Kadhafi

La mort de Muammar Muhammad Al-Gaddafi, intervenue le jeudi 20 octobre 2011, représente une étape cruciale pour la Libye. Le pays tourne ainsi une page de son histoire en mettant fin à 42 années d’un règne sans partage.

Al Kadhafi, 69 ans, a été tué plus de huit mois après le début de la campagne de bombardement de l’OTAN en Libye. Pendant cette période agitée, des milliers de Libyens ont perdu la vie et plusieurs villes du pays ont connu des crises humanitaires. La mort de Kadhafi mettrait fin une fois pour toute au conflit interne libyen, et permettrait au pays de se stabiliser.

Mais une question subsiste : pourquoi un conflit entre Libyens incite la communauté internationale à investir autant de moyens – tant financiers que matériels – alors que la crise économique secoue en ce moment plusieurs pays, tels que la France, qui a dépensé près de 300 millions d’euros dans ce conflit ?

Mansour Daw, chef de la sécurité du colonel Kadhafi, un de ses plus fidèle compagnon, a accordé une interview à la chaîne de télé Al Arabiya. Ce dernier a été blessé par des fragments d’obus lors du bombardement du convoi du colonel Kadhafi. Il a affirmé, au cours de son interview, qu’il était en compagnie du Guide suprême depuis le 20 août 2011 jusqu’à sa mort à Syrte en Lybie, contrairement à ce que prétendaient les médias quant à sa fuite au Niger. Mais est-ce la seule propagande médiatique occidentale ? Existerait-il d’autres vérités qui nous sont cachées concernant la capture et la mort de el Kadhafi ? La question reste donc posée.

Bref, la mort du soi-disant tyran prive ses loyalistes politiques et militaires d’un leader ainsi que des raisons de poursuivre la confrontation avec les autorités de transition libyennes. A partir de maintenant, le Conseil national de transition (CNT) doit employer tous ses efforts à la réconciliation nationale ainsi qu’à la reconstruction politique, économique et sociale. Ayant survécu aux agitations, les Libyens doivent désormais rechercher la paix, panser les blessures causées par la guerre et relancer la construction économique. La communauté internationale, quant à elle, doit maintenant réfléchir au rôle qu’elle devra jouer pour aider la Libye à se remettre sur les rails après avoir contribué à sa destruction.

Alors que la vie de Kadhafi a pris fin dans les flammes de la guerre, la Libye est sur le point d’ouvrir une nouvelle page de son histoire. On espère que le pays réussira à émerger de la violence et des conflits et pourra se développer en paix. Néanmoins, la mort de Kadhafi ne signifie pas nécessairement que tout ira comme il le faudrait pour le pays à l’avenir. Le reste des forces armées de Kadhafi, les conflits entre les régions, les tribus et les partis politiques, la prolifération d’armes au sein de la population civile, l’intervention des puissances étrangères et les attaques des extrémistes et des terroristes viendront s’ajouter à la complexité et à l’imprévisibilité de la situation dans le pays. En ce sens, la mort du Guide suprême signifie peut-être le début d’un nouveau cycle de conflits et de disputes dans une ère post-Kadhafi.

MAK

Membre de la rédaction vaudoise de Voix d’Exils

With Protests from Tunisia to Egypt to Yemen and now to Libya and escalating to the rest of the Middle East, the turmoil in the Middle East is intensifying and the outcome of the increasingly bloody demonstrations remains unclear. Anti-governments protesters, pro-governments supporters, military and police are continuing to crash in the streets as dictators also continue to kill.

The Genesis

More than two months ago, a Tunisian fruit vendor struck a match and started a fire that has spread throughout much of North Africa and the Middle East. Muhammad Bouazizi’s self immolation prompted anti government protests that toppled regimes in Tunisia and Egypt and which has now spread to rest of the Middle East. A crowd which was estimated to be around 5,000 took part on Wednesday 5th January this year in his funeral procession to a cemetery near Sidi Bouzid. “Farewell, Mohammed, we will venge you. We weep for you today, but we will make those who caused your death weep » the crowd chanted. And yes indeed, they lived to their words and went to the streets to end the 23 years rule of former dictator Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali.

