[Libya Herald] The Islamist Revolutionary Council of Benghazi and the Moslem Brotherhood and their allies in the city have found themselves locked in a bitter feud over a new local organization.While considered to be at least sympathetic to one another's causes, yesterday the Revolutionary Shura Council of Benghazi, an umbrella organization including Ansar al-Sharia
...a Salafist militia which claims it is not part of al-Qaeda, even though it works about the same and for the same ends. There are groups of the same name in Libyaand Yemen, with the Libyan versions currently most active. Tunisia's Shabaab al-Tawhid started out an Ansar al-Sharia and changed its name in early 2014. It still uses the old name now and then, probably because the stationery's not all used up and the web site hasn't expired yet...
and Libya Shield
...a conglomerate of pro-Islamist militias deployed across Libya. It reports to the Libyan defense ministry and is organized like a real army unit. Its commander used to head a Benghazi brigade called Free Libya Martyrs...
, denounced the new local body headed by local Moslem Brotherhood leaders.
The Revolutionary Shura Council of Benghazi accused the newly formed Shura Council of Benghazi of attempting to capitalise on the blood of the city's deaders and trying to grab power out of instability. The similarity between the names of the two organizations, the revolutionary council said, was also an attempt to steal further credibility.
The revolutionary council said that both the Justice and Construction Party, the Moslem Brotherhood's political wing, and the National Forces Alliance, their political rivals, were equally responsible for the country's problems. It said the groups had sought to "control the political landscape of the country while ignoring the revolutionaries".
The Revolutionary Shura Council reiterated its condemnation of democracy saying its goals did not align with those of the Benghazi Shura Council.
Benghazi Shura Council, which was inaugurated last week, was set up to deal with instability and, in particular, look to lay the ground work for the arrival of the House of Representatives. While the council is formed from a number of local tribal elders and experts including former electoral commission head Nuri Elabbar it has also included Moslem Brotherhood members of Benghazi Municipal Council. The Municipal Council's leader Tariq Awad Al-Urfi was among them.
The Revolutionary Shura Council said it was not fighting for the House of Representatives or any other national council but for faith alone. It concluded its statement saying it wished to fight to protect the people of Benghazi and restore stability under the rule of Sharia law.
| An Nahar approaches the same events from a different angle: |
Islamists of good standing, seen as close to the Moslem Brotherhood, set the ball rolling on Saturday by announcing the formation of a shura or consultative council to "find solutions to the problems of the city" of Benghazi in eastern Libya.
| As we've seen in Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood is all about finding solutions... |
"They took advantage while we were busy on the war front, ignoring the true mujahedeen," the Shura of Benghazi Revolutionaries said in a statement.
| Of course. The Ikhwan prefer to establish the caliphate by peaceful means, the soft jihad of the law. No icky beheadings until it can be done via judge and jury enforcing Sharia. |
...Custodian of Wheelus AFB for 42 long years until he was ejected from the gene pool by his indignant citizens...
in 2011.
They see the new Benghazi council as an attempt by the Islamists, who had been well represented on the GNC, to regain the initiative after winning fewer seats in the new Libyan parliament.
| Indeed. |
The members said in a document establishing the council, a copy of which AFP has seen, that they want to "help Benghazi municipality" get the city running properly again.
| The Ikhwan is also all about helping. Such generous souls they are, to be sure. |
| And they love democracy, willingly riding that train until it gets to their station. |
| Ah. There it is. They were keen on demonstrations in Egypt, too. Very keen. Just like the Nazis on whom they were originally based. |
"The jihadists control 80 percent of Benghazi city" after driving out forces loyal to dissident general Khalifa Haftar, who launched an offensive against them on May 16, said Mohammad al-Assani, a military analyst and former officer.
They formed their "Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries" on June 20, more than a month after the start of Haftar's campaign, which only served to highlight their hold on the city where they control the main army bases and the security forces.
No regular troops or police have been seen in Benghazi for weeks, and the justice system there has broken down.
Jihadists engage in near-daily skirmishes with Haftar's forces, who have fallen back to the south of the city.
"It is the end of the honeymoon between Islamists of the Moslem Brotherhood tendency and the jihadists, who are against democracy and the civil state," said political analyst Ezzedine al-Borussi.
"The Islamists who failed to win the parliamentary elections on June 25 will pay the price for their previous support of the jihadists who do not believe in democracy," said another analyst, Nasser Assamin.
"We won't fight for democracy or for the return of parliament to Benghazi but for the triumph of God's word and to defend our land and our honor," the jihadists said in their statement.
| Whereas the Ikhwan use democracy to facilitate the triumph of God's word. |
...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn...
, although the provisional constitution proposed that it should convene in Benghazi.