And more news from the Arab uprisings:
Libya
At least 50 killed in Libya fighting
At least 50 including rebels, government troops and civilians have been killed in fresh clashes in different cities.
http://thenews.com.pk/NewsDetail.aspx?ID=13565
Rebels flee east Libya oil town under rocket fire
NEAR BREGA, Libya, April 5 (Reuters) – Libyan rebels fled up to 20 km (12 miles) eastwards under heavy rocket fire from leader Muammar Gaddafi’s forces on Tuesday in a sixth day of fighting for the oil port of Brega. Sustained bombardments of rockets and mortars pushed the insurgent caravan of pick-up trucks and cars back towards their Benghazi stronghold, in the biggest retreat in several days of inconclusive battles.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/rebels-flee-east-libya-oil-town-under-rocket-fire
At least 5 killed in Misrata shelling – doctor
RABAT, April 4 (Reuters) – At least five people were killed when forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi shelled a residential area in the besieged city of Misrata late on Monday, a doctor said. “The reception in the hospital is full. Five people were confirmed killed in the last two hours and five more are in critical condition,” the doctor, who gave his name as Ramadan, told Reuters by phone from the city. A second medic said the latest artillery assault on Libya’s third biggest city had left many wounded but medical teams were unable to reach them because sporadic shelling continued.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/at-least-5-killed-in-misrata-shelling-doctor
Evacuees from Libyan town describe massacre
SFAX, Tunisia: Bodies lay in the streets of the besieged Libyan city of Misrata and its hospital is overflowing with injured, an evacuee said Monday after arriving in Tunisia. An aid ship operated by charity Medecins Sans Frontieres docked in the Tunisian port of Sfax carrying 71 wounded people from Misrata, many with bullet wounds and broken limbs and one whose…
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=126787
Libya’s Wounded Describe Misrata ‘Hell’
SFAX, Tunisia/ BREGA, Libya (Reuters) – Gaddafi forces using tanks and snipers are carrying out a “massacre” in Misrata with corpses on the streets and hospitals full of the wounded, evacuees said, with one describing the besieged city as “hell.” Misrata, Libya’s third city, rose up with other towns against Muammar Gaddafi’s rule in mid-February, and it is now under attack by government troops after a violent crackdown put an end to most protests elsewhere in the west of the country.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/04/libyas-wounded-describe-m_n_844540.html
In pictures
Inside Libya’s battle-scarred city of Misrata.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-africa-12963019
UN Allies Strike Convoy near Brega as Rebels begin Oil Exports
NATO airstrikes near the oil city of Brega (Marsa al-Buraiqa) on Tuesday morning repelled the advance of an 8-vehicle military convoy of Qaddafi loyalists. The Transitional government in Benghazi is eager to gain control of Brega, from which they were pushed back on Monday night, because they could then export petroleum from it under a deal they have done with Qatar.The significance of the strike on the convoy is manifold. Qaddafi doesn’t have infinite amounts of heavy military equipment, and every tank or armored vehicle he loses degrades his ability to control a country that for the most part doesn’t want him. When urban crowds and rebel forces have faced Qaddafi loyalists and both have just had light arms, the rebels have typically prevailed. Another significance of the strike is that it may well discourage soldiers loyal to Qaddafi from trying to attack the rebels, and may encourage them to defect to the Benghazi government. So far the NATO strikes on Qaddafi convoys have been intermittent, and so many commanders may have thought that the risks are bearable. But if the strikes become more consistent they will likely take a psychological toll.
http://www.juancole.com/2011/04/un-allies-strike-convoy-near-brega-as-rebels-begin-oil-exports.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+juancole%2Fymbn+%28Informed+Comment%29
More civilian victims and thousands of Libyans taking flight, reports the Apostolic Vicar of Tripoli
Eight civilians, mostly women and children were killed by bombs released by the international forces,” Nishop Giovanni Innocenzo Martinelli, Apostolic Vicar of Tripoli tells Fides.
http://www.fides.org/aree/news/newsdet.php?idnews=28713&lan=eng
Libya ‘ready’ to discuss reforms
Information minister says the people will decide their own future, calling Gaddafi a “safety valve” for unity in Libya.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/04/201144235152904180.html
Libya TV shows Gaddafi among supporters
RABAT, April 4 (Reuters) – Libyan state television on Monday showed live footage of leader Muammar Gaddafi saluting supporters from a jeep that drove outside his fortified compound of Bab al-Aziziyah in Tripoli. A written newsflash read: “The brother leader among his supporters.”
