GADDIFI TOPPLED!!!!!TRIPOLI CELEBRATING!!!!!!!!

Street to street, house to house, room to room - looks just like Berlin did . Everything gets trashed as the fighting sways back and forth. And remember, the pro-Gs had nothing to lose; they were fighting to stop the rebels getting hold of Gadaffi. If just one pro-G had stepped back, realised what was happening and how it would end he could have stopped it with a well-placed bullet. But tribal loyalties run very deep .... as it is, Sirte paid the price for what happened to Misrata, and the fear that, if Gadaffi survived, there would be such a bloodbath in Benghazi, Misrata and Tripoli that the who world would be in shock. Did you see that Assad of Syria has threatened an 'Armageddon' if any country dares to interfere in his wholesale slaughter of his own people? LL

Yes, I saw that with a sinking heart, LL. I don't know, I don't really think NATO can be the world's policeman.

Libya was a one off, really. Gaddafi was within hours - maybe minutes - of wiping out Benghazi when the French air force stopped his tanks.

From the pictures of Sirte, it has clearly been badly damaged, but not all of it - I would suspect the buildings in total ruin are the ones Gaddafi and his clan were hiding in?

Collecting Libya's arms tough task for NTC
Published 30 October 2011 15:16

Last week, Libya's National Transitional Council [NTC] announced the liberation of the country from Muammar Gaddafi, but the difficult task of collecting weapons left behind by the conflict lies ahead. Hundreds of brigades, who fought an eight-month battle against Gaddafi's 42-year rule, have left a huge cache of arms, ammunition and other weaponry. But the biggest challenge for the NTC is to put all of the brigades under its command as Libya starts its journey towards democracy. Al Jazeera's Hoda Abdel-Hamid reports from Misrata.

Good morning!

Al Jazeera:


Libya's NTC names interim prime minister

Former electrical engineer Abdurrahim El Keib tasked with job of rebuilding Libya, as Mahmoud Jibril steps down.
Last Modified: 01 Nov 2011 07:09

Libya’s Transitional National Council (NTC) has chosen Abdurrahim El Keib as the country’s new interim prime minister to replace Mahmoud Jibril.


"This transition period has its own challenges. One thing we will be doing is working very closely with the NTC and listening to the Libyan people," El Keib said on Monday after his appointment was determined by members of the transitional council.

"We salute and remember the revolutionaries who we will never forget. We will not forget their families. I say to them that the NTC did not and will not forget them and also the coming government will do the same," he added.

El Keib, an electrical engineer and professor at the university of Tripoli, garnered 26 votes out of the total of 51 votes, and said that he expected to choose his cabinet ministers within two weeks.

"We said we would (elect a cabinet) a month from the liberation. We have two weeks left and we intend to meet that deadline," he said.

Mustafa Abdul Jalil, the NTC chairman, did not run, while former interim PM Jibril fulfilled a promise to resign after Libya was declared officially "liberated" after the fall of Gaddafi's hometown Sirte.

The NTC has promised to hold elections after eight months for a national assembly that will spend a year drawing up a new constitution before a parliamentary poll.

Big challenges ahead

Jalal el-Gallal, an NTC spokesman, said the NTC wanted to form a new interim government after the fall of Gaddafi because its initial members started out as an impromptu group.

Al Jazeera's Hashem Ahelbarra, reporting Tripoli, said that El Keib;s appointment was a significant boost for Jalil.

"El Keib, an electrical engineer and also an NTC representative from Tripoli, enjoys strong support from within the members of NTC," he said.

Key events in Libya

"It is expected, this man with so much support will be able to overcome some of major obstacles, particularly in the appointment and choosing of members for key ministries like oil, defence, finance and interior."

Our correspondent said: "You are talking about somebody who has potential to implement tough decisions particularly in convincing NTC fighters to join the army and police force, and implement law and order in the capital and across the country."

"Libya has to draft a constitution, elect a national assembly and it has to decide what governance system it wants, and for all these it needs a person like El Keib who has a large support base."

