Thursday 5 April 2012

South Libya Wavers Between Violence and Marginalization

Will 2012 Bring Tribal War to Libya? Thus asked Franklin Lamb three months ago. "
"To date nothing has been achieved by the new government and people are growing very angry." he said.
The so called human rights activists, who smeared Franklin's stand against Nato invasion and crimes in Libya, swallowed their tongues, ignored the "Great News" comming from "Liberated Libya"

"The West is doing the right thing in Libya"  Claimed a Libyan traitor.
Yes the west did the right thing for the west, not for Libyan, The chief Veteran of V"Yesterday" whose hands are soaked with Libyan blood called the cowboys of America to ATTACK GADDAFI NOW!" and after the brutal killing of Qadaffi he claimed I didn’t want to see Gaddafi arrested, killed or tried,

In case you missed it: Gordon Duff Calling for unity??? What Time is It?

As Mr. Lamb expected, a tribal war is going on Libya. We are witnessing the Unity in Action in Libya.

But,
 
"In the final analysis, the Libyan revolution has an Arab-Islamic face, heart and mind. It will not betray or disappoint Muslims anywhere in the world. Just give them a grace period, and they won't disappoint you." Thus farted, somebody from occupied Palestine.

 
South Libya Wavers Between Violence and Marginalization



People take part in a protest at Martyr's Square in Tripoli, against transforming the country into a federal state 9 March 2012. (Photo: REUTERS - Anis Mili)

Published Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Conflicting accounts on what triggered fighting in the southern Libyan city of Sabha are now somewhat irrelevant. The raging battles which left over 150 dead reflect a clear state of tension in the south of the country leading to talk about partition.

Sabha, Libya – The National Transitional Council (NTC) announced that recent battles in Sabha, 750 kilometers south of Tripoli, erupted over a dispute concerning the distribution of money to rebels. This grew into an exchange of fire, which resulted in a rebel commander from the Toubou tribe being killed along with his aides.

But many argue that fighting started after gunmen from the Toubou tribe killed an employee from a local electricity company and stole his car.

Regardless of the cause, the fierce battles reflected a state of serious tension in the southern region and brought decades-old problems to the forefront.

Following the return of calm, Al-Akhbar toured some of Sabha's neighborhoods, where life appeared normal and arms were not being carried openly for the most part. But the effects of the clashes were clearly visible, especially at the city's hospital, which can be described as "dying" due to the severe shortages in medical staff and basic supplies.

Business appeared normal, as street vendors sold their goods and dozens of laborers from neighboring African countries lined up on the sidewalks, waiting for clients to hire them for the day.
Al-Akhbar spoke to some of Sabha's residents about the fighting, including Muhammad al-Zayn, a university student, who said he was sorry about the loss of lives.

"The government did all it was asked to do, but the problem was started by parties linked to the government and the public did not understand what caused it," he said.

Al-Zayn welcomed the government decision declaring the city a military zone, "especially if the rebel brigades are absorbed into the national army," as he put it.
 

Expressing fear that the Toubou would "settle" in Sabha, he insisted that the government should push the non-Libyan members of the tribe outside the Libyan borders and strip them of their Libyan citizenship, while the Libyan tribe members should remain in their villages.

Libyan journalist Wahiba Kilani said that the latest events in Sabha have led to calls for a federation and separation as frustration among southerners over the government's failure to deal with the region's demands continues to grow.

Kilani added that the current solution is only a temporary and ineffective one, saying that the "federation will save the region from the marginalization that it continues to suffer from despite the collapse of the regime."
Libyan political activist Ali Hammoudah said that the situation in the area would not have spiraled out of control had it not been exploited by some forces to settle tribal disputes.

"The truth of the matter is not being told," said Hammoudah. He explained that "the Toubou were not responsible for the murder that took place, but there are those who exploited the situation to clear their name and create a battlefront between the Arab and Toubou tribes."

Hammoudah added that the public was satisfied with the solution drawn up by the reconciliation committees to end the bloodshed. But he said the region was not ready for the National General Congress elections next year. It will not be properly represented "because weapons prevail and the south will generate the soldiers, not the political and cultural elite."

Speaking about the separation of south Libya, Hammoudah confirmed that calls for a federation have been made since last November. But he said that a separation was "far-fetched because public opinion rejects these calls in form and content."
 

Hammoudah asserted that the "majority feels persecuted by the minority control of the south, and their persecution will increase if the south separates and remains under the authority of this minority."
Libyan Islamist researcher Fathi Uqoub said that neither the NTC nor the provisional government will succeed in dealing with the south. Describing the south as a "time bomb," he said that the official dealing with the situation there is "clearly indifferent."

"The entire state is too shamefully weak and flimsy to even consider the south as part of Libya and its strategic depth, or notice that its people and residents are actually Libyans," Uqoub complained.
Ayoub Zarouq, president of Sabha's local council, warned the government that the situation in the city was dangerous and that conditions in the area could deteriorate further.

"If the situation is left as it is, partition would be possible," Zarouq said. He called for "intervention to safeguard the homeland's unity."

Zarouq also urged the government to speed up relief efforts for the south's residents, provide emergency humanitarian aid, and fix the deteriorating health and medical conditions.

He said that some of the Libyan Toubou members were finding it difficult to return to their homes in the neighborhood of al-Tuyouri, which was the scene of recent violent clashes.

Zarouq concluded that it would be very difficult to hold elections in the region in the wake of the security deterioration in the south.
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This article is an edited translation from the Arabic Edition.
River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian  
The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this Blog!

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