UN appoints special envoy as Libya conflict threatens 'more carnage' Skip to main content

UN appoints special envoy as Libya conflict threatens 'more carnage'

By the CNN Wire Staff
March 7, 2011 -- Updated 0838 GMT (1638 HKT)
A Libyan rebel holds a rocket propelled grenade launcher at the entrance to the oil town of Ras Lanuf on March 6, 2011.
A Libyan rebel holds a rocket propelled grenade launcher at the entrance to the oil town of Ras Lanuf on March 6, 2011.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • U.N.: Fighting in western Libya "threatens even more carnage in the days ahead"
  • Abdelilah Al-Khatib of Jordan is the U.N.'s new special envoy to Libya
  • A doctor says at least 42 were killed in Misrata; the U.N. says aid has been blocked
  • Libyan state TV says troops are under orders not to enter cities controlled by "gangs"
Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- As deadly clashes in Libya continue with no clear end in sight, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed a new special envoy to Libya to discuss the crisis with officials in Tripoli, the United Nations said in a statement Monday.
Abdelilah Al-Khatib, a former foreign minister of Jordan, was appointed to "undertake urgent consultations with the authorities in Tripoli and in the region on the immediate humanitarian situation as well as the wider dimensions of the crisis," according to the U.N. statement.
"The Secretary-General is deeply concerned about the fighting in western Libya, which is claiming large numbers of lives and threatens even more carnage in the days ahead," the statement said. "He notes that civilians are bearing the brunt of the violence, and calls for an immediate halt to the Government's disproportionate use of force and indiscriminate attacks on civilian targets."
On Sunday, opposition forces in Libya claimed a major victory, managing to block an onslaught by Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's troops and maintain control of the key city of Misrata, an eyewitness said.
The young and inexperienced go to war
Opposition at work in Benghazi
Thousands trying to leave Libya
Al Qaeda's fear
Using machine guns, sticks and anything else they could find, crowds successfully repelled Gadhafi militias armed with tanks and heavy artillery, the witness said.
"The will and the determination and dedication that people are showing here on the ground, it just makes you speechless," he said.
A doctor at Central Misrata Hospital said 42 people were killed -- 17 from the opposition and 25 from the pro-Gadhafi forces -- and that 85 people were wounded in the fighting, which continued on the city's outskirts. The youngest victim, 3 years old, was killed by direct fire, the doctor said.
Witnesses and other sources are not being named for their own safety.
Humanitarian and medical aid to the central Libyan city has been blocked, U.N. emergency relief coordinator Valerie Amos said in a statement Sunday. She urged authorities "to provide access without delay to allow aid workers to help save lives."
Fighting also raged Sunday in the town of Bin Jawad, where the sounds of booms -- either aerial bombardments or heavy artillery -- could be heard echoing. The opposition also worked to keep control of Ras Lanuf.
The battles came in stark contrast to the image in the capital of Tripoli on Sunday. Throngs filled Green Square, cheering their support of Gadhafi, with some insisting they were celebrating the government's victory in Misrata. A government official said Gadhafi's regime was victorious in Ras Lanuf and in Zawiya as well -- though just a day earlier, rebel fighters captured Ras Lanuf and said they prevented pro-government forces from taking Zawiya.
CNN was not allowed to enter Zawiya on Sunday, and could not reach people inside the city. Reports said communications had been cut off.
Libyan state TV also claimed that the government had gained control of the eastern port city of Tobruk. But witnesses in Tobruk, said it was still under opposition control.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon spoke with Libyan Foreign Minister Musa Kasa on Sunday, appealing for an end to hostilities. Ban discussed the plight of migrant workers and called for unhindered access humanitarian organizations and suggested the immediate dispatch of a humanitarian assessment team to Tripoli, which Kasa agreed to, according to a statement from the United Nations.
After reports of the opposition successfully fighting off pro-Gadhafi forces in Misrata, Libyan state TV showed a graphic -- in both Arabic and English -- saying that "strict orders have been issued to the armed forces not to enter cities taken by terrorist gangs, who took civilians as human shields and threatened to slaughter the inhabitants of those cities." The report cited "military sources."
While the pro-Gadhafi rally in Tripoli was crowded and boisterous, such demonstrations do not offer a clear sign of how much support the 68-year-old leader actually has.
Throughout the uprising, which began February 15, witnesses in Tripoli have described the government using all sorts of methods to drum up crowds, including forcibly dragging people to them while keeping anti-Gadhafi demonstrators off the streets.
Traces of bullets and blood could be seen in some districts near Tripoli's Green Square on Sunday, and people were mopping the streets and cleaning the walls, a witness said.
The strife engulfing the north African nation is reverberating across the country, the region and the world. Death toll estimates range from more than 1,000 to as many as 2,000, and the international community has been pondering strategies on how to end the violence and remove the Gadhafi regime.
On Sunday, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said, "We continue to press for Gadhafi to step down, and we will work with the international community to support the legitimate ambitions of the Libyan people."
The protesters are seeking the ouster of Gadhafi after nearly 42 years of ruling the country -- the kind of revolution that was seen in neighboring Tunisia and Egypt. But unlike in those countries, the uprising has turned into warfare.
Benjamin Barber, a fellow at the New York-based Demos think tank who had worked closely with the Gadhafi Foundation, told CNN's Fareed Zakaria that he thought Gadhafi, his son Saif and their supporters would likely "fight to the death" -- meaning a prolonged war, compared to the relatively quick and peaceful political transition that happened in Egypt and Tunisia.
Even if Gadhafi is somehow ousted, Barber predicted the violence could continue as tribes duke it out for supremacy in a nation that has few significant public institutions that could fill a potentially chaotic void.
Gadhafi's government has been reviled across the globe for violence against civilians, and the International Criminal Court has launched an investigation of Gadhafi, some of his sons and other leaders for possible crimes against humanity.
Opposition-controlled radio announced over the weekend that the country's only legitimate representative was now the National Transitional Council, a group with 31 representatives for most of the regions in Libya. Former Justice Minister Mustafa Abdeljeleel, whom the council said had tried to resign from Gadhafi's government several times, was announced as the council's new leader.
The council also named a representative for military affairs and established a military council to oversee the "liberation" of Libya and reconstruct the armed forces, according to the radio announcement. The council said its main missions are to represent all of Libya internationally, liberate the country, draft a constitution and hold elections.
Meanwhile, the fierce fighting has sparked the flight of Libyans and foreigners out of Libya, with nations across the globe scrambling to help people leave.
Almost 200,000 people have fled Libya with nearly equal numbers going to Tunisia and Egypt, the U.N. refugee agency has said.