Comment: I salute Jibril, he kept his word that he would step down as soon as things were calm again. There were those who doubted his promise, well I hope they are eating their words. LL

So far, so good - and appointing someone who actually has practical knowledge to start rebuilding is a refreshing change from what we are used to in the UK.

bb1 wrote:So far, so good - and appointing someone who actually has practical knowledge to start rebuilding is a refreshing change from what we are used to in the UK.

And the Bangladeshi government has asked Libya if it would like the migrant workers from there to return to help with the rebuilding, it seems they are already pack and just waiting for the word. LL

Good morning! In a change from the usual violence and politics here are some items re Libya's ancient treasures:

All Jazeera:

3 November 2011 Last updated at 02:16
By Caroline Hawley
BBC News, Tripoli

Many of Libya's national treasures remain locked away for safekeeping

One day, in the not too distant future, visitors may flock to see the giant white marble statues of the Roman emperors, Claudius and Augustus, that grace Tripoli's National Museum.

Today the galleries that house them, and the ornate mosaics from the vast Roman site of Leptis Magna 120 km (75 miles) east of Tripoli, are completely deserted.

Outside the museum, at the edge of Martyr's Square, a stall sells revolutionary souvenirs - necklaces and wristbands in the black, red and green of the new Libya.

But the arched wooden door to the museum, now festooned with graffiti proclaiming Libya "free", is firmly shut.

"We don't feel it's safe enough yet to re-open," says Mustafa Turjman, head of research at the national department of archaeology, as he shows me around.

"We prefer to be patient rather than to open early and expose our precious things to any risk."

"We are not sure if our borders are safe and professional criminals could take advantage of this instability," he says.

The new authorities are now working with Unesco and Interpol to try to recover a collection of priceless coins, jewellery and small statues which was reported stolen in May from a bank vault in the eastern city.

The "treasure of Benghazi" spans Libya's Roman, Greek and Islamic past.

Libyan archaeologist Hafed Walda of King's College, London, says that a pneumatic drill appears to have been used to reach the artefacts through a concrete ceiling.

We actually expected more damage but even during eight months of war, our archaeological sites were untouched”

Salah al-Hassi, Chairman of Libya's antiquities department, believes it was an inside job. "It's a huge loss for Libya and the world," he says.

But it appears to have been an isolated case in what Dr Walda calls the "rosy picture" of how almost all of Libya's rich heritage survived the conflict that led to the overthrow of Col Muammar Gaddafi.

With the fate of the museum in Baghdad after the US-led invasion in 2003 very much in mind, officials at the Tripoli museum took special precautions with its most precious items.

Coins, jewellery and small busts were hidden away behind concealed walls and in other secret places. The larger statues could not be moved, yet they still escaped unscathed.

"We actually expected more damage but even during eight months of war, our archaeological sites were untouched," says Salah al-Hassi, chairman of Libya's antiquities department.

"People - young and old - even volunteered to protect them."

The only artefacts damaged in Libya's National Museum were symbols of the Gaddafi era, such as the 1960s VW Beetle, driven by the former leader

The only damage inside the museum itself was the result of revolutionary vandalism.

The windows of the turquoise Volkswagen Beetle which a young Muammar Gaddafi used to drive in the 1960s have been smashed.

The headlights of the military jeep he used in 1969 to drive from a military camp in Benghazi to proclaim his revolution have also been damaged. Small shards of glass still lie on the floor.

The former regime forced museum staff to give the cars pride of place in the main hall. "We didn't want to," says museum director Fathiya al-Hawassi. "But when someone from the Revolutionary Committee rang me up, it was too dangerous to say no."

On the steps of the museum's administration block, housed in the offices of the last Italian governor of Tripoli, jagged glass juts from a giant gilded frame - empty now of its picture of the man who ruled Libya for 42 years.

Col Gaddafi's proclamation of the 1969 revolution is among the items defaced; he had a whole gallery devoted to his professed achievements. However, the verses of his much-ridiculed Green Book no longer hang from the walls, and on the ground floor black paint defaces the declaration of his 1969 revolution.

The man whom he toppled, King Idris - Libya's monarch between 1951 and 1969, merited no mention in the country's national museum. Now, it is all traces of the once ubiquitous Muammar Gaddafi which are being expunged, as a new chapter is written in Libyan history.

