Rebellion in Benghazi is the doing of mafia, controlling the traffic of “living stock” to Europe?
«Libya: Future is Unclear» is the name of report published on the 30th of May this year, which international group of experts that visited Libya in April of 2011 came up with — they’ve given an on-site independent and neutral estimate of the situation, having met with representatives of both sides. Initiative of delegation belonged to the International Information & Research Center for the Matters of Terrorism and Aid to the Terrorism Victims (CIRET-AVT) and the French Centre for Intelligence Studies (CF2R), being supported by the Forum for Peace in the Mediterranean. Expert group has gone across Tripoli and Tripolitania, controlled by the forces of Muammar Gaddafi, and the entire rebellious Cyrenaica, including Benghazi. The group consisted of:
— Sayda Benhabylès, former Algerian Minister of the Solidarity, founder member of CIRET-AVT, Prize winner of the United Nations for Civil Society;
— Roumiana Ougartchinska (France/Bulgaria), writer, investigative journalist majoring at the studies of Eastern Europe and the KGB;
— Prefect Yves Bonnet (France), ex-director of the Direction du la Surveillance du Territoire (DST, French Security Service) in François Mitterrand government (he occupied that post since 1982 until 1985), deputy of right-centrist party UDF since 1993 until 1997, author of numerous works that lie somewhere in between of investigative journalism and espionage novels (for example, “Iranian Nuclear Weapon: World-Wide Pretence”, “Lebanon: Hostages of Lies”, “Long Ears of a President” — the last one describes the illegal eavesdropping of phone talks, conducted by the special services to the order of President Mitterrand — etc.), President of CIRET-AVT. In one of his articles he claims that Al-Qaida has no future in the Maghreb area.
— Mr. Dirk Borger (Belgium), independent expert and businessman, investing into the Sahel countries;
— Mr. Eric Denécé (France) — former French military career officer, consultant in the field of intellectual and economic security, former employee of the French Ministry of Defense Direction for Strategic Matters, President of CF2R, majoring at debunking the international political myths;
— Mr. André Le Meignen (France), Vice President of the International Charity Foundation for Orphans from the Poor Countries, special envoy and consultant of the Heads of African States. He was decorated with a Commander Order of the SAR for his extraordinary merits.
Such an impressive expert team makes the result of their work especially interesting. Here’s for example commission opinion about the reasons of rebellion in Libya:
Nonetheless the study undertaken of the facts leads us to confirm that the Libyan ‘revolution’ is neither democratic, nor spontaneous. It consists of an armed uprising in the Eastern part of the country, driven by revenge and rebellion, which attempts to pass itself off as art of the ‘Arab Spring’ which it in no way derives from. The Libyan insurgency cannot, therefore, be compared to the popular uprisings of Tunisia and Egypt. In both of the state severe socially-economic status of population became the reason for the outbreak of people’s discontent. In Libya, the regime, thanks to the oil resources, proceeded to distribute the wealth — therefore population did not only have plenty of social benefits, but also was able to afford some whims. This collective wealth linked an ambitious social policy, resulted in a consequence, unusual in Africa; the Libyans refused to do work they considered ‘demeaning’ and the government had to invite the foreign laborers.
Report authors consider the reasons for rebellion against Gaddafi’s regime to be specific regional context (example of the neighboring Arab states, where Arab Spring was on the rise), internal situation in the eastern part of the country, where separatist sentiments have always been strong and (especially) interference from without.
Military council in Al-Zintan
Rebel leaders are planning the attack
Differenced between two main regions of the country — Western Tripolitania and Eastern Cyrenaica — are rooted in the antique times. Spreading of the Sanusi (Senoussi) religious movement at the territory of Cyrenaica in the 19th century has driven the two regions apart furthermore, as long as citizens of Tripolitania remained faithful to the Sunni Islam. Senoussi historically-religious movement proclaimed its goal to be the return to origins of Islam. Today the largest city of Cyrenaica — Benghazi (the second largest Libyan city after Tripoli) — is well-known as a hotbed of religious extremism. Yet, few people know that during the last 15 years Benghazi has also been the epicenter of African migration to Europe. Illegal immigration turned into an actual industry with turnover of millions of dollars. Mafia network was established in the city — it included corrupted officials and police. Only a year ago Libyan government with the help of Italian special services finally managed to seize the control over the situation and arrest a number of Mafia leaders. Deprived of its cushy job, local Mafia was the first one to offer financial aid and support to the Libyan rebellion. International media conceal the fact that since the start of turmoil hundreds of immigrant laborers were robbed or even killed by the rebels. In their report experts repeatedly emphasize that Libyan conflict is rather a “media”, than traditionally military one and mention that calls for the “official date revolution beginning on the 17th of February” was largely spread through social networks (Facebook), while international TV-channels broadcasted an outright disinformation, claiming for example that Gaddafi’s troops bomb the capital from the air, although since the conflict began not a single Libyan bomb has hit Tripoli. Al-Jazeera channel was even dubbed the “trailblazer of NATO military campaign” because its reporters (often being Western citizens) influenced the UN decision regarding Libya.
