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| Africa North |
| Fear stalks Tripoli, celebrations in Libyas east |
| 2011-02-25 |
| [Ennahar] Thousands of Libyans celebrated the liberation of the eastern city of Benghazi from the rule of Muammar Qadaffy, who was reported to have sent a plane to bomb them on Wednesday as he clung to power. The crew bailed out of the aircraft after it took off from the capital Tripoli. It then came down south-west of Benghazi, Libya's Quryna newspaper cited a military source as saying, averting a fresh bloodshed in almost a week of violence. Tripoli, along with western Libya, is still under Qadaffy's control and people there said they were too afraid of pro-government militia to go out after Qadaffy threatened violence against protesters in a speech on Tuesday night. As many as 1,000 people have been killed in since the revolt began around a week ago, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said as world leaders scrambled to evacuate their citizens and disagreed on how to end the turmoil. Also abandoning Qadaffy's realm have been officials and diplomats previously loyal to the veteran leader. A small Libyan airliner turned away from Malta on Wednesday was carrying a daughter of Qadaffy, Al Jizz said from the European island. OIL PRESSURE Oil prices climbed above $110 a barrel amid fears chaos could spread to other oil-producing nations and choke supplies, which could dash hopes of any quick global economic recovery. Trade sources said at least oil cargoes did make it out of Libyan ports over the 24 hours to mid-Wednesday, however. An air force officer, Major Rajib Faytouni, said in Benghazi, the cradle of the revolt, that he had witnessed up to 4,000 mercenaries arrive on Libyan transport planes over three days starting from February 14, London's Guardian newspaper said. "That's why we turned against the government. That and the fact there was an order to use planes to attack the people," he told the newspaper in Benghazi. Hossam Ibrahim Sherif, director of the Benghazi health center, told Rooters about 320 people had been killed in the city. With much of the oil-producing east said to be under control of the protesters, an empty jail burned in Benghazi and people let off firecrackers and honked their horns to mark the end of days of bloodshed there. Britain's Sky News showed footage of anti-aircraft missiles at what it said was an abandoned military base near Tobruk, also in the east. FOREIGNERS TRAPPED Countries with strong business ties to Africa's third largest oil producer scrambled to evacuate thousands of citizens and a Turkish worker was rubbed out at a building site near the capital, Turkish officials said. |
| Posted by:Fred |