Revolutie in Libië #115: Waar de veiligheidschef ook is gearresteerd.

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Mahmoud Jibril seeks coalition with Libya's Islamists after his poll win

National Forces Alliance wants to rebuild country but faces resistance from the Justice and Construction party

Mahmoud Jibril, leader of the moderate pro-business National Forces Alliance that swept to a landslide victory against the Muslim Brotherhood in Libya's elections, is trying to assemble a ruling coalition this weekend, even as the last votes remain to be counted.

Election officials confirmed on Saturday that with 98% of votes from last weekend's election, the first in Libya for 48 years, the NFA and its allies won 17 of the 20 "super constituencies", with the Muslim Brotherhood's Justice and Construction party capturing only one.

"Nobody saw this coming," said Dirk Vandewalle, a US academic and former adviser to UN special envoy for Libya, Ian Martin. "The rule – all oil-exporting countries in the Middle East always being authoritarian – may have been proved wrong by Libya. There's a whole academic literature about this [and] it will have to be rewritten."

With the Justice and Construction party baffled at its failure to repeat the successes of Muslim Brotherhood parties in Egypt and Tunisia – fellow participants in last year's Arab spring – Jibril repeated calls for a grand coalition to rebuild Libya, but Brotherhood officials remain bitter.

Jibril, a US-educated economist, was once head of economic planning for the former dictator, Muammar Gaddafi, working with his son, Saif al-Islam, on a reformist constitution that was never implemented.

"Why were we put in prison in Libya and Jibril was working with Saif?" said Justice and Construction campaign manager El-Amin Belhaj. "Libyans do not want Sharia [law]. They want an economy."

But for the time being Libyans have turned their back on a party that seeks to mix religion and politics. "We want a guy who can manage," said Baha, a 20-year-old Tripoli medical student. "With the Brotherhood, the problem is we are already Islamic. We don't need someone to tell us how to be Islam."

With his mixture of moderate Islam and business knowhow, Jibril, 60, must still deal with the paradox that his support came evenly from communities that were both pro- and anti-Gaddafi in last year's war. "The debate is going to move away from Islamists-versus-liberals to former regime-versus-rebels," said Maryann Maguire, director of Intercultures, a UK-based risk management business.

Last week came a reminder of the depth of distrust, when two journalists from the former rebel town of Misrata were arrested in Bani Walid, a key Gaddafi stronghold in last year's revolution. Within days the town was surrounded by militia forces ready to fight.

On Saturday the standoff seemed destined for a negotiated settlement, but it is a reminder that Jibril must keep both sides happy in the months to come. He will be hoping that the solution lies in Libya's black gold.

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Op zaterdag 14 juli 2012 16:54 schreef Frikandelbroodje het volgende:

Vandaag dus de definitieve uitslag van de verkiezingen. Ben benieuwd!

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Op zondag 15 juli 2012 11:35 schreef zuiderbuur het volgende:

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Ik heb nog steeds geen definitieve uitslagen gevonden?

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Op zondag 15 juli 2012 11:44 schreef RobertoCarlos het volgende:

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Rond de 19e volgens dit bericht
http://www.bndestem.nl/ni(...)n-Libi%26euml%3B.ece

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Op zondag 15 juli 2012 11:37 schreef Chooselife het volgende:
Ik ben persoonlijk erg benieuwd naar de huidige status van Saif al-Islam Khadaffi.

Is zijn lichaamsgewicht nog op acceptabel niveau? Is hij in staat zelfstandig te lopen en te praten?

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Op zondag 15 juli 2012 14:49 schreef Frikandelbroodje het volgende:

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Een beetje vervelend dat er hier in het westen zo weinig aandacht voor is, ik begrijp het zelf namelijk ook niet helemaal meer. Ik kan er bar weinig van in het engels vinden, er zouden een aantal stemmen in een paar districten herteld worden, maar waarom dat is weet ik niet. Dat zou tot overmorgen kunnen duren, maar waarom dat is weet ik ook niet. Anders ga ik er wel vanuit dat RobertoCarlos gelijk heeft. Jammer van al die verwarring.

