Libya bleeds

EDITORIAL:Daily Times

Libya is in a state of anarchy as the revolt in the Arab world now turns dangerous. Civil war has broken out in the country with pro-Gaddafi loyalists fiercely taking up arms against the protesters who have seized control of the eastern city of Benghazi — Libya’s second largest and most important after the capital Tripoli — and the towns of Misurata and Zuara. Gaddafi’s power base is coming under increasing threat and the dictator is being reduced to little more than an isolated, hated warmonger bent on destroying his country before almost inevitably being shown the door. The situation has become such that the army is being ordered to take on the protesters by conducting a large-scale genocide. Two fighter jets defected to neighbouring Malta a few days back because they refused to bomb protesting civilians on the orders of the vehement dictator. Reports are now coming in that defying Gaddafi has its own price: troops who do not obey Gaddafi’s orders are being executed en masse. Militiamen and Gaddafi loyalists are reported to be roaming the streets on utility trucks firing at anyone who is deemed as being an opponent of the dictator. So far, the death toll has reached an alarming 650 plus with fears that the violence is only just beginning.

Muammar Gaddafi is turning out to be the most hateful of all the Arab dictators recently facing protests. He rather arrogantly declared in a televised address recently that he would “crush the revolt”. He referred to the protesters — his people — as being little more than “cockroaches” and promised that he would die a martyr instead of bowing down to the rebellion. It looks like he intends to make good on his word.

In a bizarre twist, Gaddafi blames a very unlikely instigator of the whole Libyan revolt: Osama bin Laden. Now the terrorist leader can be blamed for many things but in the words of Muammar Gaddafi, fuelling the protesters with “milk and Nescafe spiked with hallucinogens” really does not seem like al Qaeda’s cup of tea (pun intended).

In the meanwhile, the international community is sending out a strong message: curb the violence now or face tough US and EU sanctions. NATO held an emergency meeting in Brussels on Friday and discussed deploying aircraft and ships out to the Mediterranean. The UN Human Rights Council is even considering expelling the North African country. These are harsh measures but the international community is shocked at just how far one man can go to perpetuate his rule.

Somebody needs to knock some sense into the old dictator whose every move is now oozing the stench of desperation. Libya has been overtaken by the fever of dissent, a new wave of defiance in the Middle East where young, passionate citizens will no longer stand for undemocratic, dynastic governments. This internal revolt and the loud external condemnation have collided to bring the country and its dictator to a death rattle where Gaddafi is doing anything and everything left in his power to fend off the ‘martyrdom’ he so defiantly professed. Before more blood is shed and before the rebellion turns into all out genocide, Muammar Gaddafi must go the Ben Ali and Hosni Mubarak way and step down. He has had his moment of glory. It is time now that he leaves the stage for the sake of his countrymen.