Arab Reveloution Liby: Maummar Al Gaddafi, Alas the End is Nigh.....

[General Duke]

 

Libya's unrest spread to the capital Tripoli on Sunday after scores of protesters were killed in the second city Benghazi, which appeared to have slipped out of control of forces loyal to strongman Muammar Gaddafi.

Gaddafi has attempted to put down protests with a violent crackdown, triggering some of the worst bloodshed in the two months since unrest began sweeping across the Arab world.

In the first sign of serious unrest in the capital, thousands of protesters clashed with supporters of Gadaffi in Tripoli. Gunfire could be heard and police using tear gas to disperse the demonstrators.

In Benghazi, centre of Libya's unrest, tens of thousands of people took to the streets and appeared to be in control of the city before security forces opened fire and killed scores.

Benghazi residents said soldiers from a unit had joined their protest and defeated a force Gaddafi's elite guards. Bodies were brought to a hospital riddled with bullets and wounds from rocket-propelled grenades.

A witness in Tripoli said police in the capital were using tear gas against protesters, some of whom were throwing stones at billboards of Gaddafi.

A resident of the capital told Reuters by telephone he could hear gunshots in the streets. "We're inside the house and the lights are out. There are gunshots in the street," he said. "That's what I hear, gunshots and people. I can't go outside."

An expatriate worker said protesters were being dispersed by police and he could see burning cars in the capital.

[General Duke]

'We will not let Libya go. We will fight to the last man, the last bullet'

Saif Al Islam, one of the sons of Muammar Gaddafi, makes a statement on Libyan TV and accuses activists of attempting a 'Facebook revolution'

[General Duke]

The fall-out from events in Libya appears to be taking a toll among representatives of the regime abroad.

 

Al Jazeera has reported that the Libyan ambassador to China resigned earlier this evening during an interview live on air.

 

Now, BBC Arabic is reporting that the Libyan ambassador to India has also resigned from his post in protest at the violence being used to suppress the protests at home.

[General Duke]

Profile: Saif al-Islam al-Gaddafi, plain talker with an eye on the main chanceCentral role in Megrahi release helps Libyan leader's second son stake his claim as successor

 

al-Islam al-Gaddafi, the Libyan leader's second son, is a powerful mover and shaker in Libya and abroad — despite occupying no official position in the Jamahiriya, the "state of the masses".

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/sep/07/gadaffi-son-profile

[General Duke]

Benghazi defies Gaddafi

 

After hundreds killed, protesters tighten grip on Libya's second city

 

By Catrina Stewart and Kim Sengupta

Gaddafi is facing the gravest challenge to his authority in his four-decade-long rule

 

More pictures

 

Libya's second city of Benghazi was a scene of chaos and bloodshed yesterday amid reports that anti-regime protesters had seized control. Security forces had earlier fired indiscriminately on mourners attending the funerals of those killed in recent days, but appeared to lose the advantage after a key military battalion came over to the side of the protesters.

 

 

Libya's bloody crackdown on the opposition protesters – described by scores of eyewitnesses as a massacre – has now left at least 200 dead in only six days and pushed tensions in the North African country to boiling point.

 

Amid a media blackout, Libyan bloggers and online activists have sought to get out reports describing scenes of carnage and issue urgent appeals to the West for help.

 

The Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi is facing the gravest challenge to his authority in his four-decade-long rule and the crackdown on anti-regime protesters in recent days marks the most brutal response of any country since last month's Tunisian revolt set off a chain reaction of popular uprising against authoritarian rule across the Arab world.

 

Much of the violence has been concentrated in the north-east of Libya, particularly in Benghazi and Al Bayda, where support for Colonel Gaddafi is traditionally much weaker.

 

In Benghazi, people described a city beset with violence and fear, claiming that mercenaries from Chad, Zimbabwe and North African countries went on a killing spree, opening fire on protesters, be they men, women or children. "There are no police in the streets any longer, it is mainly the militias and the Africans who have come in," said Hassan, a 36-year-old teacher. "Gaddafi is contracting out the killings. I saw a two-year-old boy shot.

 

"These people don't care, they are not killing anyone from their own country, they are killing our people."

 

Tens of thousands had poured on to the streets to join funeral processions yesterday. At least 15 people were killed in clashes, a doctor in Benghazi said.

 

But Ali Faris, a US-based Libyan émigré with relatives in the city, said that at least one military battalion had thrown in its lot with protesters, leading to scenes of jubilation on Benghazi's streets.

 

Mofta, a resident of Benghazi, told Al Jazeera the city had become a "war zone", with residents barricading the streets. He added that security forces continued to fire on protesters.

 

Some of the weekend's worst violence occurred on Saturday and one doctor in Benghazi told Al Jazeera he had seen more than 200 dead bodies.

 

"The situation is escalating alarmingly," said Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International's director for the Middle East and Africa. "It looks like Libya's leader may have ordered his forces to put down the protests at any cost."

 

Eyewitnesses said the hospitals were being overwhelmed and were in desperate need of more blood. Doctors said many of those killed had been shot in the head and upper body, suggesting soldiers had aimed to kill.

 

"The outside world must realise that we are short of medicine, short of food, the situation is really, really bad," said Sayida, a lawyer. "We are all volunteering at the hospital. I went there yesterday, there were a lot of people hurt."

 

The picture in Libya is at times confused: foreign reporters have been barred from the country, and the authorities have periodically blocked access to the internet. State television has reported only sparingly on the violence. But bloggers and activists have posted messages and video clips in a bid to reach the outside world, accusing the authorities of a wholescale massacre.

 

"We ask you to intervene to rescue Libya. Libyans are dying, waiting for you," wrote an anonymous poster in comments translated by the Alive in Libya website. "[Gaddafi] is a madman."

 

Meanwhile, there were reports the Libyan authorities were shipping in an elite military unit and more foreign mercenaries, to retake Benghazi.

 

In Al Bayda, a nearby town that has been the scene of fierce fighting, an Islamic group is reported to be holding civilians and members of the security forces hostage, threatening to execute them if the authorities do not lift their siege of the city. Clashes have also spread to other towns across Libya, with unconfirmed reports of protesters marching on Tripoli.

 

In a phone call with Saif Gaddafi, the Libyan leader's reform-minded son, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said the violence was unacceptable.

 

"He expressed alarm at reports of large numbers of people being killed," said the Foreign Office.

 

His comments signal an effort to distance Britain from Libya, only seven years after it embraced the country as an ally in the war on terror in exchange for access to its oil fields. Britain has now revoked arms export licenses to Libya and Bahrain.

 

Col Gaddafi has not spoken publicly since the unrest began six days ago, although state TV has beamed pictures of him seated in front of cheering loyalists. The situation in the capital, Tripoli, has been much calmer.

 

Many say the Libyans in Benghazi have little choice but to continue their resistance. "The people have passed the point of no return," said Ali Faris.