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Op maandag 16 juli 2012 15:24 schreef Frikandelbroodje het volgende:

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Het lijkt me sterk dat Libië echt opgedeeld gaat worden, omdat afscheiding gewoonweg geen grote steun heeft onder de bevolking ook in het oosten niet. Een van de hoofdredenen van de opstand tegen Khadaffi daar was dat alles voor hen in Tripoli werd beslist, duizenden kilometers verderop. Dat men daar dus meer zelfbeschikking en decentralisatie wil is dan ook een must. Dat is ook wel gebeurd(bijvoorbeeld de lokale verkiezingen in Benghazi een paar maanden terug, die nu zelf beslissingen voor de stad moeten nemen), maar niet genoeg inderdaad, die olie is daar een goed voorbeeld van. Ik vind dat dit artikel het wel goed uitlegt, ookal is het al een paar maanden oud.

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Op donderdag 19 juli 2012 21:27 schreef Comandante het volgende:
Overzichtelijke verkiezingsresultaten;
https://en.wikipedia.org/(...)gress_election,_2012

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Generaal vermoord in Libië
Straatbeeld van de Oost-Libische stad Benghazi Straatbeeld van de Oost-Libische stad Benghazi Wikimedia
Toegevoegd: zaterdag 11 aug 2012, 02:20

In Libië is een belangrijke generaal vermoord door onbekenden. Mohammed Hadiya al-Feitouri verliet een moskee in de Oost-Libische stad Benghazi toen hij onder vuur werd genomen vanuit een auto.

Al-Feitouri was een van de eerste hoge Libische militairen die overliepen naar de opstandelingen tijdens de burgeroorlog vorig jaar. Hij was inmiddels hoofd bewapening bij het ministerie van Defensie.
Motief onbekend

Het motief achter de moord is niet duidelijk. Wel is het de afgelopen tijd onrustig in het land, omdat verschillende regio's vinden dat ze te weinig macht hebben in de nieuwe regering. Zo voelt Benghazi zich achtergesteld bij de hoofdstad Tripoli.

Afgelopen zondag werd de oud-chef van de militaire inlichtingendienst onder Kadhafi op klaarlichte dag doodgeschoten door onbekenden. Ook hij was aan het begin van de revolutie overgelopen.

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Op zondag 12 augustus 2012 18:44 schreef zuiderbuur het volgende:
Ik vind het een vreemde keuze voor president van Libië. De partij van deze man heeft slechts 3 zetels gewonnen?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohamed_Yousef_el-Magariaf
Eerst nog ambassadeur onder Kadaffi, nadien een moordpoging op hem gedaan...

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Amerikaanse ambassadeur gedood bij aanslag in Benghazi
De ambassadeur voor de Verenigde Staten in Libië, Chris Stevens, is samen met drie andere ambassademedewerkers om het leven gekomen bij een raketaanval in Benghazi. Dat meldt persbureau Reuters.

Het gebouw van de ambassade in Benghazi is in brand gestoken. Volgens ooggetuigen gebruikten de betogers automatische geweren en handgranaten tegenover Libische veiligheidsmedewerkers die het gebouw moesten beschermen. Niet duidelijk is of de ambassadeur in zijn auto zat bij het consulaat, of dat hij in het gebouw zelf aanwezig was tijdens de aanslag.

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Op woensdag 12 september 2012 11:21 schreef Serieus_Persoon het volgende:
Tja, de vruchten van de door Obama bejubelde Arabische lente.

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Libyans storm extremist compound to protest attack on U.S. consulate

BENGHAZI, Libya - Hundreds of protesters stormed the compound of one of Libya's strongest armed Islamic extremist groups Friday, evicting militiamen and setting fire to their building as the attack that killed the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans sparked a public backlash against armed groups that run rampant in the country and defy the country's new, post-Moammar Gadhafi leadership.

Armed men at the administrative center for the Ansar al-Shariah militia, suspected to have led the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. Benghazi consulate, first fired in the air to disperse the crowd, but eventually withdrew from the site with their weapons and vehicles after it was surrounded by waves of protesters shouting "No to militias."

"I don't want to see armed men wearing Afghani-style clothes stopping me in the street to give me orders, I only want to see people in uniform," said Omar Mohammed, a university student who took part in the takeover, which protesters said was done in support of the army and police.

No deaths were reported in the incident, which came after tens of thousands marched in Benghazi in a rally against armed militias. A vehicle was also burned at the compound, which was taken over by Libyan security forces after its occupants fled.