Then came Egypt’s turn and nothing could stop the fall of another dictator Hosni Mubarak

On Tuesday 24th January, two civilians and a police officer died when the police tried to disperse the unusually large anti-government demonstrations swept across Egypt, calling for the ouster of longtime president Hosni Mubarak. The protests in Cairo were reportedly the largest in the country this day, a date chosen by activists to emulate the recent uprising in nearby Tunisia. According to Aljazeera, the demonstrations were the largest in years, rivaling those held against the Iraq War in 2003 and in favor of free elections and civil society reforms in 2005.

Despite the Egyptian government’s cracking down and killing of opposition protesters, to shutting down the internet and cell phones, it didn’t stop people from carrying on with their revolution. Human Rights Watch (HRW) researchers said that they confirmed the deaths of 302 since 28^th January, based on a count from eight hospitals in the cities of Cairo, Alexandria and Suez though no comprehensive death toll was given by the Egyptian government. These deaths instead gave the protesters more strength and determination to end Mr. Mubarak’s rule.  The people had become so bitter that they feared nothing not even death. And at that point, not even the greatest Imam, Pope or even Prophet Mohamed could have stopped the revolutionist from bringing an end to Mubarak’s 29 years of dictatorship.

On the other hand, it’s really surprising to see protesters stopping in the streets to pray. It gives an indication of one likely positive outcome of successful protests. And as the crashes got more intense, the protests took on a more Islamic flavor. This was obviously a bad news for Hosni Mubarak and his son Gamal who has been mentored to be his likely successor prior to the protests.

The pillar of peace and security and a Western nations key ally in the Middle East

It’s very clear that Egypt is the centre of peace and a key Western ally in the Middle East. And Mubarak has been a very dedicated and close ally of the United States and its allies.

Mubarak was an anchor of U.S. policy of stability in the region. The twin pillars of that policy support for pro-American regimes that share U.S. security interests and the pursuit of Israeli-Arab peace are now on shaky ground after his fall. Israel will probably conclude that if such entrenched Arab regimes can fall, making peace with a deeply divided Palestinian movement is anything but a sure bet.

Israel is keeping a wary eye on developments in Egypt with fears that an Islamist State takes over there and  would end three decades of cooperation between the two countries. The U.S brokered Camp David accords, signed by Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in 1978, ended a generation of hostilities between the two nations and forged a relationship that has endured, in part, because of the stability of the Mubarak’s regime, which came to power after Sadat was assassinated in 1981 and in spite of deep animus among rank and file Egyptians toward Israel. Eli Shaked, Israel’s ambassador to Egypt from 2003 to 2005, predicted that “if the Mubarak regime falls, a new Islamist regime, hostile to Israel and Western nations, will replace it. There will be no democracy in Egypt” Shaked said. And “If there will be democratic elections in Egypt in the summer or in the very near future, (they) will be the first and last democratic elections in Egypt”. He concluded. While he recognizes that the causes of the upheaval in Egypt lie in economic and social strife, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he is concerned that « there is a possibility that an organized force will take advantage of the situation ». A new Egyptian regime will probably affect relations with Hamas, which controls the Palestinian territory sandwiched between Israel and Egypt, and may play up the harsh criticism among many sectors in Egyptian society towards Israeli policy. But some terrorism experts believe that extremist voices are being drowned out by the chants of the protesters in Cairo. CNN analyst Paul Cruickshank wrote that al Qaeda’s support base « already severely shaken by its barbaric excesses in Iraq and biting criticism from fellow jihadists, could narrow yet further”.

The future of U.S. policy and interests in the region will largely depend on who ends up in power, not just in Egypt but in the host of other Middle East countries on the verge of transformation. In a doomsday scenario, extremist Islamist factions in Egypt, Tunisia and even Jordan could come to power, killing critical diplomatic and military relationships, forcing the closing of the Suez Canal and allowing Iran fill the vacuum. That could even trigger a most dangerous war between Israel and Iran. Nobody expects that worst case nightmare to come through, however.

