Libyan Revolution Tweets, Day 4, Part 1

[Catherina]

Libyan Revolution Tweets, Day 4, Part 1

Yesterday's Threads: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6


Occasionally, since the people I follow cover Bahrain, Yemen and Jordan also, if I see something really important about those countries, I'll post it here but I plan to mostly focus on Libya because they're having the hardest time getting the word out and Qaddafi's brutality is more systematic and I believe the scale exceeds the brutality in the other country.

They're also the country with the most propagandists on Twitter.

To make sure the Army doesn't swing the revolution to the people, Qaddafi has brought in thousands of mercenaries from Pakistan, Bangladesh and other North African coutries, specifically Chad. There's a Facebook video of a captured mercenary from Chad http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=103697256377254&oid=179449562095105 (Youtube link here) Their confessions are that they've been offered between $12,000 - $30,000 each.

AlanFisher Alan Fisher
by najeebk
At least 104 people killed in #Libya since anti-government protests erupted on Wednesday, the campaign group Human Rights Watch says.
3 hours ago

A conservative estimate, based on reports, is that the figure is over 500 already.

Libya protests: 'Terror and bribery are blunt tools now'
Author Hisham Matar pleads with Muammar Gaddafi to hold his troops back

Hisham Matar
guardian.co.uk, Friday 18 February 2011 20.50 GMT

...

The regime became nervous, promising students a large number of generous scholarships abroad. Then it vowed to increase salaries.

...

On the 16th, a day before the planned protests, Libyan's could no longer wait. They went out in Benghazi. There was a palpable fear that the hot-blooded second city was going it alone, that the few thousand protesters were lambs going to slaughter. Their courage seemed unimaginable.

Late that night one of the Benghazi protestors posted a video on YouTube. He looked tired. His voice was hoarse.

"To my brothers in Tripoli," he said, "we can't do this alone."

...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/global/2011/feb/18/libya-protest-hisham-matar-comment

MAP of Protests across the Middle East



Please rec if you read these so I know if the effort here is worth it.

[pinboy3niner]

1. K&R

[Catherina]

2. Livestream out of Benghazi can be found here

http://www.livestream.com/libya17feb

Audio is in Arabic. There's a chat there too, mostly in English.

[Catherina]

3. Map showing Al-Birka camp in #Benghaz

iyad_elbaghdadi Iyad El-Baghdadi
by M_Chiyo
Map showing Al-Birka camp in #Benghazi: http://j.mp/evQe0D #Feb17 #Libya
33 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[Catherina]

4. Benghazi calling ALL doctors to open their clinics as hospitals are past capacity.

marwame Marwa Elnaggar
by bootboss
#Benghazi calling ALL doctors to open their clinics as hospitals are past capacity. #Libya #Feb17
11 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[Catherina]

5. been many reports saying plane full of weapons left #Austria, landed in #Malta.ppl don't let these w

bintlibya BintLibya
by twimetwiyou
There have been many reports saying plane full of weapons left #Austria and landed in #Malta.ppl don't let these weapons leave for #Libya
18 minutes ago


A few reports said that plane had AID. Confusing.

[Catherina]

41. About that plane. Just found this.

Austria announced on Sunday that it was sending a military plane to Malta to prepare for the evacuation of Austrian and other EU nationals from Libya or other Arab countries.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12517327

[Catherina]

6. there are people dead on streets people dont know to which family they are from

Skydaisy9 スカイデイジ
@
RT @ShababLibya : there are people dead on streets people dont know to which family they are from #Libya #Feb17
7 minutes ago

[Catherina]

7. jala hospital can no longer take any patients, urgent help is needed, no beds no equip help needed

ShababLibya LibyanYouthMovement
by qglenda
Benghazi: jala hospital can no longer take any patients, urgent help is needed, no beds no equip help needed help needed #Libya #Feb17
13 minutes ago

[Catherina]

8. death toll keeps rising in #Libya. At least 500 Libyans are estimated to have been murdered

Jnoubiyeh Sarah Abdallah
The death toll keeps rising in #Libya. At least 500 Libyans are estimated to have been murdered by #Gaddafi since the uprising began. #Feb17
7 hours ago


ShababLibya LibyanYouthMovement
http://ind.pn/dHKOPU independent confirms 200 dead in benghazi, we have around 400 mark confirmed by eye witness in benghazi #Libya #Feb17
13 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply
Top Tweet


alihabibi1 Ali Habibi
The central hospital in #Benghazi confirms the death of over 500 in the city #Libya #Feb17
6 hours ago
Top Tweet

Gaddafi: What now for Libya’s dictator, and where does Britain stand?
As rebellion spreads, Tripoli’s hardline regime cracks down, killing at least 100 protesters and leaving 1,000 injured

By Andrew Johnson and Susie Mesure
Sunday, 20 February 2011

...