For many Libyans, last week's attack on the U.S. Consulate in the eastern city of Benghazi was the last straw with one of the biggest problems Libya has faced since Gadhafi's ouster and death
around a year ago - the multiple mini-armies that with their arsenals of machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades are stronger than the regular armed forces and police.

The militias, a legacy of the rag-tag popular forces that fought Gadhafi's regime, tout themselves as protectors of Libya's revolution, providing security where police cannot. But many say they act like gangs, detaining and intimidating rivals and carrying out killings. Militias made up of Islamic radicals are notorious for attacks on Muslims who don't abide by their hardline ideology. Officials and witnesses say fighters from Ansar al-Shariah led the attack on the U.S. consulate.

Some 30,000 people filled a broad boulevard as they marched along a lake in central Benghazi on Friday to the gates of the headquarters of Ansar al-Shariah.

"No, no, to militias," the crowd chanted, filling a broad boulevard. They carried banners and signs demanding that militias disband and that the government build up police to take their place in keeping security. "Benghazi is in a trap," signs read. "Where is the army, where is the police?"

Other signs mourned the killing of U.S. Amb. Chris Stevens, reading, "The ambassador was Libya's friend" and "Libya lost a friend." Military helicopters and fighter jets flew overhead, and police mingled in the crowd, buoyed by the support of the protesters.

Several thousand Ansar al-Shariah supporters lined up in front of their headquarters in the face of the crowd, waving black and white banners. There were some small scuffles, but mostly the two sides mingled and held discussions in the square.

The march was the biggest seen in Benghazi, Libya's second largest city and home to 1 million people, since the fall of Gadhafi in August 2011. The unprecedented public backlash comes in part in frustration with the interim government, which has been unable to rein in the armed factions. Many say that officials' attempts to co-opt fighters by paying them have only fueled the growth of militias without bringing them under state control or integrating them into the regular forces.

Residents of another main eastern city, Darna, have also begun to stand up against Ansar al-Shariah and other militias.

The anti-militia fervor in Darna is notable because the city, in the mountains along the Mediterranean coast north of Benghazi, has long had a reputation as a stronghold for Islamic extremists. During the Gadhafi era, it was the hotbed of a deadly Islamist insurgency against his regime. A significant number of the Libyan jihadists who travelled to Afghanistan and Iraq during recent wars came from Darna. During the revolt against him last year, Gadhafi's regime warned that Darna would declare itself an Islamic Emirate and ally itself with al-Qaida.

But now, the residents are lashing out against Ansar al-Shariah, the main Islamic extremist group in the city.

"The killing of the ambassador blew up the situation. It was disastrous," said Ayoub al-Shedwi, a young bearded Muslim preacher in Darna who says he has received multiple death threats because has spoken out against militias on a radio show he hosts. "We felt that the revolution is going in vain."

Al-Shedwi said some were afraid that if they don't act to rein them in, the U.S. will strike against the militias, pushing people to support the gunmen.

Leaders of tribes, which are the strongest social force in eastern Libya, have come forward to demand that the militias disband. Tribal leaders in Benghazi and Darna announced this week that members of their tribes who are militiamen will no longer have their protection in the face of anti-militia protests. That means the tribe will not avenge them if they are killed.

Activists and residents have held a sit-in for the past eight days outside Darna's Sahaba Mosque, calling on tribes to put an end to the "state of terrorism" created by the militias. At the city's main hotel, The Jewel of Darna, tribal figures, activists, local officials and lawmakers have been meeting in recent days to come up with a plan.

"Until when the tribes will remain silent," cried a bearded young man standing on a podium at one such meeting Thursday. "The militias don't recognize the state. The state is pampering them but this is not working anymore. You must act right now." Elders in traditional Libyan white robes stood up and shouted in support.

Militiamen have been blamed for a range of violence in Darna. On the same day Stevens killed in Benghazi, a number of elderly Catholic nuns and a priest who have lived in Darna for decades providing free medical services, were attacked, reportedly beaten or stabbed. There have been 32 killings over the past few months, including the city security chief and assassinations of former officers from Gadhafi's military.

Darna's residents are conservative, but they largely don't fit the city's reputation as extremists. Women wear headscarves, but not the more conservative black garb and veil that covers the entire body and face. In the ancient city's narrow alleys, shops display sleeveless women dresses and the young men racing by in cars blare Western songs.

