presidential elections three months ago � despite the UN and election observers saying opposition politician Alassane Ouattara had won. Each has already formed their own cabinet.
The AP reports that hundreds of Ouattara�s supporters have been killed as the political stalemate continues.
The African Union has already called on Gbagbo to step down, and threatened to take action against him if he refused. The EU has banned European ships from docking at Ivory Coast. The political uncertainty has seen food prices rocket in Ivory Coast and some petrol stations have closed due to a fuel shortage.

http://www.thejournal.ie/ivory-coast-families-trapped-in-church-without-food-water-unhcr-2011-3/

How are those families going to convince their children to go to Sunday School after this

And this---this is the Ivory Coast story that has it all---looting, robberies, xenophobia and racist, and "invisible commandos":

quote:

Shops looted by mobs in Abidjan

March 2 2011 at 01:24am
By Ange Aboa and Loucoumane Coulibaly

Abidjan - Youth supporters of Ivory Coast's incumbent Laurent Gbagbo rampaged through the business district of Abidjan on Tuesday, pillaging shops owned by foreigners.

The violence followed a call on Friday by Ble Goude, the head of Gbagbo's youth wing, to resist an insurgency seeking to depose Gbagbo and install rival Alassane Ouattara, winner of a November 28 poll according to UN-certified results.

Gbagbo's Young Patriots have long been notorious for xenophobic violence, including attacks against the country's French community in 2004, on its large Burkinabe and Malian communities and on northern Ivorians with cultural ties to them.

Anti-foreigner sentiment is at the core of the troubles that have dogged Ivory Coast, the world's top cocoa grower, for years and has worsened as most nations recognise Ouattara's win.

Ouattara was twice barred from running in previous polls because his father is from Burkina Faso.

�I don't understand what happened. The youths arrived... and started destroying the things in my shop. They looted everything and now I have nothing left,� Senegalese shopkeeper Ismael Bah told a Reuters reporter.

�What did I do? I'm not involved in politics,� he added.

Security in Ivory Coast is deteriorating, with gun battles between rival forces most of last week and wider hostilities resuming across a north-south ceasefire line that had been largely quiet since the 2002-3 civil war ended in stalemate.

Insurgents believed to back Ouattara now control of most of the northern Abidjan suburb of Abobo after the clashes.

United Nations staff have also been attacked and robbed by gangs after repeated broadcasts on state television accusing them of backing pro-Ouattara rebels.

�The situation is now calm, with everything under control of the invisible commandos,� said Abobo resident Vasseriki Sumaro, a teacher. �All the security forces have left.�

In the rebel-held north, residents complained that Gbagbo's forces, which seized the electricity and water distribution company last month, had cut both off since Monday morning - without electricity, running water pumps do not work either.

�Gbagbo has decided to cut our water and electricity to the (northern, rebel-held half of the country),� said the rebels' civilian spokesperson Felicien Sekongo. �We consider this a grave violation of human rights.�

There was no immediate comment from Gbagbo's camp.

The United Nations also said its investigators are trying to confirm if Gbagbo breached an arms embargo by importing helicopters from Belarus. They had to abandon their search after his forces fired at them on the weekend.

Separately, thousands of civil servants were anxiously waiting on Tuesday to see if they will be paid for the month of February after a total exodus of international banks.

Gbagbo's government nationalised two French banks, saying they would reopen them soon, but analysts doubt it will work, as West Africa's central bank has cut ties with him.

�There are so many people queuing up in the local banks. Everyone wanted to be served. But I managed to get my salary,� said Gustave Ogou, who works in Abidjan's post office.

But others were worried the cash would run out.

�They promised us Friday, but I'm really afraid the money is going to run out,� health ministry official Mathias Gosse said.

In a further crackdown on the media, two newspapers supporting Ouattara were forced to shut down this week because of intimidation by Gbagbo's government, Stephane Goue, head of the Ivorian Committee to Protect Journalists, told Reuters. - Reuters

http://www.thestar.co.za/shops-looted-by-mobs-in-abidjan-1.1034531

The part that I bolded is what's probably going to bring this revolution to an end. If none of the government workers get paid, they will instantly turn on Gbagbo, according to some analysis I read last week when the banks closed.