Can the history of Col Gaddafi's rule be told when the museum opens its doors again?Mustafa Turjman shakes his head. "It's too soon," he says. "The wounds are still bleeding and we don't want to re-open them."
..................................................

Looted Libyan treasure 'in Egypt'
By Katya Adler
BBC News, Tripoli

Libya's National Transitional Council says it believes several hundred ancient coins stolen from a bank in Benghazi during the Libyan uprising have turned up in Egypt.

More than 7,000 priceless coins and other precious artefacts were taken during a robbery in May while the city fought for its survival against forces loyal to Col Muammar Gaddafi.

At the time, a fire at the bank was blamed on the fighting. Now it is thought to have been part of the audacious robbery.

The thieves targeted a collection known as the Treasure of Benghazi. It included more than 10,000 pieces, with coins dating back to Greek, Roman, Byzantine and early Islamic times, but also other treasures such as small statues and jewellery.
Most had been discovered during the Italian occupation of Libya and were taken out of the country. They were then returned to Libya in 1961 after the country's independence.

The collection has been kept in the vault of the Commercial Bank of Benghazi ever since, waiting for the opening of a museum that was never built.

The coins were never photographed or documented and seemed to have been forgotten, according to Dr Saleh Algab, the chairman of the Tripoli Museum.

Although not the only collection of ancient coins in Libya, Mr Algab said they were a hugely valuable representation of the mosaic of Libyan history - an important reminder for Libya's sometimes fractious, at times antagonistic, regions and ethnic groups that they all belong in one Libya, he said.

Inside job?

Fadel al-Hasi, Libya's acting minister for antiquities, told the BBC there were suspicions the robbery could have been an inside job. The bank's employees have been questioned several times, he said.

Burglars drilled through the concrete ceiling of the bank vault to reach the coins. They targeted the most valuable items only.

Mr al-Hasi alerted Interpol about the theft in July. He said international antiquities markets were being monitored. Several hundred coins may have been recovered in Egypt, but that was still to be confirmed, he added.

Libya's recent tumultuous political events meant the theft of the coins had been a bit sidelined, he said, but that he or one of his colleagues would be travelling to Egypt in the next week or two. There have also been reports of precious coins appearing at the daily gold market in Benghazi.

That's good, LL. I suppose, strictly speaking, there is a place for Gaddafi's old VW in the museum, as it is now a record of a historical event, too. Though not in the way its late owner intended....

Good morning! Things do seem to be much quieter in Libya as far as bloodshed and fighting are concerned, but there are still some worrying problems. This is from Al Jazeera's live blog:

14 hours 47 min ago

Some weapons depots in Libya have still not been secured properly, and "much has already gone missing'' from unguarded sites, the top UN envoy in Libya said in an interview Sunday.

Preventing more weapons from being smuggled out of country will be difficult, considering the nature of the vast desert nation's borders, the envoy, Ian Martin, told AP news agency.

"That has to be a priority now, to secure what still remains in Libya," he said.

"Over time, the international community can assist Libya and its neighbours with that, but I am afraid there is not a quick and easy solution to that problem.''

During the Libya's 8-month civil war, human rights groups and reporters came across a number of weapons depots that were left unguarded and were looted after Moammar Gaddafi's fighters fled.

Martin said the unsecured weapons remain a "very, very serious cause for concern.''

He said they include shoulder-held missiles, mines and ammunition.

"It's clear that much has already gone missing from unsecured locations and that there are still locations which have not been properly secured."

Martin noted progress concerning chemical weapons and nuclear material.

Last week, Libyan officials said they discovered two new sites with chemical weapons that had not been declared by the Gadhafi regime when it vowed several years ago to stop pursuing non-conventional weapons. Officials also said they found about 7,000 drums of raw uranium.

"That, too, has been secured," Martin said of the latest discoveries, noting that the main issue is now how to dispose of them.

1 day 7 hours ago

A National Transitional Council (NTC) fighters are patrolling inside the Libyan Oil Refining Company (LERCO) in Ras Lanuf, about 660 km west of Tripoli, November 5, 2011. The refinery receives crude oil from the desert oil fields and treats 200,000 tonnes of crude daily.

