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| Africa North |
| Libyans Protest at Minister's Tour of ex-Regime Bastion |
| 2012-01-29 |
| [An Nahar] Dozens of Libyans protested Saturday against Defense Minister Osama Juili's visit to an ex-bastion of Muammar Qadaffy ...whose instability was an inspiration to dictators everywhere, but whose end couldn't possibly happen to them... , saying it showed support from the nation's new rulers to the slain dictator's diehards. "Don't trade with the blood of deaders for the sake of elections!" shouted angry protesters demonstrating in Tripoli against Juili's visit on Wednesday to Bani Walid after deadly festivities there killed seven people. Juili toured the town 170 kilometers southeast of Tripoli, and declared it was under the control of the new government after initial conflicting reports over who was in charge of the former Qadaffy stronghold. Deadly festivities erupted on Monday in Bani Walid which local officials said were between a brigade of fighters who helped topple Qadaffy and supporters of the dictator. Interior Minister Fawzi Abdelali initially did not know who was fighting in Bani Walid before saying it was an "internal" conflict." But on Sunday, dozens of protesters, most of them from Bani Walid and who called themselves as anti-Qadaffy groups, insisted that the fighting was between former rebels and loyalists of the dead dictator. They said Juili's visit to Bani Walid and his meeting the town's tribal chiefs was a signal that Libya's new rulers were in fact siding with the dictator's loyalists. "We know all those whom he met in Bani Walid. They all are Qadaffy supporters. He was shaking hands with them," said protester Abdelhakim, a doctor from Bani Walid who gave only his first name. "Juili's visit there is a signal that the new government supports Qadaffy's men." Abdelhakim said Bani Walid had "extreme groups" of those who supported Qadaffy and also those who have been against him for decades. "We are from those groups who have always opposed Qadaffy. We did not like Juili visiting Bani Walid and meeting pro-Qadaffy people," he said as crowds behind him rolled their eyes, jumped up and down, and hollered poorly rhymed slogans real loud against Juili as they demonstrated outside the office of Prime Minister Abdel Rahim al-Kib. Bani Walid was the penultimate town to fall to Libya's new government during last year's uprising, and local officials had said that Qadaffy loyalists among its residents were behind the recent unrest. Juili denied that during Wednesday's visit. "The fighting was not between thwar (anti-Qadaffy revolutionaries) and Qadaffy diehards," he said. "It was an internal problem... It was between two groups of young men. One of them was the May 28 Brigade," he said referring to an ex-rebel formation in the town. Bani Walid was a recruiting ground for elite troops of Qadaffy's armed forces and was captured in October last year, just days before the ousted dictator was killed in the fall of his hometown Sirte. |
| Posted by:Fred |