And back to Libya. There are thousands of Nigerians stranded at the airport in Tripoli, with no way to get home:

quote:

7, 0000 Nigerians Still Stranded At Tripoli Airport In Libya -CRND
Posted: March 2, 2011 - 05:23

By Frank Malcom
�Sir, I have two kids with me here, and I have been in this airport for three weeks, no food to eat, we sleep on the floor everyday waiting for plane to come and evacuate us. please beg Nigerian government to come with bigger planes to evacuate us� so is the cry of a Nigeria woman at the Tripoli airport this morning calling on all Nigerians, human rights group to plead to Nigerian government to come and evacuate them from Libya.

Another Nigerian, who is the senior elder of Nigeria community in Libya, Mr. Solomon Okoduwa, said �so far the Tripoli airport as at the time of call has recorded seven thousand Nigerians awaiting evacuation, aside those trapped in Benghazi and other states outside. Tripoli. He said most of them have been at the airport for several weeks; watching other countries coming with cargo planes and ships to evacuate their citizens almost every two hours, while Nigerians starve at the airport as there are no provision for food, water or place to sleep, even pregnant and nursing mothers are not excluded from the pains and suffering�

Campaign for the Rights of Nigerians in Diaspora (CRND), condemn the Nigerian government and its ministry of foreign affairs for its attitude towards Nigerians in Diaspora, most especially when other countries are working day and night to evacuate their citizens from Libya. For example, Two Turkish vessels picked up 3,000 Turks from the eastern Libyan port of Benghazi Wednesday, as part of what Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu called the biggest evacuation operation in Turkey's history.

http://saharareporters.com/press-re..._medium=twitter

I could have sworn I got an email the other day that started out just like this and ended asking me to pay some sort of transfer fees...

Actually, that's pretty cold. This news is heartbreaking. How hard it must be, sitting at the airport day after day, with no food, no money, watching the lucky citizens of other countries board airplanes or ships, and having nobody come for you. In addition, these Nigerians are likely to be severely beaten or killed if they leave the airport, since Gaddahfi has hired so many sub-saharan Africans as mercenaries.

Indeed, sub-Saharans are being targeted by the opposition:

quote:

North Africa: Dozens Feared Killed in Reprisal Attacks On African Migrants in Libya
John Abayomi

In what appears to be a new twist in the ongoing political crisis in Libya, protesters are said to be targeting sub-saharan Africans as dozens are now feared killed, while hundreds are in hiding in the oil rich country.

According to Al Jazeera, African migrant workers are targeted because they are suspected of being mercenaries hired by Muammar Gaddafi.

The Arab media organisation reported that angry mobs of anti-government protesters hunt down "black African mercenaries," quoting witnesses accounts.

90 Kenyans, 64 citizens from South Sudan, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Zambia, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone and Burundi landed in Nairobi on Monday.

"We were being attacked by local people who said that we were mercenaries killing people. Let me say that they did not want to see black people," Julius Kiluu, a 60-year-old building supervisor, told Reuters.

"Our camp was burnt down, and we were assisted by the Kenyan embassy and our company to get to the airport," he said.

Rights organisations say that thousands of workers are stranded in camps and private homes, protected by their colleagues as their governments fail to evacuate them from the chaos.

About 1.5m Sub-Saharan African migrants work in Libya as low-paid labourers in the oil industry, construction, agriculture and service sectors.

It would be recalled that the Federal Governement evacuated 499 Nigerians from the troubled nation, Sunday out of the estimated 2000 stranded in Tripoli.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201103010896.html

This is a tragedy. You really can't blame the protesters because of what Gaddahfi has done, but these are innocent people, working for slave wages, who are being slaughtered for nothing. For reference, the number of African migrant workers in Libya is only a little smaller than the population of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

More reports that Gaddahfi's people are beating and robbing foreigners as they flee Libya:

quote:

Indian evacuees from Libya say they were beaten up by army
March 1, 2011 � 2:33 pm By News Desk

New Delhi, Mar 1 (ANI): The fourth batch of 331 evacuees, who returned to New Delhi from protest-hit Libya, today said that they were beaten up by army personnel who alleged that they were mercenaries.

�In the bus, they took away all our money and the children�s stuff as well. The army people were beating us up and saying, �you are militants,� and have even taken away the SIM cards from our phones for checking that we haven�t made any videos. The Indian government has helped us a lot. All facilities are being given,� said Daulat Ram, one of the evacuees.

Rishi Raj, another evacuee said: �More people were fleeing the north African country, as the government there was expecting protests to intensify in the coming days.