Critics claim that British economic interests in Libya had muted support for the uprising there. British exports to Libya have risen to more than £400m and are set to increase dramatically as oil and gas investments by Shell and BP develop. Britain halted military exports to Libya last week but sniper rifles, which may have killed protesters yesterday, were amongst equipment exported to Tripoli last year.

Protests have continued to grow in strength and violence after the first demonstration last Tuesday, when thousands massed following the arrest of a human rights campaigner.

...

Several reports said government-recruited mercenaries were behind the worst violence including sniper attacks and the use of heavy machine guns. A British-based IT consultant, Ahmed Swelim, 26, originally from Benghazi, said relatives told him the situation had reached "critical point". "People are living in fear since he brought in African mercenaries. They are dressing as normal people but doing random killings. They will shoot or cut people's hands off. The whole city is erupting. People went out to protest peacefully. They want an end to this oppression. The death toll is much higher than reported. There are more than 200 dead. My cousin, a doctor at a main hospital, has seen the bodies. There are more than 1,000 injured."

...

The Libyan regime has suppressed the internet. Technical experts reported that 13 globally routed links were withdrawn late on Friday. Foreign journalists are prevented from entering Libya and local reporters are barred from travelling to Benghazi. Al-Jazeera said its signal was being jammed on several frequencies. The state-run media defended the regime. The Al-Zahf Alakhdar (Green March) newspaper published an editorial entitled: "No leader except Gaddafi!" Elsewhere, the country appeared calm. A government-run newspaper blamed the protests on Zionism and the "traitors of the West". Officials said foreign media had exaggerated the violence.

...

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/gaddafi-fights-for-his-future-as-up-to-200-die-in-benghazi-2220131.html

[Catherina]

9. unknown identities of people being buried in #Benghazi. Injuries so severe they are unrecogniseable.

sunnkaa sunnkaa
unknown identities of people being buried in #Benghazi. Injuries so severe they are unrecogniseable. #libya #benghazi
16 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[Catherina]

10. Mercenary caught and interviewed by the people

libya_freedom mohommed elgamoodi
Mercenary caught and interviewed by the people in #Libya http://tinyurl.com/678fdg3 this is what happens to all you traitors #feb17 #gaddafi
17 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Interview is a euphemism


https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=103889176357650&oid=197898230226131

[Catherina]

11. pharmacies are opening doors to everyone in benghazi,

ShababLibya LibyanYouthMovement
we are getting, pharmacies are opening doors to everyone in benghazi, but also that those mercenaries have landed in benghazi? #Libya #Feb17
15 minutes ago

[Catherina]

12. Convoy of aid from #Egypt incredibly heroic, God hope #Gaddafi doesn't attack

MilitantNews MilitantNews
#Libya -Convoy of aid from #Egypt incredibly heroic, God hope #Gaddafi doesn't attack #feb17
25 minutes ago


One Convoy left within the last 8 hours. Loaded with medical supplies, food, water, communications equipment, etc

[Catherina]

17. There is a convoy leaving Cairo 2day at 4 and heading to #Libya. Gathering at Rabi'a Aladaweya mosqu

OrangeNes89 Orange
There is a convoy leaving Cairo 2day at 4 and heading to #Libya. Gathering at Rabi'a Aladaweya mosque, Nasr City. plz call: 0109999208
43 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[Catherina]

52. 15 volunteers are traveling with an aid to #Libya convoy from Cairo. Jealous,

marwame Marwa Elnaggar
by KuanQia
15 volunteers are traveling with an aid to #Libya convoy from Cairo. Jealous, but common sense tells me I'm more useful here. SAD.
5 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[Catherina]

13. No statement from BP or Shell to pull operations from #Libya

zeinati Tariq Ibrahim
No statement from BP or Shell to pull operations from #Libya due to oppressive regime, first the blood of #Lockerbie and now #Benghazi
27 minutes ago


Heh. Libya has the largest oil reserves in Africa.

[Catherina]

14. Security forces in #Libya are using snipers to kill protesters, here among an 8 year old boy

Mamashaal Mashaal Mir
Security forces in #Libya are using snipers to kill protesters, here among an 8 year old boy http://tiny.cc/0rlf8 #journalism #middleeast
29 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Libya unrest death toll 'tops 200'
Dozens of Muslim leaders call for end to civilian deaths after security crackdown on funeral procession of protesters.
Last Modified: 20 Feb 2011 11:25 GMT

VIDEO

...

Benghazi "a war zone"

Moftah, a resident of Benghazi - Libya's second largest city - who requested Al Jazeera use only his first name, said the city had become a "war zone" in recent days.