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/libya-tv-shows-gaddafi-among-supporters
Qaddafi and rebels look for friends: April 4 Mideast update
Muammar Qaddafi’s forces appear locked in a stalemate with the rebel troops, just east of Brega. Violent clashes within Yemen’s protests reached a milestone. And the Gulf’s economic bloc is in a tussle with Iran.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/Tl8lBbY4MzU/Qaddafi-and-rebels-look-for-friends-April-4-Mideast-update
Libya: Ready For Elections, But Gaddafi Must Stay
TRIPOLI, April 4 (Reuters) – Libya is ready to hold elections and reform its political system but only its own people can decide whether leader Muammar Gaddafi can stay at the helm, a government spokesman said on Monday. “We could have any political system, any changes: constitution, election, anything, but the leader has to lead this forward. This is our belief,” said Mussa Ibrahim, when asked about the content of negotiations with the West.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/04/libya-political-reform-muammar-gaddafi_n_844736.html
Libyan rebels reject Gaddafi ‘peace’ overture
Libyan rebels say they would not accept any solution that would leave Muammar Gaddafi or his sons in power in Tripoli.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/04/20114555816181123.html
Malta tells Libyan envoy that Gaddafi must go
VALLETTA, April 4 (Reuters) – Maltese Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi told Libyan Deputy Foreign Minister Abdelati Obeidi on Monday that Muammar Gaddafi and his family must relinquish power. Obeidi, an envoy from the Libyan, flew to Malta following talks with government officials in Greece and Turkey on ways to end the Libyan conflict.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/malta-tells-libyan-envoy-that-gaddafi-must-go
Gaddafi envoy Obeidi in talks with Malta PM Gonzi
VALLETTA, April 4 (Reuters) – Libyan Deputy Foreign Minister Abdelati Obeidi was in talks in Malta on Monday with Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi on ways to end the Libyan conflict. Obeidi, an envoy of leader Muammar Gaddafi, flew to Malta folllowing talks with government officials in Greece and Turkey. Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, who had spoken to Greek officials, dismissed Obeidi’s message saying a divided Libya was not acceptable and Gaddafi must quit.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/gaddafi-envoy-obeidi-in-talks-with-malta-pm-gonzi
Italy rejects Qaddafi, recognizes Libyan rebel government
Italy today became the third nation to recognize Libya’s rebels as the legitimate government, dealing a blow to attempts by Muammar Qaddafi and his sons to negotiate a diplomatic settlement.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/-ssAO64PYEw/Italy-rejects-Qaddafi-recognizes-Libyan-rebel-government
Kuwait to recognize Libyan rebels with days-formin
ABU DHABI, April 4 (Reuters) – Kuwait will officially recognize Libyan rebel forces within days, its foreign minister said on Monday, making it the second Arab state after Qatar to formally acknowledge the group. “We have already recognized them in a practical sense and officially recognizing them will come in a few days,” Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammad al-Salem al-Sabah told Reuters in the UAE capital. Last month, Qatar became the first Arab country to recognise Libya’s rebels as the people’s legitimate representative.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/kuwait-to-recognize-libyan-rebels-with-days-formin
“No breakthrough yet” for Libya truce – Turkey
ANKARA, April 5 (Reuters) – Turkish officials, seeking to broker a ceasefire in Libya’s civil war, said on Tuesday there was no breakthrough in sight with the two sides disagreeing over whether Muammar Gaddafi should stay or go. Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu met an envoy from Gaddafi’s government on Monday to talk through broad conditions for a ceasefire and political solution to the conflict, while a delegation from the rebel side is expected to visit Ankara in the coming days for similar discussions.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/no-breakthrough-yet-for-libya-truce-turkey
U.S. Moving to a Support Role in Libya
The United States is removing its warplanes from front-line missions in Libya and is shifting the focus of its operation to a support role, a NATO official said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/05/world/africa/05nato.html
Gaddafi planned civilian killings, Hague court says
BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) – The International Criminal Court has evidence Muammar Gaddafi’s government planned to put down protests by killing civilians before the uprising in Libya broke out, the ICC’s prosecutor said on Tuesday. The peaceful protests that erupted on February 15 descended into civil war as Gaddafi’s forces first fired on demonstrators, then violently put down the uprisings that followed in the west, leaving the east and the third city of Misrata in rebel hands.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/04/05/gaddafi-planned-civilian-killings-hague-court-says/
British Foreign Minister William Hague on Libyan crisis