�The situation out there is the worst, and more and more people are flying out everyday, and most of the Indians and Chinese-looks like are remaining out there, and rest all other nationals have been flying out. The government there is expecting much more of a protest with time, with coming days, so it�s good that we are out right now with the help of Indian government� he added.

http://truthdive.com/2011/03/01/Indian-evacuees-from-Libya-say-they-were-beaten-up-by-army.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Stealing from children is pretty loving cold. What are Gaddahfi's people going to do with a half-full bottle of Similac and some used onesies? They're useless to anyone else. Those things were taken to be cruel; there's no other reason that makes any sense.

Is anyone surprised that the French are being dicks about things?

quote:

Refugees Not Welcome by French Right
By Aur�lien Girard
Epoch Times StaffCreated: Mar 1, 2011Last Updated: Mar 1, 2011

PARIS�The leader of France�s far-right, Marine Le Pen, accused the European Union of failing to protect European citizens from the expected wave of immigrants from Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya.

Le Pen called on France, Spain, and Italy to reach agreement that would �protect our national waters and push migrants attempting to reach Europe back into international waters.�

Le Pen, whose National Front Party saw its supporters flock to Nicolas Sarkozy in the last presidential elections, has regained force with her popularity on the rise as the French president�s plummets. Le Pen is named as a candidate in the 2012 presidential elections.

Sarkozy�s Presidential Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) party is finding itself trapped in a recently launched debate on the place of Islam in French society. Last month, Sarkozy said multiculturalism has failed in France, and that Muslims, like other immigrants, must melt into French society. �If you come to France, you accept to melt into a single community, which is the national community, and if you do not want to accept that, you cannot be welcome in France,� Sarkozy said of immigrants on Feb. 10, according to AFP.

�Our Muslim compatriots must be able to practice their religion, as any citizen can,� but added, �we in France do not want people to pray in an ostentatious way in the street,� AFP reported.

The polls currently show that Islam in French society is one of the issues of greatest concern to French voters.

Criticized for creating misunderstandings and mixing Islam, insecurity, and immigration, the debate has triggered counter-movements such as the �24 hours without us� protest held on Feb. 27. The protest called on all immigrants in France to stop working for 24 hours to show the impact their absence would have on the French economy.

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/world/refugees-not-welcome-by-french-right-52198.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

gently caress you, France, fuuuuck yoooouuuuu :argh:

Immigrants in the US should try that whole "24 hours without us" thing, btw. If it worked, millions of dollars would be lost by big businesses in that single day, and I can just imagine the distress among the rich when their nannies don't show up, then they have to get a babysitter, and the babysitters are gone too, so they have to spend an entire day with their own hopelessly spoiled, obnoxious children.

The cutest demonstrator in Yemen:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAHxbS8jyQk

Turns out we are not the only ones who have noticed this:

quote:

0 Mar 01 2011
by Callie Maidhof

As Libyans rise up against the 41-year-old dictatorship of Muammar al-Qaddafi, one of the most striking claims of state violence has been the hiring of �African mercenaries� to crush the revolt. Like Hosni Mubarak�s �thugs� (or baltagiya in Arabic, terms that gained widespread currency almost instantly), the mercenaries represent the anti-populist face of violence, those who are willing to take to the streets not for reasons of personal conviction or national duty, but for compensation from the embattled regime.

The mercenaries and the thugs provide a contrast to the nonviolent, impassioned politics of the protesters. One point further distinguishes Qaddafi�s mercenaries from both the revolutionaries and Mubarak�s thugs: that they are continuously referred to as �African.� This should be an empty signifier, like saying that European mercenaries were hired to crush a revolt in Spain; after all, Libya is an African country and Libyans are Africans. But those of us who are watching the news know what is �meant� by this, and some reporters have been quick to correct themselves with either �black Africans� or, less frequently, �sub-Saharan Africans.�

http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/767/the-arabs-in-africa

This is a fairly long, well-written article that discusses the history of racism in Arab-controlled Africa; it's well worth reading, if you're interested.

# ? Mar 2, 2011 08:24

Xandu: Feb 19, 2006; It's hard to be humble when you're as great as I am.

Apology posted:

http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/767/the-arabs-in-africa

This is a fairly long, well-written article that discusses the history of racism in Arab-controlled Africa; it's well worth reading, if you're interested.

Thanks for the link. Jadaliyya is pretty new, but along with the MidEast Channel, one of the better/more academic blogs on the Arab world.