Residents have barricaded the streets with overturned trash cans and debris, and security forces have largely confined themselves to two compounds, though snipers continue to target protesters, he said.

The forces who remain are "thugs" loyal to Gaddafi, Moftah said, and they are firing high-calibre ammunition at protesters.

Mariam, a doctor speaking from a hospital in Benghazi, said the military had shot at protesters with live ammunition and that even the hospital was not safe. An eight-year-old boy who had been shot in the head was among the dead, she said.

...

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/02/20112206386812127.html

[Catherina]

15. Tony Blair and Qaddafi

AFreeMansLife Paul
The @guardian: Tony Blair shakes hands with Muammar Gaddafi in 2004 http://tinyurl.com/5ss7dbs Britain's alliance with #Libya turns sour
33 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Britain's alliance with Libya turns sour as Gaddafi cracks down
Tony Blair's handshake with Muammar Gaddafi in 2004 began an uneasy relationship that now presents difficult questions

Peter Beaumont and Andrew Clark
guardian.co.uk, Saturday 19 February 2011 19.40 GMT


Tony Blair shakes hands with Muammar Gaddafi, 2004. Photograph: Alastair Grant/AP

...


That man was Muammar Gaddafi, who, Blair announced, had joined Britain in the fight against terror.

...

Announcing a "new relationship", however, Blair said he had been struck by how the Libyan leader wished to join with Britain in "common cause with us against al-Qaida, extremists and terrorism".

...

But it has not only been a dubious partnership against terror that has increasingly embroiled the United Kingdom in Libya's affairs. There has been a second "common cause" that has underpinned the relationship with Gaddafi's regime, underscored by the announcement on the same day in 2004 of a £550m deal with Shell for exploration rights.

...

By yesterday the queasiness had turned to outright horror, as Britain's foreign secretary William Hague, a day after his department revoked all British arms licences to Libya and Bahrain, condemned the "unacceptable and horrifying'' use of violence by Gaddafi's security forces against his own people, "including reports of the use of heavy weapons fire and a unit of snipers against demonstrators".

...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/19/britain-alliance-libya-gaddafi-crackdown

It's even more disgusting than that. Blair is one of Qaddafi's PERSONAL ADVISORS and a CLOSE FRIEND and has visited the Qaddafi family "many" times according to Qaddafi's son and reports. Posted in one of yesterday's thread.

[Catherina]

16. UN: please demand that Gaddafi stops killing his people.

BasilGM Basil Al Dossary
UN: please demand that Gaddafi stops killing his people...أمنعوا القذافي من.قتل أهل ليبيا #Libya pls retweet
33 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply


Heh, see post above. No UN help for you unless the oil wells are in danger. Then you'll see heavily armed UN forces moving in to protect those.

[Catherina]

18. confirmed: brika barracks, mercenaries r firing at everyone regardless of age etc

ShababLibya LibyanYouthMovement
by juhina_
confirmed: brika barracks, they are firing at anyone and everyone regardless of age etc, anyone they see (these ppl being paid) #Libya
2 minutes ago

[Catherina]

19. From now there will be no oil exports from Libya CONFIRMED no oil from #Libya now world will wake up

ShababLibya LibyanYouthMovement
by markflan64
From now there will be no oil exported from Libya CONFIRMED no oil from libya, #Libya #Feb17 now the world will wake up
17 minutes ago

[Catherina]

20. reports of arguments within the Libyan army

marwame Marwa Elnaggar
by iHumble
#AJA: There are reports of arguments within the Libyan army. #Libya #Feb17
32 minutes ago

[Catherina]

21. lots dying, humaytha live fire on households by snipers, shooting ppl looking from windows

ShababLibya LibyanYouthMovement
by danmike1
CONFIRMED: lots dying, humaytha live fire on households by sniper #Libya #Feb17 shooting ppl looking from windows
10 minutes ago

[Catherina]

22. WSJ Article: full-fledged urban warfare

lomocrat kawee_m
RT @oli2be: In Libya, clashes escalated, at times, into full-fledged urban warfare http://on.wsj.com/fuUgvM /@WSJ #Libya
5 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Libya Unrest Appears to Grow
FEBRUARY 20, 2011, 9:21 A.M. ET

By CHARLES LEVINSON And TAHANI KARRAR-LEWSLEY

...

...

State TV blamed the violence, including "acts of sabotage and burning," on "foreign agents," echoing the attempts made by other Arab leaders in Egypt, Tunisia, Bahrain and Yemen to dismiss unrest.

...