And many are impatient with Ansar al-Shariah's talk of imposing its strict version of Islamic law. The group's name means "Supporters of Shariah Law."

"We are not infidels for God sake. We have no bars, no discos, we are not practicing vice in the street," said Wassam ben Madin, a leading activist in the city who lost his right eye in clashes with security forces on the first day of the uprising against Gadhafi. "This is not the time for talk about Shariah. Have a state first then talk to me about Shariah."

"If they are the `supporters of Shariah' then who are we?" he said. "We don't want the flag of al-Qaida raised over heads," he added, referring to Ansar al-Shariah's black banner.

One elder resident at the Sahaba Mosque sit-in, Ramadan Youssef, said, "We will talk to them peacefully. We will tell them you are from us and you fought for us" during the civil war against Gadahfi. But "if you say no (to integrating into the) police and army, we will storm your place. It's over."

Officials in the interim government and security forces say they are not strong enough to crack down on the militias. The armed factions have refused government calls for them to join the regular army and police.

So the government has created a "High Security Committee" aimed at grouping the armed factions as a first step to integration. Authorities pay fighters a salary of as much as 1,000 dinars, around $900, to join - compared to the average police monthly salary of around $200. However, the militias that join still do not abide by government authority, and critics say the lure of salaries has only prompted more militias to form.

Officials and former rebel commanders estimate the number of rebels that actually fought in the 8-month civil war against Gadhafi at around 30,000. But those now listed on the High Security Committee payroll have reached several hundred thousand.

"All these militia and entities are fake ones but it is mushrooming," said Khaled Hadar, a Benghazi-based lawyer. "The government is only making temporarily solutions, but you are creating a disaster."

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Battle in Benghazi as crowds attack militia blamed for US diplomat's death

Angry protesters set fire to buildings at militia HQ but are met with machine-gun fire at second base

Fierce fighting broke out on Friday night after crowds trying to storm the Benghazi base of a militia blamed for the death of US ambassador Chris Stevens came under fire.

Earlier in the evening protesters calling for an end to militia rule had stormed the headquarters of the Islamic Ansar al-Sharia brigade in the city, setting fire to buildings after pushing past guards who fired in the air.

But the protesters ran into a hail of fire when they moved south to storm a much larger secondary base of the militia, whose members are accused of the attack on the US consulate that left Stevens and three other diplomats dead.

Machine-gun fire burst out as the demonstrators tried to enter the compound, a former base of Muammar Gaddafi's regime.

Later there was pandemonium as police and army vehicles jostled with civilian cars and ambulances trying to get the wounded through traffic to hospital.

Sirens, screams, car horns and the rattle of heavy machine-gun fire filled the air, with long bursts of fiery red tracer fired from inside the base going over the heads of panicked protesters.

Hours earlier, Benghazi had been quiet, its people toasting the peaceful end of a rally that saw 20,000 people gather in the city centre to demand an end to militia violence.

As the women and children left the rally, hundreds of young men stormed the Ansar al-Sharia base, and that of another city centre militia blamed for thuggery, meeting little resistance.

Live television pictures showed wounded men arriving in the city hospitals, some of the lesser wounded shouting Allahu Akbar – God is great.

A Guardian correspondent trying to approach the base was turned back by a bearded man in a long white coat traditionally worn on Friday, the day of prayer.

"You must go back, you must go back, foreigners are not safe," he said.

The decision by the Ansar al-Sharia brigade to fight back rather than surrender its base has caused an immediate political crisis for Libya's head of state, Mohamed al-Magariaf, who has blamed the unit for involvement in the death of Stevens and linked it to al-Qaida.

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Thousands demonstrate against militias, violence and disorder



Thousands of Libyans demonstrated in the country’s two largest cities of Tripoli and Benghazi yesterday.

The demonstrations had been planned for days and were as a direct result of the attack on the US consulate and the death of ambassador Chris Stevens.

Whilst the Tripoli demonstration was much smaller, the Benghazi demonstration billed as the “Save Benghazi Friday” was believed to have attracted between 30,000-40,000 people.

Protesters carried banners condemning the murder of Ambassador Stevens and chanting slogans such as “No to Al-Qaeda” and “No to terrorism”.

