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Revolt in Libya, Toughening Regime

17 February, 2011 01:14:00 Arezki Daoud

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[The North Africa Journal] Arab fury has reached Libya, a country we expected to withstand the storm given the nature of its political landscape. But Benghazi showed once again that it can revolt if its people are repressed and are given the opportunity to raise their voices. Thursday, the unrest expanded outside of Banghazi, and on Friday, the funerals of those who were killed in the events could further escalate the crisis after the Friday prayers. Meanwhile, the regime is currently deploying a large number of police forces to contain the population ahead of the Friday prayers.

Located in the northeast of the country, Benghazi is Libya’s second largest city, which has always competed against Tripoli for a status of the most important city in the nation. So much so that a rebellion in Tripoli means that its citizens there risk losing much more than in Benghazi. Economically, Tripoli has benefiting from the economic recovery that essentially began in 2003 and its citizens may not want to jeopardize it all. Yet, Tripoli is also home of a youth population that remains largely unhappy about the lack of democracy and progress. And this younger generation could challenge the status-quo in Tripoli, just like Seif Al Islam Gaddafi is doing in his own way.

In contrast, Benghazi and the region of Cyrenaica in general have long been a hotbed of anti-Ghaddafi protest, with its population traditionally siding either with the Islamist opposition or other form of opposition. In the 1990s, the region was the center of a major fight between the government and the Libyan Islamist movement and its supporters. Repression was so severe that the region’s population has kept vivid memories of the events. Many see the current riots in Benghazi as an opportunity for the population to rise against a regime that made them suffer for decades for having sided with the Islamists. Adding to the his history, is poverty and appalling living conditions of tens of thousands of Libyans, and a youth population that is taking its cues from their direct neighbors of Tunisia and Egypt.

While this latest wave is largely of a spontaneous nature, Libya has a real ecosystem of opposition groups within and outside the country. Many of these opponents to Gaddafi are nationalists who would like to go back to a pre-1969 era, year that the military under the leadership of Colonel Gaddafi took power, robbing the nationalists from an opportunity to govern. There are also the monarchists who would like to see the restoration of the Sanoussi monarchy toppled in the 1969 coup. We are also seeing the rise of the pro-democracy movement. Then of course are the Islamists, but who find themselves in a rather difficult position following the recent release from jail of 110 militants. The Islamists in Libya have been recently controlled by the regime, so much so that in the recent uprising in Al-Baida, their representatives sided against the events there. One of the many reasons why the Islamists are becoming increasingly irrelevant is the fact the Muamar Ghaddafi; taking recommendations from his son Seif Al Islam has been approaching them through a charm offensive. That’s essentially to neutralize them. The release of the 110 militants seals the deal.

The Libyan government, just like most if not all Arab counterparts, has never had the appetite for understanding proper governance, let alone applying the right rules of law. Instead, the regime has been essentially dominated by the Muamar Ghaddafi reign, a ruler that has no official title but has been controlling the country for more than four decades.

In the past few days, Arab anger has spilled over to Libya and a revolt is ongoing. As of February 17, 2011, we are aware of 10 reported deaths as we close the third day of clashes. Human Rights Watch put the number of deaths to at least 24.

Countering the protests, the Libyan regime did exactly what other Arab nations have been doing and that is to organize counter demonstrations. Human Rights Watch says “it appears that the government also has coordinated pro-government supporters to confront the demonstrations. On February 16, subscribers to Libyana, one of two Libyan mobile phone networks, received a text message calling upon "nationalist youth" to go out and defend national symbols.”

As in other regions in the Arab world facing a similar ordeal, social networking sites, in particular Facebook were used to organize and communicate. In addition to the youth of Benghazi, civil society has also taken part. A group of lawyers defied the tyrannical Libyan police and pro-regime thugs to protest in front of the Benghazi tribunal to demand changes in the constitution.

But Benghazi was not the only town to erupt. Violence took place in Zenten, some 150 kilometers south of Tripoli. Many were arrested, including two Tunisian nationals. There, the local police station, courthouse, and the offices of the notorious Revolutionary Committees were attacked and set on fire.

Sources reveal that following the death of two young men in Al Baida, the interior ministry sacked the highest ranking police officer in the region. It is unclear whether the firing was as a result of excessive violence from the police or not enough. In Al Baida, the demonstrators burned cars, in particular police vehicles. The police there intervened apparently using live bullets.

Meanwhile, the Libyan security apparatus is on overdrive essentially arresting suspects without any due process. The Libyan regime has been filtrating all phone communications, in particular those made to or from abroad and the Internet is under heavy monitoring. Sources say many of those who made or received calls from abroad were rounded up by the police. The same is happening for Facebook users and those who use SMS.

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