Residents said parts of Benghazi had been consumed by full-fledged urban warfare between protesters and pro-government forces. Residents said pro-Gadhafi loyalists were firing rocket-propelled grenades at civilians and driving in cars randomly shooting down civilians. "There are some criminals driving cars shooting at people and they are using antitank weapons such as rocket propelled grenades, the bullets are the size of my hand," said a Benghazi resident whose wife works as a doctor at a local hospital.

...

A Libyan journalist in Tripoli said some journalists who had spoken with Arab television stations had been arrested within minutes of speaking on air.

...

"Neither side has complete control of Benghazi," said a student in Benghazi who would identify himself only as Abdullah for fear of his safety. "The people are in control of most of the streets, but are not in control of the airport and several other places and army bases. I think the army is in control of the airport."

...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703498804576156074096202208.html?mod=e2tw

[Catherina]

23. Media please STOP mentioning FULL NAMES of callers on your channels, lots of them disappear or get

marwame Marwa Elnaggar
by r3bug44
RT @changeinlibya: Media please STOP mentioning FULL NAMES of callers on your channels, lots of them disappear or get captured #Libya #feb17
11 minutes ago

[Catherina]

24. Ali Hwaidi, Head of Interior Security in Eastern Libya has left

ShababLibya LibyanYouthMovement
by danmike1
CONFIRMED: Ali Hwaidi, Head of Interior Security in Eastern Libya has left, #feb17 #libya #gaddaficrimes
4 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[Catherina]

25. Confirmed: tripoli are out in numbers ,, chanting they are with benghazi, heart warming...

ShababLibya LibyanYouthMovement
by ChangeInLibya
Confirmed: tripoli are out in numbers #Libya #Feb17 they are chanting they are with benghazi, heart warming...
10 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[Catherina]

26. AJE call: 50.000 protestors are planning to march on Qadafi's residence in Zawiya, to burn it down.

lars_akerhaug Lars Akerhaug
by I_LuvTO
An eye witness on Aljazeera now saying that 50.000 protestors are planning to march on Qadafi's residence in Zawiya, to burn it down. #Libya
8 minutes ago

[Catherina]

27. Mercenaries in Benghazi shooting live gunfire randomly at everything, into people's homes, balconies

iyad_elbaghdadi Iyad El-Baghdadi
by 3Beee
Mercenaries in #Benghazi are shooting live gunfire randomly at anything that moves, even into people's homes and balconies #Feb17 #Libya
7 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[Catherina]

28. confirmed: a child, 9 months old, was shot and died. now how is that not genocide?WHERE IS THE WORLD

juhina_ jay_Libya
by PinHead95
confirmed: a child, 9 months old, was shot and died. now how is that not genocide? how is that not a massacre? WHERE IS THE WORLD? #libya
23 minutes ago


Complaining about the price of gas.




shamsery Zahir shamsery
RT @ShababLibya:CONFIRMED: Aljazeera reports youngst martyr in Libya:1 & a half years old!!!! #libya #feb17 #gaddaficrime about 1 minute ago
1 minute ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[Catherina]

29. Philip Brennan: Libya: The bloodiest uprising the Maghreb has ever seen

der_bluthund PhilipBrennan.net
by Aelroy
#Libya: The bloodiest uprising the Maghreb has ever seen http://bit.ly/f90An7 #Feb17 #Benghazi
23 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Libya: The bloodiest uprising the Maghreb has ever seen
Posted by Phil Brennan on Feb 20, 2011



As the world's media is blocked from entering Libya to report fully on the bloody uprising, the people of Libya are risking all to get the truth out to the world outside.

Philip Brennan | PhilipBrennan.net | 20 February 2011:

A statement from "Cyrenaican" on the running battles to liberate Benghazi from the Revolutionary Forces of Gaddafi:

"...Today, footage was released of the foreign mercenaries sent into Libya to murder Libyan civilians. Anti-aircraft weaponry and sniper rifles are the weapons that have been used against the people of Benghazi today's reports say 200 dead minimum. Today's massacres have been the worst to date of the Arab uprisings. It is now a war of Libyan civilians in the east against foreign killers..."

YOUTUBE VIDEO: African Soldier Found Dead In Libya (Graphic)

"...Talking to a beloved friend and relative of mine hiding in Benghazi. He's on the verge of tears, it is painful to hear. He is telling me that in the battle of the Kateebatil Fadheel, 200-300 were killed, foreign mercenaries among internal police shooting at them. He hasn't had a sip of water in 2 days, him and the group of shabaab he is with haven't been able to go home, many of his friends have killed. In Benghazi, the youth are using 3 things:

1. Rocks
2. Molotovs Cocktails
3. Joulateena (small grenades used to catch fish in the sea).

They are using these against trained mercenaries from other countries, with submachine guns and anti-aircraft guns. Groups of gangs in cars amng them foreign Africans, been driving around, trying 2 run over & shoot & kill Libyans on streets in Benghazi. The shabaab of Benghazi are the heroes of Libya..."