The demonstrations reflect a mood of frustration that is sweeping the country with the seemingly ineffective interim government of the outgoing Prime Minister Abdulrahim Al-Kib.

Demonstrators were also directing their anger at the numerous paralegal militias that continue to resist the demand that they either join the official National Army or disband.

Meanwhile the Ansar Al-Sharia brigade, suspected of involvement in the consulate attacks, had organised its own rally “in honour of the Prophet”, to be held at the same time and location as the other rally.

Violence had been feared between the “Save Benghazi” rally and its far smaller rival, but confrontations were limited to strong words during the demonstrations themselves.

Libyan Air Force jets conducted a number of flybys over the city of Benghazi to provide support to the demonstrators and perhaps as warning to potential troublemakers.

“It was one of the most amazing days in Benghazi which reminded me of the days of the beginning of the Revolution”, said Najla Elmanhoush an NGO activist.

Demonstrators were also hoping to send a strong message to the new Prime Minister Mustafa Abushagur that the nation was ready for strong government and the imposition of law and order.

Libyan Herald

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Op zaterdag 22 september 2012 10:46 schreef Aloulou het volgende:
Gisteren was een demonstratie in Benghazi circa 30.000 Libiers aanwezig, voor ontwapening van de milities en tegen de moord op de Amerikaanse ambassadeur. Wat ook de aanleiding ertoe was. Zelfde moment een demonstratie op zelfde lokatie van "Ansar as-Sharia" (sharia4libie groep zeg maar, alleen minder puberachtig) van 3000 Libiers. De grote demonstratie keerden zich tegen Ansar as-Sharia omdat zij voor de dood van de ambassadeur verantwoordelijk worden gehouden. Zijn jihadisten vooral. En hun "compound" in Benghazi (het is ook een militie namelijk) is bestormd door demonstranten gisteren en in brand gestoken. Veel Libiers willen ook dat milities ontwapend worden, alleen is de vraag hoe de staat dat in de praktijk voor elkaar gaat krijgen. Waarschijnlijk gaat daar wel wat tijd overheen, en misschien hier en daar "by force". Nadat eerst graven zijn vernield door salafistische groepen en daarna de ambassadeur is afgemaakt (een vriend van Libie was het namelijk) zijn veel Libiers het zat. Ook de druk op de gekozen vertegenwoordigers neemt toe. Men verwacht dat de overheid Ansar as-Sharia gaat ontbinden, waar waarschijnlijk met geweld hen ook de wapens wordt afgenomen als zij dat niet zelf vrijwillig inleveren.

Hier meer over de grote demonstratie gister in Benghazi en bestorming van de compound van Ansar as-Sharia: http://www.huffingtonpost(...)ghazi_n_1905288.html

http://www.libyaherald.com/?p=14866

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Op zaterdag 22 september 2012 10:19 schreef Papierversnipperaar het volgende:

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Op zaterdag 22 september 2012 12:30 schreef JaJammerJan het volgende:

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Ja, that's it. NATO kom maar binnen, bombardeer maar weer alles. Er worden 'crimes against humanity' gepleegd hier; schieten op onbewapende demonstranten.

Libië is nu een grote puinzooi. Als NATO daar weggebleven was had Qhadaffi die opstand in een aantal weken beëindigd en kon het gewone leven daar weer verdergaan zoals het daar zo goed ging voor de opstand (rijkste land van afrika).

Het is nu wel heel duidelijk dat die rebellen die oh zo gesteund moesten worden door het westen gewoon vuile terroristen, uit op macht zijn. Maar dat kon je toen ook al weten, alleen geloofde niemand je toen.
Er is genoeg videomateriaal te vinden van Pro-Ghadaffi demonstranten waar op geschoten is in de eerste weken van de 'revolutie'. Dat zegt al genoeg. Of al die leugens die die rebellen verspreid hebben. Als die revolutie echt zo groot was en ghadaffi zo slecht zou je die leugens helemaal niet nodig moeten hebben. Maar nee, blijkbaar waren ze zeeer nodig. Er is immers een No-Fly zone ingevoerd gebaseerd op leugens. Die gasten in het pentagon zelf zeiden nog dat ze 0 bewijs hebben dat er inderdaad door vliegtuigen gebombardeerd wordt en dat ze er maar vanuit gaan omdat het op het nieuws komt.

