Beleaguered Gaddafi buries head in sand; 14 dead (News Feature)

By Anne-Beatrice Clasmann Feb 18, 2011, 1:30 GMT

Tripoli/Istanbul - It was only a matter of time before the spark of revolution from Tunisia and Egypt spread to neighbouring Libya.

However, it is still too early to say whether opponents of longtime Libyan leader Moamer Gaddafi, 68, can muster the numbers and degree of organization needed to oust the headstrong colonel and overcome his heavy-handed tactics.

On Thursday, he unleashed his security forces on small demonstrations around the country. At least 14 people were killed in the clashes, according to opposition news websites and activists.

Protesters are calling for Gaddafi's ouster and for more employment opportunities, reform and democracy.

In a country like Libya, where political parties are banned and 'spontaneous' demonstrations are mostly ordered by Gaddafi himself, it is quite remarkable that hundreds of people have taken to the streets, shouting, 'Gaddafi, we're not afraid of you!'

After all, Tunisia has shown what can follow when the barrier of fear is suddenly shattered in a country wholly lacking in freedom of expression.

How has Gaddafi, in power for 41 years now, responded to the challenge? He has buried his head in the sand and acted as though there were no protesters, which is in keeping with his principle of rule, namely: 'The people have the power, and I represent the people.'

This perspective is reflected in the slogans of his supporters, who amid the current unrest have also taken to the streets, chanting, 'With you always, oh leader!' and, 'The people's authority must remain!'

JANA, the official Libyan news agency, has confined its coverage to rallies by Gaddafi's supporters. In an interview by Al Arabiya, the Dubai-based Arabic-language television news channel, Libyan officials insisted, 'There were no deaths. It's all lies fabricated by foreign television channels.'

The Libyan opposition, part of which operates from abroad, has pushed back and published secretly recorded pictures of anti-government demonstrations on the Internet.

Press organs founded by Saif al-Islam, Gaddafi's politically ambitious son, have taken a middle ground. The semi-independent newspaper Quryna, for example, reported that Hassan al-Kardawi, security chief in the seaside city of al-Bayda, in the Green Mountain region of eastern Libya, had been removed from his post over the deaths of two young male protesters there.

Who are these rebels rising up against Gaddafi? Mostly, they are inhabitants of eastern provinces who feel shortchanged in the distribution of oil export revenues. They are unemployed youths, Islamists, human rights activists, intellectuals and relatives of political prisoners.

'The protesters have been very calm and peaceful so far,' said a spokesman for the opposition in exile, adding, 'Nevertheless, they've been attacked by security forces.'

If Gaddafi fails to hold on to power, it is certain that hardly anyone outside Libya will be sorry to see him go, least of all his fellow Arab leaders, each one of whom he has offended at least once. He screamed at the Saudi king on live television at an Arab summit meeting. He has constantly berated Palestinian leaders. The Shite Muslim movement Hezbollah in Lebanon hates him, blaming Gaddafi for the disappearance of a revered Lebanese Shia cleric.

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