To give you some idea of what the youth uprising are up against, the following footage was taken from the streets of Benghazi within the past two days:

YOUTUBE VIDEO: Libya: Live fire street battle between Military / Mercenaries and Protesters

This next video comes with the warning that it is very graphic and not for the faint hearted:

YOUTUBE VIDEO: Benghazi Libya - protests and fatal shootings 2011-02-17

Meanwhile, "monaeltahawy" also gave a statement last night, detailing events esewhere in the east of Libya:

....


http://www.philipbrennan.net/2011/02/20/libya-the-bloodiest-uprising-the-maghreb-has-ever-seen/

[Catherina]

30. Al birka has still not fallen in benghazi, more gunfire coming from area, abdalla sanussi inside

ShababLibya LibyanYouthMovement
by cantrellg99
Al birka benghazi has still not fallen in benghazi, more gunfire coming from this area, reports say abdalla sanussi inside #Libya #Feb17
2 hours ago


Abdullah Sanussi, brother-in-law of Muammar al-Gaddafi, and head of Libyan intelligence;

[Catherina]

31. Abdullah Sanussi in Wikileaks cable. Well whaddya know. Darfur and Sudan

Abdullah Sanussi. Our man for the neoliberals Darfur Humanitarian charade. How much sicker does this stuff get?

SE GRATION'S MEETING WITH Abdulla Sanussi ON REBEL UNIFICATION EFFORTS TRIPOLI 00000873 001.2 OF 002
Passed to the Telegraph by WikiLeaks 9:32PM GMT 31 Jan 2011
Ref ID: 09TRIPOLI873
Date: 11/1/2009 12:58
Origin: Embassy Tripoli
Classification: CONFIDENTIAL
Destination:
Header: VZCZCXRO5644OO RUEHROVDE RUEHTRO #0873/01 3051258ZNY CCCCC ZZHO P 011258Z NOV 09FM AMEMBASSY TRIPOLITO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5424INFO RUEHKH/AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM PRIORITY 0165RUEHNJ/AMEMBASSY NDJAMENA PRIORITY 0179RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVERUEHTRO/AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI 5973
Tags: PREL,CD,SU,LY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TRIPOLI 000873 SIPDIS DEPT FOR NEA/MAG, AF/C, AND S/USSES E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/1/2019 TAGS: PREL, CD, SU, LY SUBJECT: SE GRATION'S MEETING WITH Abdulla Sanussi ON REBEL UNIFICATION EFFORTS TRIPOLI 00000873 001.2 OF 002 CLASSIFIED BY: Gene A. Cretz, Ambassador, U.S. Embassy Tripoli, Department of State. REASON: 1.4 (b), (d)

1.(C) Summary: Abdulla Sanussi reiterated his support for Special Envoy Scott Gration's initiatives in Sudan in an October 8 meeting and pledged Libya's support for Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) unification talks, including an offer to host talks in Kufra. Sanussi and Gration agreed that unification was critical to creating opportunities for negotiated peace at Doha, and the current political opening would not last long. Sanussi complained that Libya was "fed up" with SLA leaders who refused to unify and seemed to represent no one but themselves. He said Libya would continue to pressure the governments in Khartoum and N'Djamena to cool the tensions between the two states, and debunked Khartoum's recent assertion that the Chadian army had amassed 286 trucks on the border as unhelpful posturing. Sanussi and Gration agreed to push members of the Tripoli and Addis groups to hold a unification conference in the coming weeks. End Summary.

REBEL UNIFICATION: SAME CUSHION, DIFFERENT DREAMS

2.(C) In an October 8 meeting with Special Envoy Gration, Brigadier General Abdulla Sanussi (and close Qadhafi confidant) said Libya had no special agenda or competitive spirit on resolving the Sudan crisis, pledging Libya's continued and unlimited cooperation with the SE's initiatives in Sudan. Sanussi agreed that the international community should continue to entice factions of the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) to seek unification in preparation for negotiations with the Government of Sudan in Doha and expressed appreciation for the USG's attention and seriousness in resolving the Darfur conflict. Sanussi viewed unification efforts as complicated by unreasonable, intractable demands of certain rebel leaders bent on spoiling the process for personal gain. The leaders, he said, reminded him of a Chinese proverb: though the faction leaders all slept on the same cushion, they all had different dreams.

3.(C) While the Libyan Government had facilitated travel and visas for members of the "Addis group" of SLA factions to come to Tripoli for unification talks with the "Tripoli group," Sanussi complained that several leaders had no interest in Darfur and knew nothing of the situation on the ground there. Saying Libya's chief concerns were the humanitarian and security situation for IDPs and civilians, he derided rebel leaders who "don't feel pain" after years of being ferried from capital to capital hosted in luxury hotels as various mediators attempted to unify the factions. Sanussi urged Gration to listen to the demands made by the rebels and filter out the unreasonable and impractical ones.