Ik hoop dat overal een echte democratie kan komen, maar op de manier hoe deze democratie tot stand is gekomen zal dat nooit het geval zijn. Dit is allemaal al voorspeld toen de NATO interventie begon, maar niemand wilde luisteren.

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Op zaterdag 22 september 2012 13:02 schreef Papierversnipperaar het volgende:

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Kan je het niet hebben dat de revolutie in Libië de extremisten aan pakt en daarmee jouw ongelijk bewijst?

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Op zaterdag 22 september 2012 13:58 schreef JaJammerJan het volgende:

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De extremisten aanpakt? Dat rebellenleger was juist een en al extremistisch.

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Vreemd dat je dat nog altijd niet doorhebt. Niet voor niks hebben die rebellen gevangenissen vol met veroordeelde extremisten bevrijd.

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Op zaterdag 22 september 2012 12:30 schreef JaJammerJan het volgende:

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Ja, that's it. NATO kom maar binnen, bombardeer maar weer alles. Er worden 'crimes against humanity' gepleegd hier; schieten op onbewapende demonstranten.

Libië is nu een grote puinzooi. Als NATO daar weggebleven was had Qhadaffi die opstand in een aantal weken beëindigd en kon het gewone leven daar weer verdergaan zoals het daar zo goed ging voor de opstand (rijkste land van afrika).

Het is nu wel heel duidelijk dat die rebellen die oh zo gesteund moesten worden door het westen gewoon vuile terroristen, uit op macht zijn. Maar dat kon je toen ook al weten, alleen geloofde niemand je toen.
Er is genoeg videomateriaal te vinden van Pro-Ghadaffi demonstranten waar op geschoten is in de eerste weken van de 'revolutie'. Dat zegt al genoeg. Of al die leugens die die rebellen verspreid hebben. Als die revolutie echt zo groot was en ghadaffi zo slecht zou je die leugens helemaal niet nodig moeten hebben. Maar nee, blijkbaar waren ze zeeer nodig. Er is immers een No-Fly zone ingevoerd gebaseerd op leugens. Die gasten in het pentagon zelf zeiden nog dat ze 0 bewijs hebben dat er inderdaad door vliegtuigen gebombardeerd wordt en dat ze er maar vanuit gaan omdat het op het nieuws komt.

Ik hoop dat overal een echte democratie kan komen, maar op de manier hoe deze democratie tot stand is gekomen zal dat nooit het geval zijn. Dit is allemaal al voorspeld toen de NATO interventie begon, maar niemand wilde luisteren.

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Unarmed people power drums Libya's jihadists out of Benghazi

These were the incredible scenes in Benghazi as tens of thousands of ordinary citizens marched on the Islamic extremists in their compounds and drove them out with shouts, placards and sheer courage

As fires blazed and protestors danced in the ruined compound of a vanquished jihadist militia, I watched as the citizens of the Libyan city of Benghazi staged a dramatic display of raw people power.Numbed by the murder of an American ambassador in their city, furious with jihadist militias lording it over them and frustrated by a government too chaotic and intimidated to react, ordinary Benghazians took matters into their own hands.

Elsewhere in the world jihadists staged fiery attacks on foreign targets. In Libya they were sent running by people power. A rally called to Rescue Benghazi on Friday night became the launch pad for a spontaneous retaking of the streets, and more – a retaking of the soul that saw this city become the cradle of last year's Arab Spring revolution.

Ansar Al Sharia militia, blamed by many for the killing of ambassador Chris Stevens and three of his diplomats had last week, deployed anti-aircraft guns around their Benghazi compound, fearing attack from drones and US warships. But the attack, when it came, was from a very different direction. Civilian. Unarmed. And with nothing more than the desperation of a population staring anarchy in the face.

For the people of Benghazi, the killing of Stevens was the final outrage in a campaign of extremist violence that have seen other consulates firebombed, the convoy of Britain's ambassador rocketed, commonwealth war graves vandalised and 14 officials assassinated. As foreign missions fled and businessmen cleared out, Benghazi has found itself cast as Libya's Dodge City. And in the absence of a sheriff to impose order, they staged their own spontaneous cleansing.

The rally on Friday was peaceful: crowds of men, women and children marched on central Benghazi, with balloons, flags and placards, many calling for justice for the killers of Stevens. "We are Islam, we are not extremists!" they chanted.

