Gaddafi Defeat In Libya
- August 22nd, 2011
- Posted by EUEditor
Crowds gathered in the central Green Square, of Freedom Place, in Tripoli in the late hours of Sunday, 21.8.11, signalling the defeat of the Gaddafi regime in Libya.
Images of the celebrations were being broadcast from webcams and on the Middle East television network, Al Jazeera; see pictures:
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/spotlight/libya/
Two of the former government leader’s sons were reported to be in detention as rebel forces pushed into the city, to the cheers of citizens coming out of their shuttered homes.
The whereabouts of Muamar al-Gaddafi himself were not immediately known.
The man as a charismatic Colonel at 27 led a coup against a moribund government 42 years ago; for a time was seen by many as a promising statesman of the Third World; then became known as a sponsor of terrorists; was later seen as a kind of mischevious global clown; and was in his last hours in office, making angry denunciations on the radio, as the guard around him laid down their arms.
Early on Monday, in Australia, the Foreign Minister, Kevin Rudd, said that international efforts would now be needed to support a transition to democratic government in Libya.
The rebellion against Gaddafi, over the last six months, has seen protracted fighting, some outrages against civilians, and a mass emigration of Libyans and guest workers to safety in neighbouring countries.
The NATO alliance provided vital air support for the opposition forces, under a United Nations mandate to protect the civilian population — faced with broad reprisal action by the regime against opposition protests.
European states, headed by France, recognised the National Transition Council set up in Benghazi, as the legitimate authority in Libya; and they are now urging peaceful change, ahead of tribal and other divisions in the country.
Reference
Al Jazeera, Doha, “The battle for Tripoli”, 22.8.11. http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/spotlight/libya/, (22.8.11).