2 days 19 hours ago

Inspectors at the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons say that Libyan authorities have alerted them of suspected chemical weapon stockpiles that despoded leader Muammar Gaddafi may have gone unreported in a 2004 declaration.

In a statement on Friday, the Organization says that no chemical weapons were looted during the uprising that led to Gaddafi's eventual fall. [AP]

2 days 19 hours ago

Libya's new prime minister says it will take months to disarm former Libyan fighters and says weapons will not be collected by force.

The proliferation of armed former rebel groups in Libya has raised concerns about instability. Libya's new leaders initially said weapons would be collected soon after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi's rule. Libya declared the fall of the regime last month.

However, incoming Prime Minister Abdurrahim El Keib told France24 radio on Friday that disarming rebels "is going to take some time'' and that "we will not force people to take quick and hasty decisions".

He says his government, in charge during an eight-month transition, would only disarm fighters once they can be offered alternatives, including jobs.

He says he hopes this could be done before the end of the transition.

4 days 2 hours ago

The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) says the court is still receiving information that Muammar Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam may try to flee Libya with the help of mercenaries, according to the Reuters news agency.

"We are ... receiving information that a group of mercenaries may be endeavouring to facilitate his [Saif al-Islam's] escape from Libya," Luis Moreno-Ocampo told the UN Security Council on Wednesday.

http://news.sky.com/home/world-news/article/16113547

Gaddafi's Son Saif Arrested In Southern Libya

Colonel Gaddafi's fugitive son Saif al Islam has said he is feeling alright after being arrested by fighters in southern Libya.

Saif, who had been on the run for three months, was seized without firing a shot as he travelled in a convoy about 30 miles west of the town of Obari and was later flown to Zintan.
He was held along with two aides as he was trying to flee to neighbouring Niger, Libyan militia commander Bashir al Tayeleb said.
Saif was found with a few thousand dollars and his detention comes about a month after his father was killed in his hometown of Sirte.



Saif al Islam pictured on a plane to Zintan after his arrest

The Zintan fighters, who make up one of the powerful militia factions in the country, said they planned to keep him in Zintan until a government was formed and then they would hand him over to the authorities.
Thunderous celebratory gunfire shook the Libyan capital as the news spread of Saif's capture.
Having made assurances as to his safety, the National Transitional Council has said he will be taken to Tripoli in the coming days. The government is due to be formed soon.



This image, reportedly showing Saif moments after his detention, was circulated by the Free Libya group

After his arrest, a photograph was circulated by the Free Libya group showing Saif with his fingers wrapped in bandages.
He told Reuters he was okay and that his hand was injured in a Nato air strike a month ago.
When asked on the plane which flew him to Zintan if he was feeling all right, Saif said simply: "Yes."
He was the last of Gaddafi's sons to be accounted for. The 39-year-old, who studied in the UK, is wanted for crimes against humanity.
An arrest warrant for Saif had been issued by the ICC since June 27.
An ICC prosecution office spokeswoman said: "We are co-ordinating with the Libyan Ministry of Justice to ensure that any solution with regards to the arrest of Saif al Islam is in accordance with the law."
An ICC prosecutor will travel to Libya soon for talks on where Saif will be tried.
Libya's prime minister Abdurrahim el Keib officially announced the capture, calling it the "crowning" of the uprising's efforts and promising a fair trial for him.
Ahmed Ammar, one of the captors, said they acted on a tip-off and discovered a vehicle carrying Saif and four others at about 1.30am (local time).
After the fighters fired in the air and ground in order to halt the cars, they asked the identity of the travellers.
They quickly recognised Saif and seized him without a fight.

"At the beginning he was very scared," said Mr Ammar. "He thought we would kill him."
In Zintan, an angry crowd of hundreds awaited the plane's arrival, preventing his captors from removing the prisoner for an hour. Some people tried to board the plane but were held back.
Anes el Sharif from the Tripoli military council told Sky News that efforts will be made to ensure Saif is treated fairly in custody.

"We don't want what happened [to Colonel Gaddafi] to be repeated again.