William Hague, the British foreign minister, has been delivering his weekly update to the British parliament. In it, he says that the British government is so far prepared only to supply the Libyan opposition with “non-lethal” equipment. He also said that Moussa Koussa, the former Libyan foreign minister, will not be considered immune from prosecution and has not been offered any sort of deal.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeeY_iflk1w&feature=youtube_gdata
Angry at shortages, Libyans speak louder of change
TRIPOLI, April 4 (Reuters) – In the maze-like lanes of Tripoli’s medieval market, some Libyans are openly predicting the imminent fall of Muammar Gaddafi. Their tempers appear to have reached breaking point in a city gripped by fuel shortages and long queues for basic goods as rebels based in eastern Libya battle Gaddafi’s forces. “People from the east will come here. Maybe in two weeks,” said one entrepreneur who asked that his name not be used for fear of reprisals. “But now people are afraid.”
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/angry-at-shortages-libyans-speak-louder-of-change
US pulls out warplanes from Libya: Pentagon
WASHINGTON – The US military on Monday withdrew its fighter jets from the international air campaign in Libya, officials said, after NATO asked Washington to keep up bombing raids for another 48 hours. The United States had planned to halt combat missions and Tomahawk cruise missile launches at the weekend but accepted a NATO request to continue the operations for another 48 hours until Monday.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/04/04/us-pulls-out-warplanes-from-libya-pentagon/
Libyan rebels struggle to explain rift
Khalifa Haftar, a former army colonel who recently returned to Libya after living for many years in Falls Church, was initially hailed by the Transitional National Council as a leader who could help discipline the new army and train its largely volunteer ranks.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/libyan-rebels-struggle-to-explain-rift/2011/04/02/AFEpJFRC_print.html
Iman al-Obeidi, Libya Woman Who Claimed Rape, May Be Free
TRIPOLI, Libya — A Libyan woman who burst into a Tripoli hotel to tell foreign journalists that she was gang raped by Moammar Gadhafi’s troops was quoted by news media Monday as saying she is not in custody. Iman al-Obeidi made headlines Saturday when she was dragged away from the hotel by government officials as she screamed her allegations of rape. A government official said she was a prostitute, but her family said she is a lawyer.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/04/iman-alobeidi-libya-woman_n_844727.html
At War: Libya’s Rebel Forces Need More Than Just Weapons
What could blunt government assaults by armored vehicles on rebel positions and anti-Qaddafi cities would be modern, precise anti-tank weapons — but rebels would need weeks of training to put them to use.
http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=95c856245fd6ad04a314d0f1016bb9ef
Lawmakers: UK misjudged Middle East arms sales (AP)
AP – Britain approved the export of shotguns and tear gas to Libya, machine guns and sniper rifles to Bahrain, and miltary technology to Yemen over the last three years, lawmakers disclosed Tuesday in a report criticizing the governments involved.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110404/ap_on_re_eu/eu_britain_libya_weapons
Libyan rebels urgently want to sell oil, gas-UN
UNITED NATIONS, April 4 (Reuters) – Libyan rebels fighting forces loyal to leader Muammar Gaddafi are worried about their financial resources and want to start exporting both oil and natural gas, the U.N. special envoy to Libya said on Monday. Abdelilah al-Khatib, the former foreign minister of Jordan and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s special envoy to Libya, spoke to the Security Council about his recent visits to Libya, where he met with the rebels’ Transitional National Council and members of Gaddafi’s government in Tripoli.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/libyan-rebels-urgently-want-to-sell-oil-gas-un
ICC prosecutor wants access to Libya’s Koussa
THE HAGUE, April 5 (Reuters) – The International Criminal Court prosecutor said on Tuesday he wants to speak with former Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa for his investigation into crimes against civilians in the North African state. ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo is investigating Muammar Gaddafi, his sons and key aides such as former foreign minister Koussa, who defected to London last month saying he made the decision because of attacks by Gaddafi forces on civilians.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/icc-prosecutor-wants-access-to-libyas-koussa
Musa Kusa gets his money back
The U.S. Treasury Department announced on Monday that it was lifting sanctions against Musa Kusa, the former Libyan foreign minister who defected from Libyan leader Col. Muammar al-Qaddafi’s regime and fled to London last week. Kusa was sanctioned as part of Executive Order 13566, which included the freezing of all assets belonging to senior Libyan government officials. Since Kusa is no longer a senior Libyan government official, his name will be immediately taken off the Treasury’s Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List and his funds in international banks will now be unfrozen, the Treasury Department said on Monday.
