You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Submit your comments on this article
Africa North
Libyan rebels blame West for lack of cash
2011-06-19
BENGHAZI, Libya – Rebels waging a drawn-out war to oust Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi have run out of money, their oil chief said on Saturday, and he accused the West of failing to keep its promises of urgent financial aid.
All my fault. Hookers and blow...
His comments came as cracks were appearing in the NATO alliance over its 3-month bombing campaign against Gaddafi, with some allies showing mission fatigue and the United States accusing some European allies of failing to pull their weight.
Yes, a continent with roughly two million people under arms, hundreds of combat aircraft, dozens of naval ships, and an economy larger than the United States can't sustain a three month campaign against a middling north African country. Of course. Anyone can see that.
The rebels have made several gains in the past few weeks, but remain far from seizing their ultimate prize -- Gaddafi's powerbase of Tripoli and its hinterland -- despite air support from the world's most powerful military alliance.
I can understand the failure of the rebels. They are, after all, rebels, and it's not like they were, or have been molded into, a world-class fighting force.
"We are running out of everything. It's a complete failure. Either they (Western nations) don't understand or they don't care. Nothing has materialized yet. And I really mean nothing," rebel oil chief Ali Tarhouni said in an interview with Reuters.
Ali, a hint: try securing some collateral. You know, like the oil wells, pumps and infrastructure in the east where you're in control. You might have to have some of your vaunted rebels stand guard, but pump the oil to Benghazi and ship it to Europe. They'll pay, oh, they'll pay.
Tarhouni's remarks highlight the insurgents' struggle to make ends meet, with war damage to energy infrastructure in their eastern territory having knocked out oil production there.

Western powers have pledged to expand aid by tapping into Libyan assets frozen abroad. But Tarhouni, also the insurgents' finance minister, said they had not followed through. "All of these people we talk to, all of these countries, at all these conferences, with their great grand speeches -- we appreciate (them) ... but in terms of finances they are a complete failure. Our people are dying," he said.

The economy in eastern Libya, where much of the oil that once made Libya a major OPEC exporter came from, is in a shambles. Rebel leaders struggle to pay for military operations and salaries in a society where, thanks to the legacy of Gaddafi's centralized rule, most people rely on state wages.
That's another thing you have to fix.
The European Union has pledged financial infusions and the United States, which took a leading role in securing a U.N.-backed no-fly zone over Libya, has promised more aid.
To borrow a line, "you screwed up, you trusted us!"
The U.S. government said in a press release late on Saturday that it had "delivered a second shipment of non-lethal aid to Benghazi" which was requested by the rebels, including body armor, uniforms and first aid kits, two days ago.

Tarhouni has estimated the rebels were spending up to 100 million Libyan dinars ($86 million) per day. "I don't expect us to produce oil any time soon. The refineries have no crude oil, so they are not working," he said.
That gets us back to securing the oil wells in the eastern half, and the pipelines, and the refineries, and the terminals.
Posted by:Steve White

#6  Come on congress de-fund this illegal half-assed war.
Posted by: regular joe   2011-06-19 17:04  

#5  In the beginning there was the Plan...
......
......
......
And that is how sh*t happens.
Posted by: Alaska Paul   2011-06-19 14:20  

#4  from Cracked.com:
Calorie burn rates for various stationary activities:

80 - reading (Dostoevsky)
70 - reading (Dean Koontz)
70 - watching TV
60 - baseline, comatose, asleep
55 - posting comments on the Internet

Posted by: Frank G   2011-06-19 12:24  

#3  You sit on an Oceaan of oil, and can't find the tap?

Try this comparison: Each Rantburg reader has a brain. Getting them to make an educated comment is another thing.
Posted by: Pappy   2011-06-19 11:47  

#2  How about pointing the begging bowl towards the Arab League?
Aren't The Lions Of Islam supposed to help their fellow Islamists?
I'm sure it says so in the Quran, somewhere.
Posted by: tipper   2011-06-19 00:37  

#1  You're joking, right?
You sit on an Oceaan of oil, and can't find the tap?
Posted by: Redneck Jim   2011-06-19 00:18  

00:00