"This time we have to show that we are going to treat him well, despite what he has committed to the Libyan people."
Reporters in Tripoli were told Saif would be held in Zintan until there was a government to hand him over to.
The government is due to be formed within days.
"The rebels of Zintan announce that Saif al Islam Gaddafi has been arrested along with three of his aides today," Mr Tayeleb said in an announcement broadcast on Libyan television.

More at:

http://news.sky.com/home/world-news/article/16113547

Good.

Good morning!

Since the demise of Gadaffi,there hasn't been much coming out of Libya; however this appeared today on Al Jazeera:

Gaddafi's daughter seeks probe into his death

Aisha Gaddafi asks the International Criminal Court whether the former Libyan leader's killing is under investigation.
Last Modified: 15 Dec 2011 01:09

Muammar Gaddafi's daughter has asked the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) whether an investigation has been launched into the killing of her father and brother.

Aisha Gaddafi's lawyer Nick Kaufman said on Wednesday that he had written to ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo asking for more information on the October 20 killing of the former Libyan leader and his son Motassim.

"Aisha wants to know if he is investigating the murders and if not, why he is not," Kaufman told AFP news agency.

The letter said that Gaddafi and his son were "murdered in the most horrific fashion with their bodies thereafter displayed and grotesquely abused in complete defiance of Islamic law," Reuters reported.

"The images of this savagery were broadcast throughout the world, causing my client severe emotional distress. To date, neither Ms Gaddafi nor any member of her family has been informed, by your office, of the initiation of an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the brutal murders.”

Gaddafi and his son were captured near their hometown of Sirte in October, two months after rebels seized the capital Tripoli and put the longtime leader and his relatives to flight.

They were killed soon after their capture while in the custody of fighters loyal to the country's new leadership, in circumstances that have not been fully explained.

In the letter, Aisha Gaddafi's lawyer also asked if the ICC prosecutor's office was taking steps to make sure the Libyan authorities themselves were investigating the matter.

The letter also asked whether the ICC was looking into what reports said at the time was a NATO air strike on Gaddafi's convoy moments before he was captured.

Aisha fled with other family members to neighbouring Algeria in August.

The ICC, based in The Hague, earlier this year issued arrest warrants for Muammar Gaddafi, another son, Saif al-Islam, and the former Libyan intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi, for crimes against humanity.

She has some cheek, after what her clan did to Libyans and others...

Meanwhile, a very worthy winner of an OBE:




http://news.sky.com/home/uk-news/article/16139816

Quote;

Among the 420 women who feature on the list, 43% of the total recipients, was Sky News' special correspondent Alex Crawford, who said that she initially thought that news of the honour was a joke by colleagues.
She said: "I am staggered and honoured and cannot quite believe this is not a prank thought up by one of my more mischievous colleagues. TV news is never about just one person.
"Behind me and beside me are my fellow reporters, producers, camera crews, editors and directors. It is a genuine team effort and this fantastic accolade is for all of us."
Head of Sky News John Ryley added: "I am enormously proud of all that Alex has achieved over her 20 plus years at Sky News. This honour is wholly deserved.
"Alex's determination and bravery as a reporter is relentless and this recognition acts as a testament to journalism at its very best."

I don't want to know about this. But do feel able to surprise me.

I had 'retired' as this seemed over, but I was wrong!

Al Jazeera:
Pro-Gaddafi fighters retake Bani Walid
Loyalists of Libya's ousted leader seize control of former government stronghold and raise Gaddafi's green flag.
Last Modified: 25 Jan 2012 03:44

Loyalists of Libya's ousted leader Muammar Gaddafi have seized control of the town of Bani Walid, raising the former government's green flag, an official and a commander have said.

The retaking of the town, 150km southeast of Tripoli, the capital, comes as Libya's new leaders have struggled to unify the oil-rich North African nation three months after Gaddafi was captured and killed.

Hundreds of well-equipped and highly trained remnants of Gaddafi's forces raised the flag over buildings in the western city late on Monday after hours of clashes, said Mubarak al-Fatamni, the head of Bani Walid's local council.

