Pressure mounts on Libya’s Gaddafi

by Mr. Fish

Pressure mounts on Libya’s Gaddafi

Al Jazeera

Demonstrators remain on the streets as leader defies international condemnation.

Most of Libya is out of control of the government, and Muammar Gaddafi’s grip on power may soon be confined only to Tripoli, Libya’s former interior minister told Al Jazeera.

General Abdul Fatteh Younis, called upon Gaddafi to end his resistance to the uprising, although he does not expect him to do so.

The embattled Libyan regime passed out guns to civilian supporters, set up checkpoints and sent armed patrols roving the terrorised capital, witnesses said on Saturday.

Some of Libya’s security forces reportedly have given up the fight. Footage believed to be filmed on Friday appeared to show soldiers in uniform joining the protesters.

The footage showed soldiers being carried on the shoulders of demonstrators in the city of Az Zawiyah, after having reportedly turned against the government – a scene activists said is being repeated across the country.

Al Jazeera, however, is unable to independently verify the content of the video, which was obtained via social networking websites.

Our correspondent in Libya reported on Friday that army commanders in the east who had renounced Gaddafi’s leadership had told her that military commanders in the country’s west were also beginning to turn against him.

They warned, however, that the Khamis Brigade, an army special forces brigade that is loyal to the Gaddafi family and is equipped with sophisticated weaponry, is currently still fighting anti-government forces.

Our correspondent, who cannot be named for security reasons, said that despite the gains, people are anxious about what Gaddafi might do next, and the fact that his loyalists were still at large.

Abu Yousef, a resident from the town of Tajoura, told Al Jazeera on Saturday that live ammunition was being used against anti-government protesters.

“Security forces are also searching houses in the area and killing those who they accuse of being against the government,” he said.

Anti-government protesters have attacked black Africans in Libya, mistaking them for mercenaries.

Seidou Boubaker Jallou and his friend, both from Mali, fled by night to the Tunisian border. They said the roads out of the West are still in the hands of those loyal to Gaddafi.

“The situation is very dangerous. Every day there are more than a hundred who die, every day there are shootings. The most dangerous situation is for foreigners like us and also us black people. Because Gaddafi brought soldiers from Chad from Niger. They are black and they are killing Arabs,” Jallou told Al Jazeera.

Crackdown after prayers

Zawiya, a town 120 kilometres from the Tunisian border, is now in the hands of the people. Egyptian refugees on who arrived at the border described a bloody massacre on Thursday which left many dead.

“I was in Zawiya’s martyrs square. There was a group of army men in the square who attacked the protesters. It was a very fierce confrontation. They were shooting using heavy weaponry. There were at least 15 to 20 dead and I had footage of what happened but the Libyan authorities on the Tunisian border took even my phone. Gaddafi wants to commit a crime with the absence of any media,” Ahmed, an Egyptian refugee, told Al Jazeera’s Nazanine Moshiri.

Security forces loyal to Gaddafi reportedly also opened fire on anti-government protesters in the capital, Tripoli, after prayers on Friday.

Heavy gun fire was reported in the districts of Fashloum, Ashour, Jumhouria and Souq Al, sources told Al Jazeera.

The offensive came after Gaddafi appeared in Tripoli’s Green Square on Friday, to address a crowd of his supporters.

The speech, which also referred to Libya’s war of independence with Italy, appeared to be aimed at rallying what remains of his support base, with specific reference to the country’s youth.

An earlier speech, on Thursday evening had been made by phone, leading to speculation about his physical condition. But the footage aired on Friday showed the leader standing above the square, waving his fist as he spoke.

In the rooftop address Gaddafi urged his supporters below to “defend Libya”.

“If needs be, we will open all the arsenals. We will fight them and we will beat them,” he said.

International condemnation

The eastern region of the oil-rich North African nation is now believed to be largely free of Gaddafi control since the popular uprising began on February 14, with protests in the city of Benghazi inspired by revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia.

Al Jazeera’s Hoda Abdel-Hamid, reporting from the town of Al-Baida in eastern Libya on Saturday, said that while many parts of the country’s east is no longer government controlled, local residents do not want to separate from the rest of Libya.

“They still want a united Libya, and want Tripoli to remain its capital,” she said.

Our correspondent added that many in the country’s east have felt abandoned by the Gaddafi government, despite the vast oil wealth located in the region, and they feel they have no future in the country.

Hundreds of people have been killed in a brutal crackdown on the protests, though the official death toll remains unclear.

The crackdown has sparked international condemnation, with Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, becoming the first world leader to openly demand Gaddafi’s ouster.

Meanwhile, as Western governments scrambled to craft a collective response to the unrest, the United States said it was moving ahead with sanctions against the regime.

Barack Obama, the US president,  issued an executive order, seizing assets and blocking any property in the United States belonging to Gaddafi or his four sons.

In a statement, Obama said the measures were specifically targeted against the Gaddafi government and not the wealth of the Libyan people.

The European Union also agreed to impose an arms embargo, asset freezes and travel bans on Libya.

Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, said on Friday that decisive action by the Security Council against the crackdown must be taken, warning that any delay would add to the growing death toll which he said now came to over 1,000.

The official death toll in the violence remains unclear. Francois Zimeray, France’s top human rights official, said on Thursday that it could be as high as 2,000 people killed.

Ban’s call, as well as an emotional speech by the Libyan ambassador to the United Nations, prompted the council to order a special meeting on Saturday to consider a sanctions resolution against Gaddafi.

Britain, France, Germany and the United States have drawn up a resolution which says the attacks on civilians could amount to crimes against humanity. It calls for an arms embargo, a travel ban and assets freeze against Gaddafi, and members of his government.

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Snipers kill more protesters in Tripoli

Press TV

Latest reports suggest snipers and forces loyal to Libyan ruler Colonel Muammar Gaddafi have killed scores of protesters in the capital, Tripoli.

The Saturday attack comes as sporadic clashes continue between protesters and government forces in Tripoli.

Reports say pro-democracy protesters came under pro-government gunfire in different neighborhoods of the capital. Protesters were reportedly targeted by snipers when they chanted anti-Gaddafi slogans.

Several pro-democracy protesters were also killed in the capital on Friday.

Over one thousand people have already lost their lives and more fatalities are feared as Gaddafi’s regime is trying to crush the popular uprising.

Meanwhile, the government is losing its grip on more cities in the country’s east and west.

Gaddafi remains defiant after nearly two weeks of nationwide protests against his regime. In his third statement this week, Gaddafi addressed a crowd of his supporters in Tripoli’s Green Square.

He called on them to retaliate against the protesters and “fight for Libya, dignity and oil.” He even promised to open arms depots to his supporters.

Libya has been through nearly two weeks of violent anti-government protests. Now forces loyal to Gaddafi’s government fear an imminent attack on Tripoli by protesters.

Gaddafi’s last line of defense is controlled by one of his younger sons — Khamees, whose forces are said to be stationed outside Tripoli to defend the city against thousands of protesters who are on their way.

Reports say the forces are exhausted after being on standby for several days.

Meanwhile, the aid organization Doctors Without Borders says it is concerned about the condition of the injured in the city of Benghazi.

It says the city is in short supply of medical equipment despite the heavy number of casualties.

The organization said a six-person group of its staff has arrived in the city. It also said it cannot reach Tripoli by road, despite a dire need for medical help there.

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