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Bloody repression in Libya
[Ennahar] The bloody riots continued Saturday shaking authoritarian regimes in the Arab world, with dozens of deaths in police repression in Libya, the occupation of thousands of Bahrainis of the center of the capital and violent demonstrations in Yemen and Djibouti.The contestation has also struck Mauritania and Algeria, two countries of the Maghreb where was born the movement of revolt without precedent in the Arab world that inspired the rest of the countries. It was in Tunisia that the revolt began provoking the fall on January 14 of President Zine al-Abidine ben Ali, followed by Egypt's Hosni Mubarak who fell on Feb. 11 under pressure from the street. In Libya, where  Colonel Muammar Qadaffy... dictator of Libya since 1969. From 1972, when he relinquished the title of prime minister, he has been accorded the honorifics Guide of the First of September Great Revolution of the Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriyaor Brotherly Leader and Guide of the Revolution. With the death of Omar Bongo of Gabon on 8 June 2009, he became the longest serving of all current non-royal national leaders. He is also the longest-serving ruler of Libya since Tripoli became an Ottoman province in 1551. When Chairman Mao was all the rage and millions of people were flashing his Little Red Book, Qadaffy came out with his own Little Green Book, which didn't do as well. Qadaffy's instability has been an inspiration to the Arab world and to Africa, which he would like to rule... faces an unprecedented challenge in 42 years of rule, repression has made 65 fatalities since the start of the revolt Tuesday, according to Libyan sources. The contestation seems to turn into a real insurgency in the east, especially in Benghazi, a stronghold of opponents 1,000 km east of Tripoli, where 24 people were killed Friday in festivities between demonstrators and police, according to hospital sources and a newspaper close to the reformist Seif al-Islam, son of Colonel Qadaffy. The organization Human Rights Watch (HRW), based on medical sources and witnesses, reported on its side a global balance sheet of 84 dead, including 55 in Benghazi, but also in Al-Baida, and in Ajdabiya and Derna. On the 5th day of protest, Colonel Qadaffy, whose departure is demanded by the protesters, has still not made a formal statement. But the revolutionary committees, a pillar of his regime, threatened on Friday protesters an "overwhelming" response. HRW described the repression as "savage" and denounced "the brutality of Muammar Qadaffy with any internal dissent." Tripoli the capital remained calm, however, where the regime's supporters have also demonstrated in recent days. It was also still unable to access Twitter and Facebook, which carried the call for mobilization, and connections to other sites were very slow or impossible. In the Gulf, the Sunni regime of the tiny kingdom of Bahrain was confronted with demonstrations calling for a liberalization of the political system, with the majority Shiite population claiming to be excluded. The kingdom is of strategic importance to Washington, serving as headquarters for its Fifth Fleet, responsible for monitoring the oil shipping lanes in the Gulf, supporting operations in Afghanistan and to counter any Iranian threat. Thousands of anti-government protesters have returned to the "Place de la Perle" in Manama, the epicenter of the protest, they began to erect tents, two days after the violent dispersal of their sit-in. After the withdrawal of army tanks in the capital as demanded by the opposition, mainly Shiite protesters reoccupied the place. The police did not intervene, except for a brief firing tear gas at one of the axes leading to the square, injuring six people. Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, has ordered police to "stay away from rallies," but also called on demonstrators to disperse "to avoid a confrontation." Posted by: Fred 2011-02-20 |
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