If you're feeling too knowledgable after reading Apology's links, enjoy a new Thomas Friedman op-ed, where he credits Google Earth, Obama, Israel, the Beijing Olympics, and just about everybody except for the Arab people for the revolutions' success.

# ? Mar 2, 2011 08:34

rolleyes: Nov 16, 2006; Sometimes you have to roll the hard... two?

poo poo just got real :siren:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12617774

BBC News posted:

Libya unrest: Huge explosions in capital Tripoli

There has been a series of large explosions in the Libyan capital Tripoli.

A BBC correspondent reports seeing plumes of smoke, police and fire engines.

The cause of the blasts is unclear.

More to follow.

# ? Mar 2, 2011 09:02

Xandu: Feb 19, 2006; It's hard to be humble when you're as great as I am.

rolleyes posted:

poo poo just got real

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12617774

Apparently

http://twitter.com/NicRobertsonCNN posted:

Turns out fuel truck rolled on its side at traffic intersection and four fuel compartments exploded. #Libya

# ? Mar 2, 2011 09:04

rolleyes: Nov 16, 2006; Sometimes you have to roll the hard... two?

Damnit, I was really hoping the protesters had managed to blow up an ammo dump or something.

# ? Mar 2, 2011 09:11

Brown Moses: Feb 22, 2002

Update from the Guardian:

quote:

Good morning, welcome to rolling coverage of events in Libya and throughout the Middle East and north Africa. Here's a summary of the latest developments.

� Two explosions have rocked Tripoli this morning. One appeared to be a tanker on the bridge near the Rixos hotel and the other was towards the coast. A witness suggested on Twitter that the former was the result of a traffic accident but it will heighten nervousness in the capital, one of Muammar Gaddafi's few remaining strongholds.

� Forces loyal to Gaddafi have retaken at least two towns near the capital, according to the Associated Press. One of those apparently retaken was the strategic mountain town of Gharyan, the largest in the Nafusa Mountains.

� Two US warships are on their way to the Mediterranean but the prospect of western military action has receded after the Obama administration publicly distanced itself from David Cameron's suggestion that Nato should establish a no-fly zone over the country and that rebel forces should be armed.

� Libya has been suspended from the UN human rights council after a unanimous vote by the UN general assembly. UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon said the decision, along with the rights panel's decision to set up an inquiry to investigate human rights abuses in Libya and the security council's referral of Libya to the international criminal court showed "that those who commit crimes against humanity will be punished, that fundamental principles of justice and accountability shall prevail".

� Fears are mounting of a humanitarian crisis at Libya's border with Tunisia after a stark warning from the UN high commissioner for refugees. The UNHCR said 140,000 people have fled Libya � half crossing into Egypt, and half into Tunisia. There is a backlog of 20,000 people on the Libya side of the border with Tunisia, according to the UNHCR

Gaddafi's forces have apparently retaken 3 towns:

quote:

Marsa El Brega, about 200km south-west of Benghazi, and Gharyan and Sabratha, both near Tripoli, have all apparently been retaken by Gaddafi forces. The Associated Press has a report on events in Gharyan and Sabratha:

quote:
Gaddafi's regime has retaken at least two towns and threatened a third, while rebels repulsed attacks on three other key areas Misrata to the east, Zawiya to the west, and the mountain town of Zintan to the south of the capital.
One of those retaken was the strategic mountain town of Gharyan, the largest in the Nafusa Mountains, which overlooks Tripoli, a resident said, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of government retaliation. The town fell after dark Friday in a surprise attack, and the government troops detained officers who defected to the rebels and drew up lists of wanted protesters and started searching for them, the resident added.
Gaddafi supporters also have said they were in control of the city of Sabratha, west of Tripoli, which has seemed to go back and forth between the two camps in the past week.
But witnesses in Zawiya, 30 miles (50 kilometers) west of the capital, said rebels shouted "Allahu akbar (God is great) for our victory," and carried an air force colonel who had just defected after six hours of overnight gunbattles failed to dislodge anti-Gadhafi forces who control the city.