Fatamni, who fled to the nearby city of Misrata following the attack, said four revolutionary fighters were killed and 25 others were wounded.

A resident of the town said the fighters used heavy weaponry, including 106-mm anti-tank guns, and that seven people were killed and 20 wounded.

Al Jazeera's Stefanie Dekker, reporting from the outskirts of Bani Walid, said that pro-Gaddafi fighters seized the town late on Monday and are still in control there.

"Many brigades from other parts of the country have assembled here on the outskirts of Bani Walid and are now waiting for orders from the government as to how to proceed," she said.

Fatamni said the Libyan defence ministry had not sent any forces to the area.

'NTC let us down'

"There are around 100 and 150 men armed with heavy weapons who are attacking," Mahmud Warfelli, a spokesperson for the Bani Walid local council.

"We have asked for the army to intervene, but the defence ministry and NTC [National Transitional Council] have let us down."



"[The gunmen] took control and hoisted the green flag on some important districts in the centre of the city," he said, referring to the Gaddafi-era flag. "We've been warning about this for the past two months."

A top commander of a revolutionary brigade in Bani Walid, Ali al-Fatamni, who was in Benghazi during the attack, said he has lost contact with other fighters in the town.

Clashes were also reported in Benghazi and Tripoli.

The bold attacks, which have led authorities to declare states of emergency in several areas, are the latest breakdown in security, three months after Gaddafi's capture and killing.

Protests have surged in recent weeks, with people demanding that the interim leaders deliver on promises of transparency and compensation for those injured in the fighting.

Libya's interim government met on Tuesday to discuss the deadly clashes in the former regime's bastion as sources said calm returned to the town.

"The government is in a meeting to discuss the issue of Bani Walid," a source in the administration of Prime Minister Abdel Rahim al-Kib told AFP news agency.

Interior Minister Fawzi Abdelali denied the claims by local officials that the town was attacked by supporters of slain Gaddafi.

Abdelali said the clashes erupted due to "internal problems" in Bani Walid.

'Issue of compensation'

A correspondent for the AFP news agency, who managed to enter Bani Walid for a short time on Monday, said thick smoke billowed into the sky.

They said the identity of those present there was unclear, and there was limited evidence of the new Libyan authorities on the roads outside the town.

Abdelali told Libyan television late on Monday that the fighting was linked to "the issue of compensation for those affected by last year's war".

"The information we have from inside the city does not say that there are green flags [hoisted on town buildings] and there is nothing in relation to the former regime," referring to claims made by several other local officials.

Colonel Salem al-Ouaer, a tribal leader from Bani Walid, told AFP that calm was returning to the town on Tuesday.


Click here for more of Al Jazeera's special coverage
"The situation is under control and calm is returning," he said.

Ouaer said that representatives of local tribes were holding a meeting to discuss the issue outside Bani Walid with a delegation of tribes from the nearby towns of Zintan and Sabratha.

He said local sheikhs of Bani Walid were also meeting at a mosque in the town.

"What happened yesterday was purely a local conflict," Ouaer said, indicating that the firefight was not caused by supporters of Gaddafi as claimed by other officials.

Ouaer said he was in touch with the chief of the ruling NTC, Mustafa Abdel Jalil, and Defence Minister Osama Juili, to "update them of the situation in Bani Walid".

Bani Walid was one of the last pro-Gaddafi bastions to fall in the bloody uprising against the slain leader.

Its capture was followed days later by the fall of his hometown Sirte in a battle which also led to Gaddafi's killing and marked the "liberation" of Libya.

From AP via Feb 17 website:

Libya says will strike back if Gaddafi men behind unrest
Posted on January 24, 2012

By Imed Lamloum and Ines Bel Aiba

Libya said it will strike back if diehards of slain dictator Moamer Kadhafi were behind deadly clashes in his former bastion of Bani Walid, where confusion reigned Tuesday as to who was behind the unrest.


Libyan Interior Minister Fawzi Abdelali addresses a news conference in Tripoli.

Five people were killed and several wounded on Monday when fighting erupted in the town, which local officials said began with an attack by supporters of Kadhafi against a base of former rebels.

