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Showing posts with label Tripoli Revolution. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tripoli Revolution. Show all posts
Gunshots have rung out in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, where anti-government protesters staged rallies against the crumbling regime of Libya's ruler Muammar Gaddafi.
Tripoli residents demanding Gaddafi's downfall held rallies after the Friday prayers in the capital, where they were met with pro-Gaddafi forces that used teargas to disperse the crowd.
"They fired teargas. I heard shooting. People are scattering," a Reuters reporter at the scene of the protests in the east of the Libyan capital said.
Reports indicate that Gaddafi's secret police waited outside mosques as demonstrators began to call for an end to the ruler's 42 years of autocracy.
Pro-regime forces unleashed the gas and baton rounds to suppress the anti-government protests.
Meanwhile, the regime's troops kept a heavy military presence on main roads around the capital, where pro-Gaddafi forces have been searching cars at numerous checkpoints.
In the Libyan city of Benghazi, which is under the protesters' control, a massive rally was held after the day's prayers.
Clashes also erupted in the town of Zawiyah and the oil port of Ras Lanuf, with reports of heavy casualties after the regime unleashed fire on anti-government protesters in an area near the oil port of Ras Lanuf.
Libya's revolutionary forces have vowed to continue with their rallies until achieving victory.
The Libyan situation continues to dominate the world oil markets. The uprising in the oil-rich North African nation has increased crude prices worldwide.
New York's light sweet crude for April delivery, known as West Texas Intermediate, rose 72 cents to reach above 102 dollars a barrel.
Libya produces over one and a half million barrels of oil a day. About 85 percent of Libya's oil goes to Europe.
Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi's troops have opened heavy fire on anti-regime protesters in an area near the oil port of Ras Lanuf.
Heavy shelling has been heard from the city some 600 kilometers east of the capital, Tripoli. At least four people were killed during heavy clashes between Gaddafi loyalists and defectors, a Press TV correspondent reported.
Reports say Gaddafi's military forces have bombed the eastern oil-rich town of Brega for the third consecutive day.
Similar air strikes have also been reported in the northeastern town of Ajdabiya 160 kilometers south of Benghazi.
This comes as reports say Gaddafi's regime has stepped up the recruitment of mercenaries from other African countries. Revolutionary forces say they have already captured scores of Gaddafi mercenaries.
The anti-regime forces say they are ready to hold talks if the Libyan ruler steps down or goes into exile.
Reports say several-thousand Libyans have been killed and many others have been injured after the protests began in the North African nation on February 17.
Anti-government protests have been held across Libya as tensions remain high in the North African nation.
In the Libyan city of Benghazi, demonstrators marched after the Friday Prayers, demanding the ouster of Gaddafi.
A Press TV correspondent says revolutionary forces have promised to continue with their rallies until achieving victory.
In Tripoli, anti-Gaddafi protesters took to the streets. Police used teargas to disperse demonstrators after the Friday Prayers. Gunshots were also heard in the city.
Opposition forces claim they have taken control of an airport in the oil port of Ras Lanuf, after heavy fighting with Gaddafi forces.
Reports say scores of people have been killed in the fighting.
Libya's state television, however, claims that Gaddafi forces have seized back the city of Zawiyah, near Tripoli.
The city was taken by protesters two weeks ago.
At least 50 people have been killed and hundreds more wounded in the fresh fighting.
The Libyan situation continues to dominate the world oil markets. The uprising in the oil-rich North African nation has increased crude prices worldwide.
New York's light sweet crude for April delivery, known as West Texas Intermediate, rose 72 cents to reach above 102 dollars a barrel.
Libya produces over one and a half million barrels of oil a day. About 85 percent of Libya's oil goes to Europe.
Hundreds of mourners in Libya have buried victims of clashes between pro- and anti-government forces in the country's east, where the opposition beat back an offensive by forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader.
The funerals came as rebel forces regrouped in preparation for another potential onslaught on Friday, a day after air strikes struck the coastal town of Brega in an attempt by pro-Gaddafi forces to retake control.
Saif Gaddafi, a son of the Libyan leader, told a British broadcaster that Thursday's air strikes were meant to scare opposition protesters away, not kill them.
However, the air strikes failed to dislodge opposition fighters from the oil-rich area, which lies nearly 800km east of the capital, Tripoli.
Rebel reinforcements from the east of the country began arriving in the nearby town of Ajdabiya and arming themselves, according to information received by Al Jazeera.
Meanwhile, dozens of people marched in a funeral procession in Ajdabiya on Thursday, with five coffins held aloft en route to the cemetery there.