These are the three towns taken:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mersa_Brega_Seaport
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gharyan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabratha

The next possible target is Abjabiya:

quote:

The BBC's John Simpson in Adjabiya says: "Two hours ago, a column of about 100 vehicles descended on the town of Brega, which is about 65km (40 miles) west of here, and was being held by a few rebels for several days. When I was there on Monday, there were just four or five lightly armed defenders to be seen. The assumption is that Col Gaddafi's troops will later move on to Ajdabiya, a medium-sized town with a huge military arms dump on its perimeter, which must be an important objective for the loyalist troops. Three efforts have been made to bomb it in the past 12 days. Now the defenders, in a high state of excitement, expect to be attacked."

quote:

The BBC's John Simpson, on the outskirts of Ajdabiya, says: "We just have seen one of the government's jets bomb the military arms dump here, sending a great plume of black smoke into the air. The opposition forces responded by firing anti-aircraft guns. There is an enormous amount of ordnance at the arms dump, some of it dating back to Libya's war with Chad decades ago. The rebels have deployed three tanks in the area and are just waiting to see what the loyalist troops at Brega will do - whether they will immediately attack Ajdabiya or wait for reinforcements."

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Brown Moses fucked around with this message at 09:54 on Mar 2, 2011

# ? Mar 2, 2011 09:51

Brown Moses: Feb 22, 2002

Sounds like that no-fly zone would be pretty useful:

quote:

It appears that Ajdabiya did come under air attack, which was when Gaddafi forces seized Brega (which is in Ajdabiya), but those attacks have stopped now. Reuters reports:

quote:
"It's true. There was aerial bombardment of Brega and Gaddafi's forces have taken it," Mohamed Yousef, an officer in the town of Ajdabiyah which is about 75 km (47 miles) from Brega, told Reuters on Wednesday.
Two other officers in the east confirmed there had been attacks on Brega and one of them also said Gaddafi's forces had taken control of it.

# ? Mar 2, 2011 09:59

Brown Moses: Feb 22, 2002

quote:

The Guardian's Martin Chulov confirms that Brega, an oil refinery town in the east of Libya, has been re-taken from protesters by Gaddafi forces.

"We're told this morning by multiple sources that Gaddafi forces have come up the highway, they have retaken Brega, they've started with the airport, they're now in control of Brega itself," Martin says.

Brega is 250km south of Benghazi - the demonstrators' stronghold. Martin says there have been reports of clashes, but Brega "seems to have fallen very easily".

"That's two towns in two days - that's a 200km advance," Martin says, adding that there are "plenty of worries in Benghazi".

quote:
The effective frontline seems to be at a place called Ajdabiyah, which is a reasonably large town 160km south of Benghazi. That's where opposition people are massing, there are very large weapons dumps there, there have been a couple of attempts to bomb one of those dumps in recent days, and that town will not be taken without a fight."

But so far this is suggestive of a Gaddafi rearguard, this does tend to indicate that after the europhia of the first week, in which the tide seemed unstoppable, things are slowly tipping towards Gaddafi again.

Signs the rebels want help:

quote:

In a sign of mounting frustration among rebel leaders over Col Gaddafi's diminished but unyielding grip on power, rebel leaders here are debating whether to ask for Western airstrikes under the UN banner, the New York Times reports. "He destroyed the army; we have two or three planes," a spokesman for the council, Abdel-Hafidh Ghoga, told the newspaper. "If it is with the United Nations, it is not a foreign intervention."

# ? Mar 2, 2011 10:04

Brown Moses: Feb 22, 2002

Some more:

quote:

The BBC's John Simpson in Ajdabiya says: "According to someone I spoke to by mobile phone in Brega a short time ago, fighting is still going on there as Gaddafi supporters take control of a small airfield in the town, which is attached to an oil refinery. Here in Adjabiya, people are expecting the pro-government forces to attack at any moment. However, an imminent offensive does not seem likely. Still, in the last few minutes, there was a second bombing raid of the morning by a pro-Gaddafi pilot on the enormous arms dump on the edge of town - the fifth in 12 days - though no real damage has so far been caused to it."

# ? Mar 2, 2011 10:10

Brown Moses: Feb 22, 2002

It's real end to end stuff:

quote:

Tom Rayner of Sky News tweets: "Rebel sources in Benghazi claim Brega civilians mounting fightback against mercenaries&10,000 armed rebels moving from Ajdabiya to assist"

quote:

Al-Jazeera is now reporting that opposition forces have re-established control of Brega.