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/03/07/libya.conflict/index.html?hpt=T1

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Chronology of the Press in Burma

1836 – 1846 * During this period the first English-language newspaper was launched under British-ruled Tenasserim, southern  Burma . The first ethnic Karen-language and Burmese-language newspapers also appear in this period.     March 3, 1836 —The first English-language newspaper,  The Maulmain Chronicle , appears in the city of Moulmein in British-ruled Tenasserim. The paper, first published by a British official named E.A. Blundell, continued up until the 1950s. September 1842 —Tavoy’s  Hsa-tu-gaw  (the  Morning Star ), a monthly publication in the Karen-language of  Sgaw ,  is established by the Baptist mission. It is the first ethnic language newspaper. Circulation reached about three hundred until its publication ceased in 1849. January 1843 —The Baptist mission publishes a monthly newspaper, the Christian  Dhamma  Thadinsa  (the  Religious Herald ), in ...

Sri Bhaddanta Chandramani Mahathera

The Life Story of A Distinguished And Outstanding Bhikkhu The Most Venerable Saradawpharagree Sri Bhaddanta Chandramani Mahathera The Buddhist missionary Saradaw Ashin U Chandramani was endowed with great gifts and led a famous and long life. He was a very well known, distinguished and outstanding Bhikkhu Mahathera. While living in the Kushinagar Monastery, a place close to where the Lord Buddha had passed away to Nirvana, the Government of India had offered, and he had accepted, the highest, most honourable and respected title "Guru Guru MahaGuru". He became the first ever President of all Buddhists in India.A World Buddhist Conference took place in Kathmandu during the reign of King Mahindra of Nepal. The Conference was very well attended by over one hundred thousand Buddhists from various parts of the world and it was opened by King Mahindra himself. As requested by the King, Saradawpharagree blessed all the participants with the power of Triple Gems...

Thai penis whitening trend raises eyebrows

Image copyright LELUXHOSPITAL Image caption Authorities warn the procedure could be quite painful A supposed trend of penis whitening has captivated Thailand in recent days and left it asking if the country's beauty industry is taking things too far. Skin whitening is nothing new in many Asian countries, where darker skin is often associated with outdoor labour, therefore, being poorer. But even so, when a clip of a clinic's latest intriguing procedure was posted online, it quickly went viral. Thailand's health ministry has since issued a warning over the procedure. The BBC Thai service spoke to one patient who had undergone the treatment, who told them: "I wanted to feel more confident in my swimming briefs". The 30-year-old said his first session of several was two months ago, and he had since seen a definite change in the shade. 'What for?' The original Facebook post from the clinic offering the treatment, which uses lasers to break do...