"For the people of Ajdabiya, these men are marytrs to their revolution. And the more of their comrades who are killed, the more they are determined to defeat Muammar Gaddafi," reported Jacky Rowland, Al Jazeera's correspondent in the city.
Mourners shouted slogans against Gaddafi, including: "The blood of marytrs will not be spilled in vain"; "Gaddafi get out, Libyans don't want you!"; and "Gaddafi you're crazy!".
Human Rights Watch confirmed at least 14 deaths from the fighting in Brega as of Thursday morning, including a 13-year-old shepherd named Hassan Umran.
In Benghazi, Libya's second city and a stronghold of the opposition, which has been demanding that Gaddafi step down, about 1,000 people turned out to bury six people, the AFP news agency reported.
A crowd of anti-government activists packed into vehicles and drove to the cemetery, where they fired into the air and said prayers honouring those who had been killed.
Struggle intensifies
Earlier, our correspondent reported that the rebels in the country's east, though poorly equipped and not well trained, set up advanced positions 50km west of Brega.
The reported strikes on the town came in the wake of a counter-offensive launched by Gaddafi, aimed at taking back lost territory in the country's east. About 300 men loyal to the Libyan leader attacked Brega, some 500km east of the capital, Tripoli, on Wednesday.
A short while later, an air force bomber encircled the town, firing a missile without causing any casualties. The warplane struck a beach near where the two sides were fighting at a university campus.
Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley, who was about 70 metres from the missile when it hit, said the opposition managed to repel the strike - maintaining control of the town they seized a week ago.
Located between Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte - still under government control - and the opposition-held eastern port of Benghazi, Brega also sits near ethnic fault lines between tribes loyal to Gaddafi and eastern groups opposed to him.
Government forces were also reported to be battling to regain control of rebel-held towns close to Tripoli, trying to create a buffer zone around what is still Gaddafi's seat of power.
Meanwhile government officials from the Netherlands are continuing with efforts to win the release of three Dutch marines detained in Libya.
They were captured on Sunday by forces loyal to Gaddafi after they landed in the coastal city of Sirte. They were trying to rescue two Europeans who have since been handed over to the Dutch embassy in Tripoli
It's been two weeks since the start of the Libyan revolution, where the people have been fighting for their freedom against the dicatator Muammar Gaddafi. The East of Libya has been liberated for some time now and in Benghazi, the situation here has largely been peaceful
However Gaddafi is still in power, and with the ongoing struggle in many cities in the western part of Libya, the violence is set to continue.
HEAR: In Benghazi, the people want an immediate end to Gaddafi's rule, and they have taken it upon themselves to bring that about, even if it means an all out war.
Many volunteers have been putting their name forward to join the army. They come from different professions and backgrounds, ready to give their life for the liberation of their country.
The volunteers are hoping to arm themselves and some are hoping to head towards the capital Tripoli, Gaddafi's stronghold. This is where they plan to attack his military compound and bring down the regime. This is obvioulsy a huge task, but with Gaddafi still threatening to bomb and kill protesters, they don't have much choice.
The overwhelming majority of the people in Benghazi have expressed the need for more support, aid and arms from other countries, but it's clear that they do not want a foreign invasion, and if the Americans and other forces do interfere, the Libyans will hope to see the back of them as soon as possible.
Reports say forces and foreign mercenaries loyal to Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi have surrendered parts of the capital, Tripoli, to pro-democracy protesters.
Residents in some neighborhoods of the capital are barricading their streets and proclaiming open defiance. Demonstrators have also taken control of the city of Zawiyah, some 50-kilometers west of Tripoli.
This comes as revolutionary forces are advancing towards Tripoli. Forces loyal to Gaddafi continue the violent suppression of anti-government demonstrations as protesters are fighting their way into the capital.
More anti-government demonstrations continue across Libya as more cities fall under protesters' control.
They have already seized control of several cities including Libya's second largest city, Benghazi.
Meanwhile, the opposition is planning to form an interim government in cities liberated from Gaddafi's rule, to pave the way for free and fair elections.
The UN Security Council has imposed sanctions on the Libyan regime and has refered Gaddafi to the International Criminal Court.
The United Nations' refugee agency says nearly 100,000 people have fled Libya in the past week amid simmering tension in the North African country.
According to the UNHCR, most of the evacuees were foreign nationals.
The agency described the situation as a humanitarian crisis, urging the Tunisian and Egyptian governments to support the evacuees.
Earlier, border security officials at Ra's Jedir crossing said over 38,000 people have crossed Libya into Tunisia since February 20.
The evacuation of foreign nationals has picked up speed since Colonel Gaddafi announced plans to arm his supporters to fight his opponents.