Those claims were strongly denied by Interior Minister Fawzi Abdelali late Monday, while an AFP correspondent who visited the town the same day said it was unclear who controlled it.

On Tuesday, Abdelali said the reasons for the violence still remained unclear, but added that Libyan forces were ready to strike back if the unrest was indeed triggered by Kadhafi’s men in Bani Walid, a town 170 kilometres (110 miles) southeast of Tripoli.

“We do not want to rush,” Abdelali told a news conference in Tripoli.

But if the trouble in Bani Walid was due to “remnants of the former regime for political reasons,” then the authorities “are capable of striking anyone who dares to harm the security of Libya”, he said.

Abdelali said he was still waiting for more information to “assess what really happened and find solutions to the crisis,” adding that some reports spoke of a tribal conflict in the town while others blamed Kadhafi loyalists.

“The two ministries (of defence and interior) are capable of taking all necessary steps to maintain security. We are ready,” he added.

Abdelali’s remarks came after the interim government met earlier Tuesday to discuss the deadly clashes even as other sources said calm had returned to the town on Tuesday.

On Monday, Abdelali had said the clashes erupted due to “internal problems” in Bani Walid.

He told Libyan television that the fighting was linked to “the issue of compensation for those affected by last year’s war.”

“The information we have from inside the city does not say that there are green flags (hoisted on town buildings) and there is nothing in relation to the former regime,” referring to claims made by several other local officials.

Colonel Salem al-Ouaer, a tribal leader from Bani Walid told AFP Tuesday that calm was returning to the town.

“The situation is under control and calm is returning” to the town, he said.

Ouaer said that representatives of local tribes were holding a meeting to discuss the issue outside Bani Walid with a delegation of tribes from the nearby towns of Zintan and Sabratha.

“What happened yesterday was purely a local conflict,” Ouaer said, indicating that the firefight was not caused by supporters of Kadhafi as claimed by other officials on Monday.

He said passage was also secured for those holed up in the former rebel base that was surrounded Monday by what officials claimed were supporters of Kadhafi.

Ouaer said he was in touch with the chief of the ruling National Transitional Council, Mustafa Abdel Jalil, and Defence Minister Osama Juili to “update them of the situation in Bani Walid.”

Bani Walid was one of the last pro-Kadhafi bastions to fall in the bloody uprising against Kadhafi.

Its capture was followed days later by the fall of his hometown Sirte in a battle which also led to Kadhafi’s killing and marked the “liberation” of Libya.

Monday’s firefight follows an outburst of opposition to the NTC in the eastern city of Benghazi last week that prompted council chairman Jalil to warn of possible “civil war” in post-conflict Libya.

Libyan mufti Sadeq al-Ghariani, meanwhile, urged the government to rapidly integrate the former rebels into security forces.

“For the sake of maintaining security in the country … the government should not delay to integrate them (ex-rebels) because it is a critical time” that the country was undergoing, he said in a fatwa sent by text message.

He also called on the former rebels to “urgently” get integrated into the forces of interior and defence ministries.

The government has plans to rehabilitate about 200,000 former rebels into various fields, including integrating around 50,000 into security services of these ministries.

Hello there, after a long absence.

I thought I would just record that Libyans are celebrating the first anniversary of their long fight and final release from Gadaffi. The road has been long, and there is still much to do, but let us at least raise a cheer for those brave people and remember those whoi died to free Libya.

LL

AlJazeera:

Libya observes anniversary of revolution
Crowds in Tripoli and Benghazi begin impromptu celebrations amid heightened security and doubts about new rulers.
Last Modified: 17 Feb 2012 09:44



Libyans have begun observances on the first anniversary of their uprising against Muammar Gaddafi, while interim leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil vowed to act firmly against further instability.

The former rebels, who toppled Gaddafi last year with NATO backing, set up fresh checkpoints in the capital Tripoli on Thursday, as well as in Benghazi, the eastern birthplace of the uprising, and the western port city of Misrata.

The country's new rulers have not organised any official celebrations at a national level as a mark of respect for the thousands of people killed in the bloody conflict, which left about 15,000 people dead, according to the United Nations.

