Moammar Gadhafi shows no mercy in Libya

VOA is reporting that Tripoli was deserted for the most part on Wednesday. Residents are apparently afraid to leave their homes, a day after Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi called upon his supporters to attack anti-government demonstrators. Witnesses have been telling foreign news agencies that armed Gadhafi loyalists and mercenaries from other African nations are roaming the capital and threatening anybody who gathers in groups and even opening fire occasionally.

However the eastern half of the country is looking more and more under the control of protesters. Military units have apparently defected and backing the uprising. The eastern cities of Benghazi and Tobruk, according to witnesses, are in the control of residents who are apparently celebrating their defeat of Gadhafi’s forces. It has also been reported that Benghazi residents are forming themselves into units to protect property and collect weapons.

Reuters has quoted Italy’s Foreign Minister as saying that as many as a thousand people have been killed during Gaddafi’s attempt to crush the revolt. Human Rights Watch, a U.S.-based rights group has estimated that over 200 people were killed in early violence with at least 62 killed in Tripoli since Sunday. Opposition groups are claiming that the death toll is much higher.

Euronews – Feb 23/2011

Anti-Gaddafi forces parade through Tobruk

Some of the first professional images to come out of Libya appear to show anti-Gaddafi rebels in control of the eastern city of Tobruk. Soldiers said they no longer backed the Libyan leader and that the eastern region was out of his control. They have been operating checkpoints and denouncing Gaddafi. One general said he decided to switch sides after hearing the authorities had given orders to fire on civilians. Tobruk lies close to the Egyptian border. Thousands have been fleeing across the frontier to make it home to Egypt and escape the violence.

Video of uprising in Libya. 2011/Feb/22

Video of uprising in libya in Tripoli, where gun shots are all over the place!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I28DjUlvZL4

Canada’s Reaction

Like many other countries, Canada has reacted with criticism to the violence perpetrated on the Libyan protesters. The CBC has reported Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s condemnation.

"We find the actions of the government firing upon its own citizens to be outrageous and unacceptable," Harper told reporters in Vancouver on Monday. "We call on the government to cease these actions immediately."

Like the United States and many European countries, Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon is urging citizens to avoid non-essential travel to that country. The CBC also said that Cannon is advising Canadians currently in Libya to avoid all gatherings and demonstrations and to stay away from places where they may occur "because they may turn violent without warning."

On Tuesday, according to the CBC, the federal government announced flights to Libya to aid in getting Canadians out of the country. The flight arrangements will be similar to what was done in Egypt. Evacuees will be flown to Europe. The first flight is expected to land in Tripoli on Thursday. At a news conference in Ottawa, Cannon said 331 Canadians are registered with the embassy in Tripoli, Libya’s capital, and 91 have told Canadian staff they plan to leave.

Canadians in Libya who want to fly out of the country can call the mission at (218 21) 335 1633, or call collect to the operations centre in Ottawa at 613-996-8885, Cannon said.

Escape Plans for various countries

The BBC is reporting on the plans of the international community to get out of the country. Tens of thousands of workers and various nationals from 15 countries are listed. Arrangements are apparently being made to use both airplanes and boats to get them out of harm’s way. If ever there was an indicating that the situation has spiralled out of control, it’s when other countries start pulling their own people out. No matter what Gaddafi may boast in a speech, he has definitely lost his grip on Libya.

Twitter: #Feb17

While protests in Libyan started back in January, February 17 has become known as the "day of rage" and has earned its own hash tag in Twitter. People are posting the latest on what’s happening in the country under #Feb17 and #Libya.

http://twitter.com/search/%23Feb17

Protest Hash Tags in Twitter

As the wave of protest sweeps across the Middle East, social media Twitter is alive with reports from the people in the street. Each country has a specific day which represents the spark which set the unrest on fire. (I’m not claiming this list is comprehensive in any way. There is so much going on, it’s hard to keep up!)

#Tunisie #Dec17 : #Tunisia

#Egypt #Jan25 : #Mubarak #Cairo #Tahrir

#Bahrain #Feb14

#Libya #Feb17 : #Gaddafi #Tripoli #Benghazi

#Algeria #Feb19

#Morocco #Feb20

#Cameroon #Feb23

#Kuwait #Mar8

#Palestine #Mar21

Gaddafi’s wealth

Like Mubarak, the stories are coming out about how much money Gaddafi has stashed around the world. The Guardian is reporting that Gaddafi and his family could have billions of dollars in funds hidden in secret bank accounts around the world more than likely coming from Libya’s vast oil revenues. As well as what’s hidden, a lot of wealth is visible as various assets purchased overseas.

In the UK include an eight-bedroom home in Hampstead, north London, with a swimming pool and suede-lined cinema room. Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the Libyan leader’s second son, bought it in 2009 for £10m.

Most of the state’s investments are made by the Libyan Investment Authority (LIA), a "sovereign wealth fund" set up in 2006 to spend the country’s oil money, which has an estimated $70bn of assets. LIA bought 3% of Pearson last year for £224m, making it one of the group’s biggest shareholders, and had a 0.02% stake in RBS, although this was recently sold.

Its UK property investments include Portman House, a 146,550 sq ft retail complex in Oxford Street, London, which houses retailers such as Boots and New Look, and an office at 14 Cornhill, opposite the Bank of England in the City.

Oddly enough, Gaddafi has taken an interest in water by investing in several water bottling ventures in Italy.

References

Wikipedia: Libyan Protests

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

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