Protesters and demonstrators in Libya have one call and that is an end to the long-time rule Muammar Gaddafi.
For more on the ongoing events in Libya, Press TV has interviewed former US ambassador to Iraq, Edward Peck, from Washington.
Press TV: How do you assess the US response up into this point of events that have been unfolded in Libya?
Peck: Well, I don't think there's been actually much of a response that is measurable and therefore, is difficult to comment on, because we have made so much noises and so many words but we haven't really done anything of a concrete nature which makes it difficult to assess what is actually accomplished.
Press TV: What can you tell us about the latest comment by US President Barack Obama who had stated that “Gaddafi must basically leave now?”
Peck: Well, it isn't up to Mr. Obama to decide whether or not Mr. Gaddafi is going to leave. He could make statement like that, but it is basically meaningless. It is just words. In a democracy such as ours, it is partially intended to get the people to do something, but you know it isn't really of a great significance as far as I can tell.
Press TV: Taking into account the behind the scenes calculations, does the US want the fall of another Arab dictatorship with prospects of a democracy for that country in the future?
Peck: Well, that is a tough one. Because would be a democracy, may be yes may be no. It is hard to say in advance. It could be something that resembles the democracy. It could result in the folks that we are considering to be the most important, not succeeding in getting rid of Gaddafi. In which case you could have an extensive of what that involves all sorts of developments which would not be in my mind, in the best interest of the United States. It could go that way just as easily as the way we would like it to. It is hard to predict future.
Press TV: Do you think that the US would have preferred to have Gaddafi stay in power?
Peck: Well, the way it is now, probably not because of what has happened the developments that have taken place. It may have been that when he was there, [they] were happy to have him there because the US has always felt that stability is better than chaos or disorganization, or that kind of development.
Whether it is or it isn't a judgment call and I am not in a position to make that for my government but I think we would have preferred a quiet transition. One in which the people slowly accommodated to doing things, a different way and the government would whistle on that since that seems to be too late now. What the American people would like to see is some sort of development which leads to stable, quiet, peaceful change over to something [that is] perhaps a little bit democratic.
Press TV: Well the Obama administration is considering a range of options from pressuring the Libyan regime. The question that is circulating in everybody's mind is military intervention in Libya. Is it possible or is it on the table basically?
Peck: Oh, that is a really tough one, because what the Americans actually be prepared to consider another invasion of another country. I hate to think so. I recognize that the way the thing are these days, it could happen, but another invasion on an Arab country. Don't do that. That would cause catastrophe I think.
Press TV: There are so many players, such as Britain, France, Italy. What could their objectives be?
Peck: That is something you have to ask them but I guess that the thing that concerns me is that the United states of America has enough going on now in the world of a military nature, in places where some people would suggest we really don't have any right to be, but I think it would be a major mistake to get involved in yet another war anywhere, involving with anyone. So I hope that they have enough understanding to recognize that is definitely not something that should not even think of as a course of action.
Press TV: Looking at the revolutions and uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt, now in Libya, Yemen, Bahrain, let's say a hypothetical situation. You were working in the US State Department and the Secretary of State asks you what is going on in the Arab world, how would you respond to that?
Peck: well, I think I would feel constraint and would tell him or her that whatever is happening in the Middle East right now may not turn out to be in the best interest of this country. In the sense that there are a lot of people who do not like what is and has been done to the Palestinians. This was one of the things that people of Egypt had against their leaders.
The fact was that he was facilitating what Israel was doing to the Palestinians, which the overwhelming majority of Arabs, Muslims do not support; but he was doing it for whatever reasons. It is not something that I can describe or talk about and that is one of the things that they had against him. So if indeed Mr. Mubarak has gone and that remains to be seen, because it isn't over until it is over. It is highly unlikely in my mind that the government of Egypt is to replace Mr. Mubarak. It is going to be a government which will be continuing that support which they did not think was good before.
The UN Security Council has unanimously imposed travel bans and asset freezes on Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, members of his family and inner circle.
Saturday's resolution adopted by the 15-nation council also called for the immediate referral of the deadly crackdown against anti-government demonstrators in Libya to the International Criminal Court in The Hague for investigation and possible prosecution of anyone responsible for killing civilians.
The council demanded an "immediate end to the violence and for steps to address the legitimate demands of the population" in Libya.
It called for Libyan authorities to act "with restraint, respect human rights and international humanitarian law," and facilitate immediate access for international human rights monitors.
The council called for an immediate lifting of restrictions "on all forms of media" and for the safety of foreign nationals to be assured and their departure facilitated.
Under the arms embargo, UN members will take immediate and necessary measures to "prevent the direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer to Libya ... of arms and related material of all types, including weapons and ammunition, military vehicles and equipment."