LIBYA "FED UP" WITH REBEL SPOILERS

4.(C) Sanussi said Libya was "fed up" after years of attempting to mediate between the various factions, particularly since the "legitimate" factions had few differences between them. In his view, some leaders had vested political interests in maintaining conflict in Darfur. Ahmed Abdel Shafie, for example, held the rank of colonel in the Southern Sudanese army and supported continued fighting in Darfur as it distracted Khartoum from its conflict with Juba. Shafie, he said, carried no weight tribally, militarily, or politically and should be cut out of the unification process to prevent him from becoming a spoiler. Sanussi called Shafie an untrustworthy, unreliable interlocutor who had reneged on every promise he had ever made to Sanussi. Saying, "I have helped him a lot," Sanussi suggested Shafie was the GOSS's problem and not the international community's.

5.(C) Sanussi contended that that the South had "paved the way for Darfur", with John Garang having visited Darfur 7-10 times in the early 2000s. Claiming a strong relationship with Garang from 1985 until his death in 2005, Sanussi said "I trained his troops and ferried him his equipment." Sanussi commented that, while Libya thought Southern Sudan was on track to enter the world as a failed state, Libya nevertheless supported the principle of self-determination and would continue to invest in Southern Sudan regardless of which way the vote went.

UNIFICATION CHALLENGES: JEM, SHAFIE, LOCATION

6.(C) In Sanussi's view, unification was needed to cool the tensions in Darfur and in the ongoing Chad-Sudan conflict. Khartoum was eager to find excuses to continue fighting, recently claiming Chadian President Idriss Deby had personally overseen the movement of 286 military vehicles to the border -- a claim that both Gration and Sanussi said was debunked by their governments. Gration and Sanussi agreed that Khalil Ibrahim's Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) was a wildcard in SLA unification efforts, with Gration noting that Khalil's national political agenda could derail SLA unification and the Doha TRIPOLI 00000873 002.2 OF 002 process.
7.(C) Although recent signals from Khartoum and N'Djamena may indicate an opening that would allow for a negotiated peace between the states and the rebels, Gration said that opening would not remain in place long. Rebel unification had a good opportunity for success if it could be effected in October, prior to the resumption of the Doha process. Sanussi suggested that the international community, along with UN/AU Special Mediator Bassole and Qatari Minister of State al-Mahmoud, should tell the SLA factions that only a unified group would be welcome to negotiate in Doha. Gration agreed, but cautioned that mediators needed to take care not to force groups into agreements and alliances that were not supported by Darfuris and commanders in the field. He added that the "Addis group" had agreed to a roadmap whereby a unification conference would take place in the field in Darfur but getting agreement in principle from the Tripoli-based factions would be essential to launching the initiative as soon as possible.

8.(C) Sanussi doubted that some of the assembled rebels would agree to a conference in Darfur, saying "it will be easier for Jesus Christ himself to come back than for Abdel Shafie to go to Darfur." Sanussi noted that security concerns and the fact that the true strength of certain supporter-less "movements" would be revealed in a field-based conference made such a conference virtually impossible. Nonetheless, Sanussi said he saw the reason behind the initiative and agreed that it was important to have field commanders, civil society representatives, and faction leaders all in one location. Sanussi offered Kufra -- a Libyan oasis town approximately 600 miles southwest of Benghazi -- as an alternate site that was secure, with facilities to house the various actors, and relatively close to field commanders and civil society leaders. SE Gration thanked Sanussi for the offer and agreed to support a Kufra conference if rebel leaders would accept it as an alternative.
9.(U) S/USSES cleared this message. CRETZ

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wikileaks-files/libya-wikileaks/8294672/SE-GRATIONS-MEETING-WITH-ABDULLA-SANUSSI-ON-REBEL-UNIFICATION-EFFORTS-TRIPOLI-00000873-001.2-OF-002.html

[Catherina]

32. Protestors in Zawia has burned down Gaddafi's house and now heading towards Tripoli

ShababLibya LibyanYouthMovement
by bootboss
BREAKING CONFIRMED: Protestors in Zawia has burned down Gaddafi's house and now heading towards Tripoli. #feb17 #gaddaficrimes #libya
23 minutes ago


ShababLibya LibyanYouthMovement
by asa_wire
BREAKING CONFIRMED: All protestsers out in Zawia burning down Gaddafi's house! #libya #feb17 #gaddaficrimes ZAWIA IS OFFICIALLY FREE!
25 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[Catherina]