http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/04/04/musa_kusa_gets_his_money_back
Former Libyan Ambassador: We want America to stay involved
The Libyan rebels’ representative in Washington, Ali Aujali, called on the United States to stay at the fore of the international effort to oust Libyan leader Col. Muammar al-Qaddafi and to give the opposition leadership weapons and access to billions in frozen Libyan assets.”The United States is the major player in this crisis. We want the administration and we want your support to keep the role of the United States alive. We want American to be involved,” Aujali said at the Center for American Progress on Monday. Aujali previously served as Qaddafi’s ambassador to Washington before joining the opposition in February. “For the United States to continue to be a major player in this crisis, this is very important.”
http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/04/04/former_libyan_ambassador_we_want_america_to_stay_involved
Libyan Rebels Aspire to Democracy
The USG Open Source Center translates an article about a rebel news conference in which they lay out their vision of Libya’ future
http://www.juancole.com/2011/04/libyan-rebels-aspire-to-democracy.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+juancole%2Fymbn+%28Informed+Comment%29
Libya’s rebels driven by old grievances, new dreams
Young rebels say the fight represents the chance for more democratic government, better odds of getting a good job and marrying.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/libyas-rebels-driven-by-old-grievances-new-dreams
“…Those who oppose the Western intervention remain a minority …”
Muammar al-Qaddafi himself labels the intervention a “colonial crusader” war .. Yet there is little evidence that his message is resonating. Arab media and blogs, and wider public sentiment seen in the ongoing demonstrations remain decidedly against him. While we have not had scientific public opinion polls to capture feelings on the street, I have conducted preliminary research with my team using popular websites to try to offer some measure of the public reasoning on Libya. Not surprisingly, there has been ambivalence about intervention, as Arabs are caught between the sense that someone has to intervene to stop Qaddafi on the one hand and mistrust of Western powers on the other. Ideally, they would have loved to see the Libyan story evolve the way of Tunisia and Egypt, but they sense that was not to be. As a consequence, those who oppose the Western intervention remain a minority. (For a flavor of reader comments on two popular websites, Aljazeera.net and Alarabiya.net, please see the translation below [3] of 25 consecutive comments on each site. Overall only 28% of Al-Jazeera comments, and 36% of Alarabiya’s opposed military intervention.)
http://nationalinterest.org/print/commentary/the-striking-arab-openness-intervention-5109%3Fpage%3Dshow
Inside Story: Libya’s peace pleas not enough
After more than a month of fighting, Muammar Gaddafi the Libyan Leader has once again renewed diplomatic efforts seeking an end to the crisis. On Sunday, Abdel Ati Obeidi, Libya’s deputy foreign minister landed in Athens, carrying a message to the Prime Minister from Gaddafi. Gaddafi’s message: to seek an end to the fighting. This was followed by a trip to Turkey and then to Malta. The Greek foreign minister said his country wants to reinforce the demands of the UN resolution. Also Franco Frattini, Italy’s Foreign Minister dismissed Al Obeidi’s message from Gaddafi as “not credible”, reiterating that Gaddafi had to leave power. At the same time, Italy recognised the Libyan Opposition National Council as the only legitimate authority in the country. But Libyan opposition are still refusing any kind of settlement saying they will accept a UN-demanded ceasefire only if Gaddafi pulls his forces from all Libyan cities. Inside Story, with presenter Dareen Abughaida, discusses with guests: Ashur Shamis, a Libyan journalist and writer; Dimitris Papadimitriou, a reader in European Politics at the University of Manchester and Claire Spencer, head of Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House. This episode of Inside Story aired from Monday, April 4, 2011.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTJSTvW6MQ8&feature=youtube_gdata
Yemen
Human Rights Watch: Yemen: Stop Shooting Protesters
(New York) – President Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen should immediately order security forces to cease using unlawful lethal force against protesters, Human Rights Watch said today.