Ever since the 11 September attack on the US compound that left Stevens and three fellow diplomats dead, Benghazians have been incredulous at the inability of government to act. No serious investigation has been launched for his killers, the government cowed by the power of jihadist militias.

But support for the protest was everywhere. The defence minister refused to give his support, but air force pilots made their feelings known: an attack helicopter circled Friday's protest to protect it and a pilot made low thundering passes over the crowd to remind them of the revolutionary slogan: 'The army is with the people.'

When night fell, the dam broke. The women and children of the rally were escorted home and the crowd surged towards militia bases. First to go was the Abu Salem Shahouda militia base, behind the seafront Tibesti hotel, and blamed by locals for thuggery and intimidation. A crowd of hundreds of young men, some teenagers, smashed through the gates and into the compound.

I was propelled in with them, as the frightened militiamen were manhandled out of the gates. Minutes later three jeeps loaded with red capped military police screeched into the compound, weapons ready, unsure what they would find. The protestors embraced them. "It's like in the revolution," said colonel Ben Eisa, taking command of the abandoned Abu Salem Shahouda base. "We are taking orders from the people." It was as easy as that. Months of militia violence ended by a show of unarmed force.

Then came Ansar Al Sharia: a 300-strong force blamed by Libya's head of state Mohammed Magariaf for involvement in Stevens's death. As the demonstrators approached, the militiamen flooded out of their compound and fired volleys of machine gun fire into the air. The crowd, bursting with the frustration of months of humiliation, simply kept coming. The militia, who had vowed to fight American air power, fled before people power.

Compound buildings were torched, cars set ablaze and looting of everything not nailed down began as, belatedly, red-capped military police arrived. "We are in control of this place," said colonel Saleh Yemeni, sporting a red beret and the silver wings of the parachute regiment, as a flaming car burned behind him. "We are with the people."

A well-built man, Ehad El Farsi, stopped me to ask if I was American and to apologise on behalf of Benghazi for the killing of Stevens. Told I was English, he explained he was a politics professor at Benghazi university and wanted to talk to me about the merits of singer Chris Rea. "What you have here is the people taking action," he said. "All the people."

TV pictures may give the impression of mob rule. Being there felt it felt more like a cup final crowd toasting victory. Then the cry went up to march on Hwari, the sprawling base of another militia, Raffala Al Sahati, to which Ansar Al Sharia men were believed to have fled. El Farsi found his car, a BMW, and roared off south.

Protestors crammed into cars, hooting horns and waving Libyan tricolours as an impromptu convoy surged south of the city. But this time the response was different. The first protestors who marched on the gates were met by a hail of machine gun fire, triggering pandemonium. Cars bringing fresh protestors ran into the traffic jam of abandoned vehicles and civilian cars trying to ferry the wounded to hospital. Pickup trucks with anti-aircraft guns manned by military police sat, their crews unsure if they should return fire.

Amid a cacophany of car horns, shouts and the rattle of machine gun fire, red tracer slashed the night sky and protestors dashed for cover. "The were shooting at the people – the crowd were all running away," said Mohammed El Gadari, an aviation student who had gone there to search for his younger cousin.

Abandoning my vehicle and trying to get to the battle by foot through the chaos of traffic and angry protestors, a huge, bearded man in white robe grabbed me, yelling in my ear and violently pushing me backwards. He spoke no English, and I was separated from my translator. When he caught up with us, the man explained he was not attacking me but defending me: "You must go away, it is not safe," he said. "We have to protect our foreigners."

As protestor numbers grew and fire was returned, the base garrison fled, abandoning vehicles, guns and huge quantities of ammunition which the crowd looted. City hospitals were meanwhile forced to deal with carnage not seen since last year's war: surgeons were summoned from their beds, blood donors requested. By dawn the toll stood at 11 dead and 19 injured.

The wounded included Abu Baker Feraz, who had his leg smashed by a panicking militiaman escaping in a jeep. "It was an Ansar Al Sharia guy. I know his face. I have seven brothers – we want to find this man." As he was wheeled away to be operated on at Benghazi Medical Centre, his hand snaked out from the blue shawl that covered him. "I want to say something," he said. "Ansar Al Sharia, they have somebody from Afghanistan, somebody from Tunisia, somebody from Libya. Islam is not in Ansar Al Sharia."

