Libya crushes ‘day of anger’

By Andrew England in Cairo

Libyan security forces arrested activists and clashed with protesters on Thursday as Muammar Gaddafi’s regime cracked down on efforts to organise a “day of anger” on the back of uprisings that forced the Tunisian and Egyptian presidents from office.

Activists and human rights officials said protesters and security forces clashed in Benghazi, the oil-rich nation’s second city, and Al-Bayda, the scene of violence the previous night.

The Al Arabiya television station said 19 protesters had been killed in the two cities since Monday, without explaining how it obtained the information.

Tripoli, the capital of the oil-rich nation, appeared calm as several hundred supporters of Mr Gaddafi, who has ruled Libya since 1969, held a demonstration in the centre of the city in what appeared to be an attempt to counter anti-regime protests.

“There were clearly attempts to demonstrate in Benghazi and al-Bayda since this morning and there have been arrests since last night,” said Heba Morayef, North Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch. “What we have seen in the last couple of days is a crackdown on peaceful protestors though arrests, beatings, tear gas, and in Al-Bayda, live fire.”

Libya’s Quryna newspaper reported that two civilians were killed in clashes on Wednesday in Al Bayda, while other reports put the death toll higher. The newspaper said a regional security official had been dismissed over the deaths.  Al-Bayda is near Benghazi, which has been a traditional hotbed of opposition to Mr Gaddafi.

It was not possible to confirm the scale of the protests and clashes on Thursday. 

Ms Morayef said at least 16 activists had been detained over the past three days, while medical sources in Al Bayda told Human Rights Watch that 70 people were injured in Wednesday’s violence in the town, with half of them left in a critical condition.

Inspired by the uprisings in neighbouring Egypt and Tunisia, Libyan activists had been calling on Facebook for mass rallies on Thursday to mark the February 2006 death of a dozen demonstrators during a protest against the Danish cartoon depicting the prophet Mohamed.

A resident of Tripoli said the capital was calm as several hundred pro-Gaddafi supporters demonstrad in a square, adding that they appeared to have been bussed in for the protest. Some shops were open, but there was a heavy security presence in the city and schools were closed, the resident said.

Libya boasts Africa’s largest proven oil reserves, but in spite of its oil wealth and small population of 6m people, Libya faces many of the problems of its neighbours, including unemployment, corruption and repression. Dissent is not tolerated and political parties are banned.

“The situation is very tense. There’s clearly a conflict between pro-Gaddafi camps and anti-Gaddafi camps,” said Ashour Shamis, a government critic based in London. “It will continue but it will be slow because of the peculiarities of Libya. It’s a small population spread over the country and the regime is strong and can buy people and crackdown on them very easily.”

Mr Gaddafi has ruled Libya, which is home to Africa’s largest proven oil reserves, since 1969 and dissent is not tolerated while political parties are banned.  

In spite of its oil wealth, Libya faces many of the problems of its neighbours, including unemployment, corruption and repression.

“With people from Tunisia and Egypt to Bahrain and Iran asserting their right to protest, the Libyan government is responding in exactly the wrong way,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “Colonel Muammar Gaddafi should learn from his former neighbours that stability has to include respect for peaceful protest.”