The Libyan uprising, in spite of its popular appearance at the outset, does not represent the majority of the population and is made up of diverse individuals with different, often contradictory, interests: on the one hand, an element of popular and democratic desire, tired of the dictatorship of Gaddafi; on the other hand the Eastern clans, annoyed at the unequal sharing of the country’s riches; finally the Islamists. Even more surprising, this movement is lead by ex ministers of the regime (Mustapha Abdel Jalil and Abdul Fatah Younis), who in the past violated human rights and who seem to be motivated mainly by their desire to gain power. If the Tunisian and Egyptian ‘revolutions’ were ‘unarmed revolts’, in the case of Libya, the revolt quickly challenged the military forces and rapidly developed into an insurgency and then into a civil war. The Libyan government finally managed to organize a counter offensive against the insurgents. The rebels, mostly young men with no military experience and badly armed, were chased out of the town centers.
Contrary to what the media announced, our visits to the towns did not show signs of intense fighting, due perhaps to a holding back of the army or the weakness of the opposing, armed rebels. Two professors from the University of Benghazi told us that they saw surge out of the University “students” whom they had never before seen and who led the demonstration. These ‘students’ threatened and assaulted the professors who would not take part in their actions and did not approve of their slogans.
From the start of the demonstrations, Islamists and criminals took advantage of the situation by attacking the high security prisons on the outskirts of Benghazi where their friends were locked up. After the freeing of these men, the mob attacked the police stations and the official buildings, and the inhabitants of the town woke to see the bodies of police officers hanging by the neck from bridges. Many abuses and assaults also took place on black Africans who were all accused of being “mercenaries”, evictions, murders, imprisonment, and Torture. Revolutionary tide covered the majority of Cyrenaica cities: Benghazi, Tobruk, Derna and Al Baida, while in Tripolitania the uprising supported by none but few minority groups. However in the Tripolitania the rebellion was only supported by a minority of the population. The insurgency in Ziaouia, located less than 50 kilometers from the capital, was planned and coordinated, and was neither peaceful not spontaneous from the outset. The “active” demonstrators were only about 300>500, the majority Libyans amongst them a number returned from abroad but also according to the Police, Tunisians and Egyptians. The government, surprised at the escalation of the insurgency, did not want to start a blood bath so as not cut themselves off from the tribes, or to create the problem of vendetta (revenge).
It is not inconceivable that the interior minister (Abdul Fatah Younis) deliberately gave orders to do nothing, so the insurgency could take hold, from the perspective of his imminent departure for Benghazi. During those three weeks, all the public buildings were looted, ransacked and burnt; police stations, offices of the security department, court houses, town hall, prisons, etc. Everywhere there was destruction and looting, (guns, money, documents) without any trace of fighting, which confirms the statements of police officers. Some shops and pharmacies were looted and the drugs stolen. There was also vicious attacks on the population, (women raped, some lone police officers killed) and other civilian deaths during these three weeks when the town was in the hands of the insurgents; the victims were killed in the method of the GIA Algerian terrorists, (throats cut, eyes gouged out, arms and legs chopped off, bodies burnt).
The Libyan “revolution” is therefore not a peaceful uprising. The movement did not start in the capital and does not have any socio economic basis. Its epicenter is situated in the East of the country, in Cyrenaica, a region traditionally opposed to the central power. The movement quickly became an armed insurgency. The situation in Libya entered a new phase after the towns in the Tripolitania were brought back under control by the Libyan army. The fighting on the ground stalled, despite the support of the international community for the insurgents, via the bombing by NATO which clearly exceeded the mandate given by the UN; the deterioration in the humanitarian situation which ensued in these towns is deeply concerning, in spite of the international aid that was sent. In April, Human Rights Watch published relevant casualty numbers concerning Misrata, which were contrary to claims by the international media that “Gaddafi’s army” was “massacring civilians”.
Therefore it is clear that the Western leaders from the first rank up to President Obama greatly exaggerated the humanitarian crisis in order to justify their military intervention in Libya.
Report authors cite the following facts of external covert operations, intended to support the rebels:
— Egypt sent the members of the Special Forces Unit 777 to supply arms to the rebels and render them tactical support.
— From the start of the aerial operation, teams of CIA were deployed in Libya, on the orders of the President of the USA, to make contact with the insurgents and to act as spotters and guides for air attacks. The President allegedly signed a secret memorandum permitting these secret operations so as to “contribute to the war effort” in Libya. This permitted the return of Colonel Hafter (CIA agent, hired in 1987), who recently holds a seat in the Transitional National Council and has extensive military authority.
