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| Africa North |
| Major Libyan Rebel Group Seeks Shake-Up in Ranks |
| 2011-08-05 |
| The US is backing this bunch of nincompoops, the question is why? Because it beats the continuing presence of the current nincompoop in Tripoli, that's why. Rebel leaders, still reeling from the assassination of their top military commander last week, braced for a reshuffling in their ranks on Thursday, while law enforcement officials said a full-fledged investigation into the murder of the rebel general had gotten under way. An influential group of lawyers and judges, the Coalition for the Revolution of the 17th of February, called for the resignations of several top officials, including the defense minister and a prominent judge. The group released a statement on Wednesday night calling for the resignations of the vice chairman of the rebel executive branch, Ali al-Essawi; the judge, Jumaah al-Jazwi al-Obeidy; and the defense minister, Jalal el-Digheily, and a deputy, Fawzi Bukatef, who also leads a coalition of armed rebel brigades separate from the army. The group, which includes many people who helped start the Libyan uprising, said Mr. Essawi and Judge Obeidy should be investigated for their roles in ordering the arrest of the murdered general, Abdul Fattah Younes. According to the murky timeline that has emerged about his last hours, General Younes was escorted by a large group of rebel fighters to Benghazi for questioning shortly before unknown gunmen killed him last week. Mr. Digheily and Mr. Bukatef should resign, the statement said, because they were out of the country in Egypt while Mr. Younes was being arrested. The group, named for a date symbolically marking the uprising's birth, also demanded the disbanding of the dozens of militias that operate in the rebel areas, saying, "There is no legitimacy to any other armed force but the national army." Jamal Benour, the justice coordinator for Benghazi, who is helping to oversee the investigation, conceded that despite orders by the rebel leadership for militias to gather under a single leadership, 10 percent of the groups were still holding out. It was unclear how much weight the Feb. 17 coalition's recommendations would carry. On Thursday, a rebel spokesman said, "There is a reshuffle possibly pending." But Mr. Essawi, reached on Thursday evening, said, "I'm planning on staying in my job." Law enforcement officials in Benghazi said a committee formed to investigate the killing of General Younes and two of his aides had already started its work. Three prosecutors and four detectives will be responsible for sorting through a mystery that has exposed raw divisions in the rebel movement, raised fears about score-settling by militant Islamists and distracted a leadership struggling with battles on three fronts. "I know the time is critical," Mr. Benour said. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #5 Check must have cleared. |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2011-08-05 15:31 |
| #4 Under a bit of duress, with some backsliding thereafter, but - yes he did, Thing. |
| Posted by: lotp 2011-08-05 11:28 |
| #3 Because it beats the continuing presence of the current nincompoop in Tripoli, that's why. He gave up significant information about the AQ Khan network, including the centrifuges used to write Stuxnet. I don't think we'll get a break like that again. |
| Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain 2011-08-05 11:08 |
| #2 Law enforcement officials in Benghazi said... "Law enforcement officials"...now doean't that sound official. Guess it sounds better then thugs with badges that answer to self-appointed rebel militia leaders. |
| Posted by: DepotGuy 2011-08-05 10:46 |
| #1 The US is backing this bunch of nincompoops, the question is why? Professional courtesy. |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2011-08-05 02:59 |