45. Gaddafi has 25 houses in Libya, ood number for a guy that likes tents

ChangeInLibya Libyan Dude
by Franzys999
Someone puts the count of Gaddafi's (person. owned) houses in #libya at 25.. good number for a guy that likes tents #feb17 #libya
1 hour ago

[DU GrovelBot]

33. ## PLEASE DONATE TO DEMOCRATIC UNDERGROUND! ##

This week is our first quarter 2011 fund drive. Democratic Underground is
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[Catherina]

34. People are dying at staggering rates in #Benghazi men, women, children. intern'l comm step in NOW

bintlibya BintLibya
People are dying at staggering rates in #Benghazi men, women, children. We need the intern'l comm to step in NOW. How is this ok?? #Libya
28 seconds ago

[Catherina]

35. Large numbers of people dead in Benghazi today. Amount to be confirmed.

ShababLibya LibyanYouthMovement
by Caranolis
BREAKING: Large numbers of people dead in Benghazi today. Amount to be confirmed. #feb17 #gaddaficrimes #libya
8 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply


ShababLibya LibyanYouthMovement
by imfree81
BREAKING CONFIRMED: Fate of Benghazi and Libya unknown, death toll rising by the second. WORLD INTERVENTION IMPERATIVE NOW! #feb17 #libya
3 minutes ago

[Catherina]

36. Dear US followers, demand action from ur govt against ghaddafi atrocities. These r war crimes.

Sandmonkey Mahmoud Salem
by MelinEdo
Dear us followers, demand action from ur government against the atrocities of the ghaddafi regime. He is committing war crimes. #libya
1 hour ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[Catherina]

37. Benghazi the sound of demonstraters getting louder n louder. Security forces continuing to shoot

SaloumehZ SaloumehZ
by TONICO444
In Benghazi the sound of the demonstraters is getting louder and louder. Security forces continuing to shoot. @AJELive #Libya
1 hour ago

[Catherina]

38. some supplies have reached Libyans via Egypt.

marwame Marwa Elnaggar
by NesmaMohsen
According to @libyafreedomnew, some supplies have reached Libyans via Egypt. #Libya #Feb17
20 minutes ago

[Catherina]

39. BBC NEWS:it's a real massacre. They are shooting people right now. They are civilians"

shaistaAziz Shaista Aziz
by Distinctions1
BBC NEWS: Witness "They are shooting people - it's a real massacre. They are shooting people right now. They are civilians" #Libya #Benghazi
10 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[Catherina]

40. Far worse than we thought, BBC report 208 dead in 1 day in #Benghazi alone.

PurpleGimp Chelle Denise
by eyade
Far worse than we thought. Thinking of all in #Libya RT@lisang BBC report 208 dead in 1 day in #Benghazi alone. http://bbc.in/fvKzed #Feb17
14 minutes ago

20 February 2011 Last updated at 15:01 GMT Share this pageFacebookTwitterShareEmailPrint
Libya unrest: Scores killed in Benghazi 'massacre'



BBC VIDEO "Doctor 'Braikah' in Benghazi describes 'a massacre' (Amateur video with this interview purportedly shows recent unrest in several parts of Libya)"

...

More than 200 people are known to have died, doctors say, with 900 injured.

...

"Ninety per cent of these gunshot wounds mainly in the head, the neck, the chest, mainly in the heart," she said.

...

Witnesses said troops used machine-guns, mortars, large-calibre weapons, and even a missile, against the mourners.

...

There are reports that the government is bringing in elite forces to the city - as well as foreign mercenaries from sub-Saharan Africa.

...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12517327

[Catherina]

42. Rpts that some pro-regime troops pulling from #Benghazi and heading towards #Tripoli

yad_elbaghdadi Iyad El-Baghdadi
by READER4223
Reports that some pro-regime troops pulling from #Benghazi and heading towards #Tripoli #Feb17 #Libya
1 minute ago

[Catherina]

43. large demo us Saidi street in tripoli heading toward the office of khweldi hamidi

libyanmaddog Libyan Mad Dog
by arcpdur
Reports of large demo us Saidi street in tripoli heading toward the office of khweldi hamidi #Libya
59 minutes ago


Major General Khweldi El Hamidi Ministry of Defence I believe.

[Catherina]

44. Libya is Germany's main source of Oil

whumba Ummah_Awake
by usamasheriff
Libya is Germany's main source of Oil http://bit.ly/ewG2nd #Palestine #Gaza #Israel #Bahrain #Libya #Egypt #Yemen #Iran #Iraq #KSA #Lebanon
27 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Article is in German.