But spontaneous celebrations began nationwide in cities and towns, led by residents of Benghazi, the city which first rose against Gaddafi and his 42-year-old regime. Protests broke out in Benghazi on February 15 after the arrest of human rights lawyer Fathi Terbil, but the first widely recognised "Day of Rage" came on February 17.

"We have called in special forces from outside of Benghazi. Soon the roads heading to the square will be closed to vehicles," Omar Farraj, in charge of security for the Tahrir Square celebration in Benghazi, told the AFP news agency.

"We want to ensure that the celebrations are peaceful, and we have deployed the revolutionaries across the city."

Libyans have been on edge since Saadi Gaddafi, one of the slain leader's fugitive sons, announced from his residence in Niger that he could start a new uprising at any time.

Men, women and children came out on the streets of Tripoli, Benghazi, Misrata and other towns late on Thursday to begin the celebrations by setting off firecrackers and chanting slogans.

"I will fight with my body, heart and soul for our new Libya," said Mustafa Ahmed Ali, a young recruit of the new Libyan army, as he ran with about 100 comrades after passing a military training course in Benghazi on Thursday.

"Curly we are sorry!" shouted children dressed like angels in sarcastic reference to Gaddafi, who bore that nickname because of his distinctive locks, in a procession in Benghazi.

Benghazi residents will formally celebrate the anniversary later on Friday at a function expected to be attended by Abdel Jalil, the chairman of the National Transitional Council. Abderrahim El-Keib, the prime minister, and other dignitaries will join him.

Abdel Jalil warned on Thursday that the revolutionary spirit of Libya and its stability would not be compromised in any way.

"We opened our arms to all Libyans, whether they supported the revolution or not. But this tolerance does not mean we are incapable of dealing with the stability of our country," he said in a television address.

"We will be tough towards people who threaten our stability. The revolutionaries are ready to respond to any attack aimed at destabilising" the country.

Tripoli resident Naima Misrati said traffic police and former rebels were distributing leaflets, warning people against thinking of carrying out attacks, which said "We cannot bring back the buried man but we can send you to him."

"I have no words to describe my happiness. There is joy everywhere in Tripoli," she told the AFP.

But one year after the uprising, Libya is struggling, attempting to tame independent armed groups and reassert the rule of law. Thousands of people were killed or wounded in the conflict, the country's vital oil production ground to a halt, and homes, businesses, factories, schools and hospitals were devastated.

The challenges are manifold, including rebuilding an aging and damaged infrastructure, fostering vibrant state institutions, tackling a corrupt economy and boosting what are weak health, judicial and educational systems.

But the most immediate headache is how to control the tens of thousands of ex-rebels, whose jealously guarded commitment to their honour and power occasionally erupts into deadly clashes.

"By now [the militias] have developed vested interests they will be loath to relinquish," said World Bank adviser Hafed al-Ghwell in a recent report.

Global human rights organisations Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Doctors Without Borders have accused militias of torturing their prisoners, most of whom are former pro-Gaddafi fighters.

Keib has acknowledged that integrating rebel fighters is a "complex" issue. But his government on Thursday said that about 5,000 of them had so far been incorporated into official security services.

Ghwell said there were also concerns about the ruling NTC itself.

"The NTC has had to struggle with internal divisions, a credibility deficit and questions surrounding its effectiveness," he said.

Thanks, LL - a year already? Amazing.

It won't be an easy task, but I am sure the people of Libya will sort their country out in time, with a bit of goodwill.

Who would have believed that possible this time last year?

Hard to believe a whole year has passed.

It is indeed. We picked up on it almost at the start, and were following it daily - no-one forsaw the ending, though. Libya isn't short of problems, but having come this far, I am sure they will establish a decent country in the end, it has so much potential.

bb1 wrote:It is indeed. We picked up on it almost at the start, and were following it daily - no-one forsaw the ending, though. Libya isn't short of problems, but having come this far, I am sure they will establish a decent country in the end, it has so much potential.

I had the option once of doing a very long (36hr) "day" trip to visit Lepcis Magna but declined. Would love to do so one day.

Yes, we talked about the fascinating history of the area - I hope it becomes more open to visitors in time.