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2011/04/04/yemen-stop-shooting-protesters
More Yemeni protesters killed in fresh wave of bloodshed
Yemeni police open fire as tens of thousands mass in Taiz while demonstrators in Hudaydah are met with tear gas and bullets. President Ali Abdullah Saleh shows no sign of going quietly amid U.S. and European efforts to broker his exit. The long and incendiary reign of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh shows no sign of ending quietly as fresh bloodshed threatens the nation amid efforts by U.S. and European officials to ease weeks of protest and dangerous political maneuvering that could ignite a civil war.
http://feeds.latimes.com/%7Er/latimes/middleeast/%7E3/0arb_9PrkaM/la-fg-yemen-violence-20110405,0,1901671.story
Fresh clashes in restive Yemeni city
A day after at least 15 people were killed, security forces have again fired on anti-government protesters in Taiz.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/04/20114593648199344.html
Yemen accepts GCC call for talks as turmoil rages
Yemen on Tuesday accepted an invitation by Gulf Arab states to hold talks on its weeks-old political crisis in Saudi Arabia as a drive to oust President Ali Abdullah Saleh from his three-decade rule gathered pace and as two protesters were shot dead in protests in the western city of Hudaydah.
http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/04/05/144257.html
YEMEN: Children killed, traumatized by upsurge in violence
TAIZ, 5 April 2011 (IRIN) – Mohammed Munif’s three daughters were stunned by the sight of their teacher bleeding from the head after being hit by a stone during a protest, and further traumatized when their 12-year-old brother Ahmad was hit by a stray bullet in Yemen’s highland city of Taiz on 3 April.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/yemen-children-killed-traumatized-by-upsurge-in-violence
Bahrain
Bahrain deports 2 reporters of opposition paper (AP)
AP – Bahraini authorities on Tuesday deported two journalists working for the opposition’s main newspaper, their colleagues said. The government accused Al Wasat newspaper of unethical coverage of the Shiite uprising against the Sunni rulers.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110405/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_bahrain_reporters_deported
Bahrain minister talks to opposition on Twitter
In an unprecedented step that seems to herald the end of political negotiations behind closed doors, Bahraini Justice Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ali al-Khalifa engaged in a dialogue with one of the opposition leaders on the social networking website Twitter.
http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/04/05/144259.html
Other Mideast
Bahrain deports 2 reporters of opposition paper (AP)
AP – Bahraini authorities on Tuesday deported two journalists working for the opposition’s main newspaper, their colleagues said. The government accused Al Wasat newspaper of unethical coverage of the Shiite uprising against the Sunni rulers.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110405/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_bahrain_reporters_deported
Bahrain minister talks to opposition on Twitter
In an unprecedented step that seems to herald the end of political negotiations behind closed doors, Bahraini Justice Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ali al-Khalifa engaged in a dialogue with one of the opposition leaders on the social networking website Twitter.
http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/04/05/144259.html
Algeria doctors, militias, students push on with demos
ALGIERS: Auxiliary police, specialist doctors and university students pushed on with strikes and demonstrations in Algeria Monday to press demands including improved pay and conditions. Several members of the security militia spent the night at Martyrs Square in the capital of Algiers and said they would not leave until President Abdelaziz Bouteflika had answered.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=126786
Assad appoints new governor for Daraa
In a bid to appease protesters, the Syrian president continues to make new government appointments.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/middleeast/2011/04/201144134848651549.html
Syria braces for ‘martyrs week’
Syria was on Tuesday braced for the start of “Martyrs Week”, a series of rallies organized by a Facebook group in honor of those killed in security clampdowns on pro-reform demonstrations.”
http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/04/05/144282.html