Wintershall plant in Libya: Two billion invested


http://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/unternehmen/0,1518,746507,00.html

[Catherina]

46. 2nd police stronghold taken by protesters in #Benghazi. Youth now armed, heading 2 kateba in Birka

Pazuzu_hsp Rebecca Saade
by HayAlaAlFalah
RT @endtyranny01 CONFIRMED 2nd police stronghold taken by protesters in #Benghazi. Shabab armed themselves, heading 2 kateba in Birka #libya
2 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply


Shabab = youth

[Catherina]

47. pre gaddafi flag will soon be on every important building in libya

ChangeInLibya Libyan Dude
by paulgiovanni3rd
This is #libya 's flag pre gaddafi and this is the flag that will soon be on every important building in libya http://bit.ly/i5kNcM #feb17
10 minutes ago

[Catherina]

48. In Benghazi, about 200 soldiers killed by the Army because they refused to fire on protestors

SaloumehZ SaloumehZ
by carolmhunt
In Benghazi, about 200 soldiers killed by the Army because they refused to fire on protestors. @AJELive #Libya
1 hour ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[Catherina]

49. Gaddafi ordered the doctors not to cure any of the injured people

Loka7 Fay_Libya
Gaddafi ordered the doctors not to cure any of the injured people. Is he serious? i hope he gets burned in hell. #libya #benghazi
12 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[Catherina]

50. "one of those who died was apparently struck on the head by an anti-aircraft missile"

kingnikg Nicholas Goodley
"one of those who died was apparently struck on the head by an anti-aircraft missile" should the West respond? http://bit.ly/fntxCW #Libya
14 minutes ago

Libya protests: 140 'massacred' as Gaddafi sends in snipers to crush dissent
Women and children leapt from bridges to their deaths as they tried to escape a ruthless crackdown by Libyan forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.

VIDEO

By Nick Meo, Cairo 7:50AM GMT 20 Feb 2011

Snipers shot protesters, artillery and helicopter gunships were used against crowds of demonstrators, and thugs armed with hammers and swords attacked families in their homes as the Libyan regime sought to crush the uprising.

...

Reports from Benghazi gave a very different picture of the crisis, describing how the city's residents battled brutal security forces sent from the capital. One man, who gave his name only as Mohammed, told the BBC: "The army are joining the people, the people are going out of their homes and fighting street by street and they are winning."

...

Demonstrators claimed the regime had unleashed French-speaking African mercenaries against them, recruited from nearby countries such as Chad to help prop up the regime. Shaky videos filmed secretly from inside buildings and posted on YouTube showed the soldiers on the streets of Benghazi. Several were reportedly caught by the crowd and lynched.

...

Heba Morayef of Human Rights Watch, which estimated the death toll at 84, said: "What is astonishing is the bravery of Libyans, who are running a great risk of disappearance and torture."

...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8335934/Libya-protests-140-massacred-as-Gaddafi-sends-in-snipers-to-crush-dissent.html

[Catherina]

51. Gaddafi warns the EU against supporting the protesters. WARNS!

marwame Marwa Elnaggar
#AJA: #Gaddafi warns the EU against supporting the protesters. Yes, you read that right, he WARNS the EU. #Libya #Feb17
1 minute ago Favorite Retweet Reply


weddady weddady
by knowbuddhau
RT @khadijapatel: Waving oil barrels like lollipops - RT: On Aljaz: #Libya warns the EU against inciting protesters.
3 minutes ago

[Catherina]

53. Libyan embassy protest in egypt. Silence of same corrupt torture Mubarak regime

Sandmonkey Mahmoud Salem
by little_bytes
Libyan embassy protest in egypt. #libya http://yfrog.com/gycpcqyj
4 minutes ago





anameenana AA
by O_Najjar
@monaeltahawy Silence of Gov't #Egypt on massacres #Libya = no #jan25 Rev, same corrupt regime w sympathy to torture, killing, dictators"
7 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[Catherina]

54. AlJazeera's signal in Egypt being disrupted on ArabSat & NileSat. disruption source is from #Libya.

Dima_Khatib Dima Khatib أنا ديمة
by tonyalmq
AlJazeera's signal being disrupted on ArabSat & NileSat. Lebanese minister of Communication says disruption source is from #Libya. #feb17
13 minutes ago

[Catherina]

55. @PJCrowley I'm asking why the US has said nothing but being ''concerned' about #Libya, mercenaries k

haloefekti Halo Efekti
by FrankenTan@
@PJCrowley I'm asking why the US has said nothing but being ''concerned' about #Libya, mercenaries killing citizens & all
9 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[Catherina]

56. Sounds of screaming in #Libya is chilling

virtualactivism Virtual Activism
Sounds of screaming in #Libya is chilling
4 minutes ago

[Catherina]

57. Part 2 here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x463344