Also:

quote:

The Guardian's Martin Chulov tweets: "Benghazi's organising committee has just formally asked UN to help end Ghaddafi's air strikes in eastern #libya"

# ? Mar 2, 2011 10:58

Brown Moses: Feb 22, 2002

More news about the plucky rebels:

quote:

A rebel coalition has told Reuters Brega is under its control:

quote:
"We are probably going to call for foreign help, probably air strikes at strategic locations that will put the nail in his (Gaddafi's) coffin," Mustafa Gheriani, a spokesman for the rebel February 17th coalition, told Reuters.
"They tried to take Brega this morning, but they failed. It is back in the hands of the revolutionaries. He is trying to create all kinds of psychological warfare to keep these cities on edge," he said.
About Ajdabiyah, he said the town was " basically stable and our people are grouping to deal with any major assault. For now, it is still just hit and run."

quote:

A worker at the Brega oil facility has just told al-Jazeera English that the rebels are indeed in control of the town. He was clearly emotional and gave a breathless account of clashes with Gaddafi forces who he said had been repelled but were still at the airport. He said 15 people had been killed. At one point he shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is the greatest) and people with him joined in the chanting. When asked who was in control of Brega, the unnamed man said:

quote:
"The locals, the revolutionaries, it's us. Allahu Akbar. We are controlling Brega now."

Brown Moses fucked around with this message at 11:23 on Mar 2, 2011

# ? Mar 2, 2011 11:20

Brown Moses: Feb 22, 2002

Interesting Tweet from a reliable source on Twitter:

quote:

There are reports ("credible", not "confirmed") that Sirt is boiling, only thing stopping it is that it's full of Gaddafi's army.

Sirt is meant to be a Gaddafi stronghold, and it's on the route between the East of the country and Tripoli.

# ? Mar 2, 2011 11:34

richardm: Jul 15, 2004

rolleyes posted:

Damnit, I was really hoping the protesters had managed to blow up an ammo dump or something.

There has been a suggestion that the truck was sabotaged, but nobody's very sure yet.

By the way, on the subject of Military plans: http://english.aljazeera.net/video/africa/2011/03/20113115576219900.html

... USS Ponce? I was once on a tour of Portsmouth Harbour with some Americans who went into fits of giggles over HMS Setter's name, but I think the USN has now trumped the Royal Navy.

# ? Mar 2, 2011 11:46

Namarrgon: Dec 23, 2008; Congratulations on not getting fit in 2011!

Brown Moses posted:

Interesting Tweet from a reliable source on Twitter:

Sirt is meant to be a Gaddafi stronghold, and it's on the route between the East of the country and Tripoli.

I'm not surprised at all. I assumed there was a very strong correlation between loyalty to Gaddafi and presence of Gadaffi's troops.

# ? Mar 2, 2011 11:47

Brown Moses: Feb 22, 2002

More abject Gaddafi's military failures:

quote:

The excellent Feb17voices has interesting audio from a woman in Zintan, about 90 miles south of Tripoli. She says about 40 people are missing from the city, unaccounted for:

quote:
The last three days the army has attacked the city three times, all of which were repelled by the residents. The army was put to flight leaving weapons and cars behind...

Today and yesterday ,42 to 43 mercenaries were captured who were trying to enter the city. Thank God the youths are in control of the city. Government battalions keep attacking but each time the residents captured soldiers and weapons thank God...

The youth have also established a military council to manage the affairs of Zintan which is made up also of some of the older officers who have defected from Gaddafi.

Attacking a city, losing, then leaving weapons and vehicles behind for the residents to use next time you attack probably isn't covered by Sun Tzu.

# ? Mar 2, 2011 12:06

Namarrgon: Dec 23, 2008; Congratulations on not getting fit in 2011!

Brown Moses posted:

Attacking a city, losing, then leaving weapons and vehicles behind for the residents to use next time you attack probably isn't covered by Sun Tzu.

I think it is part of that chapter where you intentionally try to lose to out your incompetent leadership.

# ? Mar 2, 2011 12:09

Herstory Begins Now: Aug 5, 2003; SOME REALLY TEDIOUS DUMB SHIT THAT SUCKS ASS TO READ ->>

Brown Moses posted:

Attacking a city, losing, then leaving weapons and vehicles behind for the residents to use next time you attack probably isn't covered by Sun Tzu.

"If a fight is fair, your tactics are terrible."

Herstory Begins Now fucked around with this message at 12:33 on Mar 2, 2011

# ? Mar 2, 2011 12:28

Brown Moses: Feb 22, 2002

Bit more about the current situation in the East:

quote:

The situation in Brega remains unclear. Libyan state TV is reporting that Gaddafi's forces are in control of the airport and seaport, contradicting rebel accounts that they have been repelled. An al-Jazeera correspondent in Ajdabiya (75km from Brega) said thousands are gathering there to prepare to help out their fellow rebels in Brega. People in Ajabiya could be heard firing their weapons, apparently to test them in preparation.