 Now all eyes are on Libya

Large protests are uncommon in Libya, where dissent is rarely allowed. But anti-government protesters have taken to the streets of Libya demanding the resignation of another dictator Muammar Gaddafi. Foreign mercenaries, Libyan Security and soldiers are killing everyday anti-government demonstrators in efforts to paralyse the insurrection.

Today, of course no one knows what is to happen next. One thing is however certain: it would be a great disaster for the Libyan people if the international public attention is chased away by the wave of the tsunami which has just hit Japan!

Shawn WAKIDA, membre de la rédaction vaudoise de Voix d’Exils

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi signed a contract of £50 million with the European Union to stop immigrants from entering Europe through Libya.

Every year, thousands of people attempt to cross the Mediterranean from Libya to Italy and many die en route, while those who are caught are taken back to camps in Libya where conditions are alarming. In 2008, Italy and Libya agreed a deal that allows the Italian navy to intercept illegal immigrants and return them to Libya. The move already triggered sharp criticism from the UN’s refugee agency and human rights groups.

On Tuesday the 5^th October 2010, Libya and the European Union finalised a co-operation agreement on illegal migration. Pan-African co-operation, mobility, management of migration flows, border control and international protection are addressed in the accord. Under the agreement signed in Tripoli by European Union Commissioners Cecilia Malmstrom and Steven Fule, the EU will also provide Libya with 50 million Euros over the next 3 years to combat the flow of illegal migrants to Europe and to protect refugees

Colonel Gaddafi’s demand of £4.1 billions during his speech cases controversy

Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi had demanded for £4.1 billion a year from the European Union to stop illegal immigration which “threatens to turn Europe black”. Colonel Gaddafi made the demand as he ended his controversial two-day visit to Italy where he caused outrage in the Catholic Church by hosting two convert to Islam parties. Furious, Italian members of parliament (MPs) slammed his demands made in his farewell speech for cash to stop immigration and compared them to a Mafia extortion racket.

In the speech Gaddafi, 67, told his audience in Rome that Italy needs to convince her European allies to accept this Libyan proposal of 5 billion euro to Libya to stop illegal immigration, otherwise Europe runs the risk of turning into black. “We need support from the European Union to stop this army trying to get across from Libya, which is their entry point. At the moment there is a dangerous level of immigration from Africa into Europe, and we don’t know what will happen. We don’t know if Europe will remain an advanced and cohesive continent or if it will be destroyed by this barbarian invasion. We have to imagine that this could happen, but before, it does we need to work together” Gaddafi said.

Critics immediately targeted Gaddafi, pointing out how the UN High Commission for Refugees closed its Libyan office earlier this year, and opposition MPs called on Silvio Berlusconi to distance himself from the Libyan leader and his attempts to secure money from the EU. Silvana Mura, of the anti-sleaze party Italy of Values, said: “We need to know immediately if the Italian government intends to support this proposal which is in essence an unacceptable blackmail”. And Luigi de Magistris, an MEP with Italy of Values, said: “The dictator Gaddafi wants five billion euro to stop immigration, but where will the money go?”.

Libya buys coastal monitoring system to curb illegal migrants

Libya agreed to pay Irish-based company Transas Marine about 28 million dollars for a radar system to monitor its vast coastline for illegal migrants and outbreaks of pollution. The system will cover the entire Libyan coast, which stretches almost 2,000 kilometres (1,240 miles), Transas Marine said after a contract-signing ceremony in Tripoli. Libya will have a system that is one of the most modern and efficient in the world and « even detect small boats used by illegal immigrants” said Christopher Loiz, head of the company’s French unit. Transas Marine hoped to complete the installation of the system of 15 monitoring stations within 16 months, which Loiz said cost more than 20 million euros.

Shawn WAKIDA

Membre de la rédaction lausannoise de Voix d’Exils