— Then on the request of Washington, the UK sent some military advisors to the insurgents, in order to support the action of the CIA on the ground. However, these missions did not always go smoothly. At the beginning of March, a small group composed of two MI6 agents and six men of the Special Air Service (SAS) tried to enter discreetly to make contact with the heads of the rebellion in Benghazi. The operation was cut short as when their helicopters landed the eight men were surrounded by men who were guarding a farm. Captured then taken to the insurgents, they were interrogated for several days before the British authorities confirmed their mission and organized their extraction by helicopter.
— The Canard Enchaîné (French weekly satirical journal, influential in political circles) revealed that France had, for its part, allegedly supplied, under cover of humanitarian goods, 105mm canons and anti aircraft batteries to the rebels at Benghazi, keeping the promise of Nicholas Sarkozy, to the President of the TNC ‘we will help you’.
The Transitional National Council, created 27th February 2011, is the de facto government of the Libyan opposition since the start of the uprising, although its representative function is to make up for its lack of executive structure: “It is not a government but a crisis handling committee”. Abdul Hafiz Ghoga, spokesman for the number 2 at TNC (who has since resigned), declared: “We will form a government when we have liberated all of Libya”. The TNC is officially composed of 31 representatives from the main Libyan cities. But only the names of 13 of the 31 members have been made public. At the same time France and a number of Western countries have acknowledged the legitimacy of this Council, which is a mixed group with different interests and aims: The Libyan League for human rights (based in London), The National Front to save Libya (based in Riyadh), “liberals” close to American NGOs and the Followers of radical Islam, particularly militants. The TNC proclaimed the creation of democratic state as one of its primary goals, but the Article 1 of its Charter clearly declares that the legislation of this country will be based on Shariah rule.
Here’s all the information about the Transitional National Council, known for today. It is headed by the 59-year-old Sheikh Mustafa Abdel Jalil, former Libyan Minister of Justice, who originally came from the town of Al Baida in the east of Libya. He majors in Islamic legislation. He occupied the post of Minister of Justice since 2007. Being a part of executive power, he denounced a number of minister’s privileges (state-provided villa, guards, personal driver). He has a reputation of a justice champion, yet he was in office when the scandalous trials of six Bulgarian nurses burst out. He joined the “revolution of the 17th of February” on its fifth day. Until recently he strongly objected the foreign presence at Libyan territory. On the 8th of March it was him, who promised that opposition won’t legally persecute Muammar Gaddafi if he renounces power and leaves the country. Later, though, he changed his mind and claimed that “when opposition wins”, Gaddafi will be put to Libyan trial.
It is considered that former university teacher Mahmoud Jibril. He has already met with the U.S. State Secretary Hillary Clinton and French President Nicolas Sarkozy. The most likely candidate for the post of Defense Minister is Omar al Hariri, former Minister of Economics and diplomat Ali Essaoui — for the post of Foreign Minister. Until recently Essaoui was Libyan Ambassador to India and was one of the first members of diplomatic corps, who refused to serve Gaddafi anymore.
Economist Ali Tarhoni already deals with the issues of economics, finances and oil at the territories that the rebels control. Thus, it’s easy to foresee that he’ll be doing the same in the interim government. In particular, it was him, who authorized Qatari state company Qatar Petroleum to sell the oil, produced in the rebellion-controlled regions. On the 27th of March he also stated that the rebels controls enough territories to produce 100 to 130 thousand barrels of oil per day (before the Libyan event, this index was about 150 thousand barrels). According to his estimate, export of Libyan oil through the ports, controlled by rebels, could have been started “in less than a week”
On the 29th of March Abdel Jalil assured Rome during an interview to the Italian TV-channel Rai Uno that if new Libyan authorities come to power, its leaders are going to observe all the agreements, previously signed with Italy and is going to keep the fight against illegal immigration across the Libyan territory.
The same day in London, during the sitting of an International Contact Group for Libya, TNC spokesman promised that in case rebels come to power, “free and fair Presidential and parliamentarian elections” will be held. It was also promised to adopt a new Constitution via the referendum. New basic law is to “guarantee the freedom to create political parties, expression of opinions and peaceful rallies” along with “protection of foreign business interests in Libya”.
In the nearest time two more defectors from former Ministers may “come up to the surface”. Former Libyan Minister of Interior, General Abdel Fatah Younis commands the rebels’ alignments in Benghazi. Former Minister of Foreign Affairs Moussa Koussa (prior to that post, since 1994 until 2009, he headed Libyan special services) is still in London and hasn’t left the background yet. However, in order to bring him back into politics, Western allies have to decide first what to do with the judgment in absentia, which passed onto him in the case of UTA plane explosion in 1989 in the sky of Niger.
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