Libya: Gaddafi gains ground, pushes east against rebels

Saturday’s meeting of the Arab League in Cairo is over and Muammar Gaddafi can consider himself cut off. Two representatives showed up but were not allowed into the meeting as Libya is now suspended from the League. However, the real surprise was that the League issued a statement after the meeting calling on the U.N. Security Council to impose a no-fly zone over Libya. Apparently the group set out two seemingly contradictory resolutions by first saying no foreign military intervention in the country then going on to vote for the no-fly zone. A video of Amr Moussa, the Arab League Secretary-General, announcing the statement, has him explaining in English that the goal of the no-fly zone is to protect the civilian population. He went on to say that regardless of which president may be in power in Libya, they wanted to protect civilians.

This now leaves the Security Council is the rather sticky situation of weighing the pros and cons of going ahead with the imposition of a no-fly zone. This will involve taking out Gaddafi’s air defences and crippling or not just disabling his air force. However, the risk of Gaddafi responding to such attacks would easily lead to a military escalation which could see foreign powers involved whether they liked or not or whether they even intended it or not.

Libyan rebels have reacted favourably to the League’s announcement. They have suffered a number of set-backs in the past few days as Gaddafi loyalists have managed to strike back hard against opposition positions pushing the rebels back from territories they previously held. Opposition leaders as well as foreign experts see the removal of Gaddafi’s air power from the equation would level the playing field, as it were, giving the rebels a better chance of fighting against what is now a superior force.

With the chaos going on, it is difficult to determine where the frontline is. State television has claimed that pro-Gaddafi troops have retaken Brega but opposition fighters deny this. However the latest news is saying that the rebels have had to retreat from Brega. This means loyalist forces have managed to take Bin Jawwad, Ras Lanuf, and now Brega in mere days. This is a stunning reversal from a short time ago when the westward progress of the rebels seemed unstoppable.

With Gaddafi forces moving east, there is a growing sense of apprehension about the conflict. Reports of “fifth columnists” and infiltrators are supposedly being passed around adding to a general fear and paranoia. A cameraman from Al Jazeera was killed on Saturday by gunmen on the road outside Benghazi. 50-year-old Ali Hassan al-Jaber was shot dead making him the first journalist to be killed in this conflict. Apparently Al Jazeera issued a statement saying it believes this to be the work of pro-Gaddafi men working behind the lines. It has not been verified, but opposition leaders have said they captured the gunman responsible.

The U.N. is going to debate the no-fly zone this week. It would seem that the outgunned rebels need some help and at the moment, they could desperately use a no-fly zone. However, that isn’t going to solve all of their problems. Gaddafi remains a formidable foe on the ground.

IT News – Mar 13/2011

Gaddafi’s forces reclaim Libyan towns

Libyan rebels have adandoned the towns of Ras Lanouf and Brega under bombardment from Colonel Gaddafi’s forces.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kX09qR26oeY

Al Jazeera – Mar 12/2011

Arab League calls for a no-fly zone over Libya

The Arab league has asked the UN Security Council to take the necessary steps to impose the no-fly zone over Libya.

Al Jazeera – Mar 12/2011

Inside Story – Gaddafi: Losing the battle for Arab opinion

[25 minute television show, analysis of the situation]

The foreign ministers of the six Arab Gulf states met on Thursday in the Saudi capital Riyadh to discuss the ongoing crisis in Libya. They say that the existing Libyan regime is illegitimate and contact should be initiated with the Libyan rebels’ national council. The foreign ministers have also urged the Arab League to take the necessary measures to stop the bloodshed in Libya. The Arab Gulf Council countries have already backed a no fly zone over Libya earlier this week. So has Muammar Gaddafi lost another diplomatic battle?

References

Wikipedia: 2011 Libyan uprising

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Libyan_uprising

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