Gaddafi is also giving a speech, spouting the "I'm not in charge, it's the people" crap.

# ? Mar 2, 2011 12:34

Brown Moses: Feb 22, 2002

Gotta love Gaddafi's speeches:

quote:

"I heard news reports mentioning my name directly. I laughed. What does it have to do with me? I carried out the revolution and then stood down. Now, power and authority is in the hands of the people."

Col Gaddafi adds that he merely serves in an advisory capacity.

"No policy, internal or external, can be drawn up without the approval of the people," he says.

I think the people Gaddafi is speaking about are the voices he hears in his head.

# ? Mar 2, 2011 12:47

Herstory Begins Now: Aug 5, 2003; SOME REALLY TEDIOUS DUMB SHIT THAT SUCKS ASS TO READ ->>

Brown Moses posted:

Bit more about the current situation in the East:

Gaddafi is also giving a speech, spouting the "I'm not in charge, it's the people" crap.

Ironically that's becoming the case.

# ? Mar 2, 2011 12:48

Brown Moses: Feb 22, 2002

"Millions of the Libyan people marched chanting my name." True, but they were mainly chanting "Death to Gaddafi".

# ? Mar 2, 2011 12:55

Jamsque: May 31, 2009

The room Gaddafi is speaking to looks bored as gently caress

# ? Mar 2, 2011 12:59

Lobster God: Nov 5, 2008

Jamsque posted:

The room Gaddafi is speaking to looks bored as gently caress

Once you've heard one account of how American backed Islamic fundamentalist terrorists are drugging the population via Nescafe causing them to rise up against their leader, you've heard them all.

# ? Mar 2, 2011 13:08

RunningOnEmpty: Nov 1, 2005; Because I work hard for the money...bitch.

Not one person in that room is buying what he is selling.

# ? Mar 2, 2011 13:11

Lobster God: Nov 5, 2008

RunningOnEmpty posted:

Not one person in that room is buying what he is selling.

Also, this. They're probably struggling to keep a straight face. I mean, just look at this:

quote:

I decided that all weapons depots should be destroyed to avoid them falling into the hands of "terrorists", says Gaddafi.

"The whole world knows about al Qaida."

It is an "absolute lie" that peaceful demonstrations are being fired upon.

"Libya does not like foreign correspondents," says Gaddafi, explaining why none were in the country before the uprising began.

"There were no peaceful demonstrations at all in Libya, as I told you it was a terrorist attack."

"The terrorist operatives are wreaking havoc, raping woman on a daily basis."

He says the "terrorists" freed people from jail and handed them weapons (which is exactly what he has been accused of doing, as well as employing foreign mercenaries).

# ? Mar 2, 2011 13:16

Trickjaw: Jun 23, 2005; Nadie puede dar lo que no tiene

An update if it interests anyone, my Dad is going to be leaving Benghazi in two hours on HMS York to Valetta. C'mon Gadaffi, times awaisting! You don't want me thinking Dictators can't even be relied on, do you?

# ? Mar 2, 2011 13:31

Brown Moses: Feb 22, 2002

quote:

Here is a lunchtime summary from Adam Gabbatt:

� There have been clashes in Brega, with reports suggesting that the town has been retaken by rebels after pro-Gaddafi forces took control of it this morning. Although Libyan state TV is reporting that Muammar Gaddafi's forces are in control of the airport and seaport, contradicting rebel accounts that they have been repelled, an oil worker told al-Jazeera English that the rebels are indeed in control of the town.

� In Ajdabiya, 45 miles away and described by the Guardian's Martin Chulov as a potential "frontline" of clashes between pro- and anti-Gaddafi forces, there has reportedly been a failed bombing attempt on an arms dump to the south of the city. "Opposition people are massing," in Ajdabiyah, Martin reports, adding that the "town will not be taken without a fight".

� Gaddafi, speaking at the general people's congress in Tripoli, has given another lengthy address repeating many of his more outlandish claims. The Libyan leader accused al-Qaida of being behind the violence in Libya, and said the "terrorist" protesters had released prisoners from jails and handed them weapons � exactly what Gaddafi himself has been accused of doing.

� A petrol tanker was ablaze in Tripoli this morning, with no clear signs of any accident to cause the fire. The Guardian's Peter Beaumont is in the capital, and said "it may just be that the tanker was set on fire to say: 'Look, life isn't as normal as the regime is trying to tell people.'"