It is a refrain you hear across Benghazi: Libya is a conservative Muslim country, and perhaps for this reason jihadists are distrusted for wanting to tell Libyans how to interpret their faith. Cynics say jihadists were wrongfooted by the revolution, won by the ordinary people and NATO, then by July elections that were won by a pro-business coalition, and are staking all on taking power – and Libya's oil wealth – by force.

The desperate hope here is that the outside world that gave Libya such support in its revolution does not turn away. "How can you have business if you can't guarantee security?" said Hana El Galal, a prominent civil rights activist in the city. "Everybody now is rallying against organised extremism."

For now, the city is calm. Whether it stays that way is anyone's guess: the political vacuum at the heart of Libya's government remains, and the Islamists have powerful political allies.

Some in Benghazi worry that the streets are now protected by the same police and army commanders who made their careers in Muammar Gaddafi's security forces. Ansar Al Sharia is still around, somewhere, but its leaders are perhaps mindful that, as they showed last year against the Gaddafi regime, Libyan people power should not be underestimated.

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Op zaterdag 22 september 2012 20:07 schreef Papierversnipperaar het volgende:

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Gaddafi was killed by French secret serviceman on orders of Nicolas Sarkozy, sources claim

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Diplomatic sources in Tripoli, the Libyan capital, meanwhile suggested to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Serra that a foreign assassin was likely to have been French.

The paper writes: 'Since the beginning of NATO support for the revolution, strongly backed by the government of Nicolas Sarkozy, Gaddafi openly threatened to reveal details of his relationship with the former president of France, including the millions of dollars paid to finance his candidacy at the 2007 elections.'

One Tripoli source said: 'Sarkozy had every reason to try to silence the Colonel and as quickly as possible.'

The view is supported by information gathered by investigaters in Benghazi, Libya's second city and the place where the 'Arab Spring' revolution against Gaddafi started in early 2011.

Rami El Obeidi, the former head of foreign relations for the Libyan transitional council, said he knew that Gaddafi had been tracked through his satellite telecommunications system as he talked to Bashar Al-Assad, the Syrian dictator.

Nato experts were able to trace the communicatiosn traffic between the two Arab leaders, and so pinpoint Gaddafi to the city of Sirte, where he was murdered on October 20 2011.

Nato jets shot up Gaddafi's convoy, before rebels on the ground dragged Gaddafi from a drain where he was hiding and then subjected him to a violent attack which was videod.

In another sinister twist to the story, a 22-year-old who was among the group which attacked Gaddafi and who frequently brandished the gun said to have killed him, died in Paris last Monday.

Ben Omran Shaaban was said to have been beaten up himself by Gaddafi loyalists in July, before being shot twice.He was flown to France for treatment, but died of his injuries in hospital.

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Bashar al-Assad 'betrayed Col Gaddafi to save his Syrian regime'

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French spies operating in Sirte, Gaddafi's last refuge, were able to set a trap for the Libyan dictator after obtaining his satellite telephone number from the Syrian government, they said.

In what would amount to an extraordinary betrayal of one Middle East strongman by another, President Bashar al-Assad sold out his fellow tyrant in an act of self-preservation, a former senior intelligence official in Tripoli told the Daily Telegraph.

With international attention switching from Libya to the mounting horrors in Syria, Mr Assad offered Paris the telephone number in exchange for an easing of French pressure on Damascus, according to Rami El Obeidi.

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Reconstructie: hoe het consulaat in Benghazi werd bestormd en in de fik gestoken

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De aanval op het Amerikaanse consulaat in de Libische stad Benghazi, had niets te maken met protesten tegen de anti-islamfilm 'Innocence of moslims', maar was een gerichte aanval van tientallen zwaar bewapende mannen. Er werd helemaal niet gedemonstreerd toen zij het consulaat aanvielen, en op de diplomatieke staf begonnen te jagen.

Dit blijkt uit een nieuw, gedetailleerd verslag dat door het Amerikaanse ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken is vrijgegeven. Bij de aanval kwamen de Amerikaanse ambassadeur Chris Stevens (die vanwege de herdenkingen van de aanslagen van 11/9 in het consulaat was) en drie stafleden om het leven.