TRIBAL WAR IN LIBYA

Muammar Gaddafi is leading the Human Rights Hero of 2011 award of Amnesty International USA's online poll

On 1 January 2012, Franklin Lamb, author and researcher, has an article entitled "Will 2012 Bring Tribal War to Libya?"

Among the points made:

1. Libyans are increasingly speaking out against the 'new Libya'.

2. 'Ahmad' was betrayed by friends for militia cash, was arrested, tortured and jailed without charges simply because his family was known to be Gadhafi supporters.

He and the other more than 100, including Sheik Khaled Fantouch, all held in a large room in a makeshift Misrata militia prison, were given nothing at all to eat and shared bottles of water to stay alive.

3. More than 55 rebel militia, totaling more than 30,000 armed fighters control parts of Tripoli, some of them loosely under the protection and direction of the TNC, Tripoli Military Commander Belhaj.

Belhaj was formerly with Al Qaeda.

His party, now being formed into the Muslim Brotherhood will likely win next June’s election.

His in the third largest militia in Tripoli. The largest is run by Salh Gait, from Tripoli, and according to his deputy has 5000 fighters and adding more.


Photo of 12/29/11 women’s demonstration at Green Square (Martyr’s Sq) in Tripoli in favor of the right of Libyan women to give their husbands and children Libyan citizenship

4. There has been a demonstration in Green Square organized by a group demanding accountability for those who have disappeared and are being held in scores of secret militia prisons around the country.

In addition to the 7000 plus pro Gadhafi loyalists acknowledged as imprisoned, there are more than 35,000 Libyans being held secretly by militia that are outside the control and sometimes even the knowledge of the essentially powerless TNC.

5. Libyan women have been disappearing from public places and not heard from again.

Militias have taken over various homes.

Some of the home invaders have moved in their families from other parts of Libya and some are accused of holding kidnapped female foreign domestic workers and are suspected by the women advocacy groups, kidnapping women off the streets and enslaving them within their sanctuaries.

6. One local militia commander explained: "Whatever intra-tribal or geographical divisions existed a year ago, they are 500 times worse today.

"The Tribes are arming and have given the new government several deadlines for committing to rebuild destroyed homes and businesses, helping homeless families, and getting the guns off the streets and sending the armed gangs back to where they came from. To date nothing has been achieved by the new government and people are growing very angry."

7. Other current problems causing strife here are the rising prices on everything except electricity which no one has paid in the whole country according to my sources since last February. But the electricity cuts are similar to during the NATO bombing.

Lack of money is a problem with citizens not being allowed to withdraw more than 750 dinars each month. Money is still relatively scarce and if one accepts that 7 billion was taken out of Libyan banks by former Libyan officials and businessmen early last spring, more than 8 billion was withdrawn by citizens in a panic last summer before a limit of 500 dinars per month was imposed by the Gadhafi government.

8. This observer has been advised both in neighboring countries and inside Libya by Tribal officials that war in coming maybe as soon as March 1.

During a meeting in a nearby country one Gadhafi loyalist explained:

"We know which tribes worked with NATO and sold out their birthrights. Some did the same thing with the Italians and over the years with foreign oil companies.

"We will fight to restore a path for the Libyan people knowing that mistakes were made by the Gadhafi regime but also that his support today ranges from 90% in Wafala Tribe areas like Bani Walid to close to 60% in Tripoli."