# ? Mar 2, 2011 13:57

Roark: Dec 1, 2009; A moderate man - a violently moderate man.

RunningOnEmpty posted:

Not one person in that room is buying what he is selling.

How much of his own crap does everyone think Gaddafi actually believe? I mean, any dictator is going to believe some of their own lies, but I get the feeling Gaddafi buys into his own poo poo more than most.

# ? Mar 2, 2011 14:01

Brown Moses: Feb 22, 2002

quote:

Gaddafi talks about Britain freezing his assets. He says:

quote:
I'll put my fingers in Cameron's eyes if I keep assets abroad.

His salary is only 465 dinars, he claims.

"I swear, I just woke up one morning and all these palaces and stylish clothes appeared out of nowhere! I was just looking after them until I could find the real owner!"

[edit]

quote:

He can't imagine anybody in Libya could insult or vilify Muammar Gaddafi, he says. As he speaks, al-Jazeera is showing pictures of protesters in Benghazi holding up anti-Gaddafi banners.

Brown Moses fucked around with this message at 14:11 on Mar 2, 2011

# ? Mar 2, 2011 14:05

RunningOnEmpty: Nov 1, 2005; Because I work hard for the money...bitch.

What is it with the cheerleaders, those 40-something women that keep getting up and chanting? At first I thought it was the protests on the other side of the screen, but it isn't. Who in this entourage thought that it was a good idea?

About an hour and forty-five minutes now.

# ? Mar 2, 2011 14:12

Jamsque: May 31, 2009

The crowd is looking fidgety, tired, sweaty and restless. How long do we think CQ can go? Another hour at least, I would assume.

# ? Mar 2, 2011 14:18

Brown Moses: Feb 22, 2002

Gaddafi is a real little bitch:

quote:

Col Gaddafi said there had been a multi-billion dollar development plan earmarked for Benghazi, but it was now on hold because of the revolt. The scheme would have made the other cities really jealous, he said, and left them asking, 'why Benghazi?".

"I was going to give you this cool thing, but it's clear you don't want it, which is a pity, because it was really cool and it would make everyone else really jealous of how cool you are, but you don't want to be cool, so fine."

[edit]Also:

quote:

Gaddafi's still speaking, to occasional applause, about directing investment away from western nations toward Russia, China and India. He tells the west:

quote:
It's your loss.

He's so butthurt.

# ? Mar 2, 2011 14:29

Brown Moses: Feb 22, 2002

The rebels just recaptured Brega airport as well:

quote:

Brega's airport is back in the hands of Gaddafi's opponents, Libya's former interior minister, Abdel Fattah Younes al Abidi, has told al-Arabiya TV. Abidi stood down from the government in order to join the movement seeking to oust the Libyan leader. Libyan state TV reported earlier (see 11.23am) that the airport was in control of Gaddafi forces after their attempts to retake the town from rebels.

# ? Mar 2, 2011 14:29

Pureauthor: Jul 8, 2010; ASK ME ABOUT KISSING A GHOST

Wonder what will happen to all the higher-ranking officials who fled the sinking ship.

# ? Mar 2, 2011 14:44

OptimusMatrix: Nov 13, 2003; ASK ME ABOUT MUTILATING MY PET TO SUIT MY OWN AESTHETIC PREFERENCES

Whats sickening is that he said anyone asking for aid supplies is a traitor and will be treated as such aka executed.

# ? Mar 2, 2011 14:44

CrunchyTaco: Dec 25, 2007

Brown Moses posted:

Gaddafi is a real little bitch:

"I was going to give you this cool thing, but it's clear you don't want it, which is a pity, because it was really cool and it would make everyone else really jealous of how cool you are, but you don't want to be cool, so fine."

He's such a baby, holy poo poo. This is unreal that someone like this is in control of so much military power.

It'd be better if he started exchanging insults personally from an opposition leader about how much the other guy smells like poop.

# ? Mar 2, 2011 14:46

Brown Moses: Feb 22, 2002

He's spent the last 2 hours explaining why everything is fine in Libya, and it's all made up by the foreign media.

# ? Mar 2, 2011 14:49

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# ? May 21, 2024 22:01

Brown Moses: Feb 22, 2002

There's reports of Brega and Benghazi benig bombed at this very moment, no more information yet.

# ? Mar 2, 2011 14:58

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > Middle East Thread of Despair: More Broken Than Syria

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