Libya would be prohibited from importing all arms and related material and all UN members should prevent their nationals from exporting them.
The travel ban and assets will target the 68-year-old Libyan leader, his adult children, other family members and top defence and intelligence officials accused of playing a role in the bloodshed.
'Moral support'
Sixteen names are on the sanctions list.
The council said its actions were aimed at "deploring the gross and systematic violation of human rights, including the repression of peaceful demonstrators."
And members expressed concern about civilian deaths, "rejecting unequivocally the incitement to hostility and violence against the civilian population made from the highest level of the Libyan government."
The day was consumed mainly with haggling behind closed doors over language that would refer Libya's violent crackdown on protesters to the International Criminal Court, or ICC, at the Hague.
All 15 nations on the council ultimately approved referring the case to the permanent war crimes tribunal.
Council members did not consider imposing a no-fly zone over Libya, and no UN-sanctioned military action was planned.
The Libyan deputy UN envoy described the adoption of sanctions as "moral support" to those resisting Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
Ibrahim Dabbashi, one of the first Libyan diplomats to denounce Gaddafi and defect, said the council's move "will help put an end to this fascist regime which is still in existence in Tripoli."
Libya's former justice minister has formed an interim government as several cities are currently under the control of pro-democracy demonstrators.
Mustafa Mohamed Abdel-Jalil formed the government in the eastern city of Benghazi on Saturday, Reuters cited Libya's Quryna newspaper as reporting.
"Muammar Gaddafi alone bore responsibility for the crimes that have occurred in Libya," the paper quoted the former Libyan justice minister as saying.
Libya is bracing for more violence as thousands of pro-democracy protesters, seeking the ouster of the Gaddafi regime, are moving toward the capital, Tripoli.
But foreign mercenaries and troops still loyal to Gaddafi are making every effort to crush the revolution.
The 68-year-old Gaddafi and four of his sons, Saif al-Islam, al-Saadi, al-Mutassim, and Khamis, are reportedly in the Bab al-Azizia military barracks, located west of Tripoli, and fighting against the protesters.
His fifth son, Saif-al-Arab Gaddafi, has joined the revolutionaries, and the Libyan dictator's cousin, Ahmed Qadhaf al-Dam, who was one of the members of Gaddafi's inner circle, has defected to Egypt.
According to the latest reports, demonstrators have already passed through the suburbs of the city.
Tripoli is a strategically important city and home to two million of Libya's more than six million people.
Libyan security forces have reportedly killed over 1,000 people during the recent demonstrations against Gaddafi's four decades of repressive rule.
Libya is bracing for further violence as thousands of opposition protesters seeking the ouster of the Gaddafi regime move toward the capital, Tripoli.
Thousands of protesters are on their way to the capital from eastern and western cities.
Some incoming reports indicate that pro-democracy protesters have already passed through the suburbs of the city.
Meanwhile, sporadic clashes continue between protesters and government forces in the capital.
This comes as more and more soldiers are now joining the popular revolution.
The developments also come as the government is losing its grip on more cities in the country's east and west.
Tripoli is home to two million of Libya's more than six million population and strategically important city.
Experts say Tripoli's fall would be a final blow to the embattled regime.
Forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi's government are said to be stationed outside Tripoli.
However, Gaddafi remains defiant after nearly two weeks of nationwide protests against his regime. He has even promised to open arms depots to his supporters.
The forces are exhausted for staying on standby for several days.
The aid organization Doctors Without Borders says it is concerned about the condition of the injured in the city of Benghazi.
It says the city is in short supply of medical equipment despite the heavy number of casualties.
The organization says a six-person group of its staff has arrived in the city. It says it cannot reach Tripoli by road despite the dire need for medical help there.
Over 1,000 people have already lost their lives and more fatalities are feared as Gaddafi's regime is trying to crush the popular uprising.
The humanitarian crisis is deepening in Libya as more and more people leave the country in search of safety.
Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader, is struggling to maintain his authority in the country, as vast swathes of territory in the east now appear to be under the control of pro-democracy protesters.
This comes as international pressure mounts on the Libyan leader to stop the violent crackdown on the demonstrators.
European countries have readied a set of economic sanctions against the country, while Barack Obama, the US president, has slammed the use of "outrageous" force against protesters.
A special session of the United Nations Human Rights Council is also set to take place on Friday to discuss the use of extreme force against peaceful protesters.
On Thursday, anti-government protesters appeared to be in control of the country's eastern coastline, running from the Egyptian border through to the cities of Tobruk and Benghazi, the country's second largest city.
Franco Frattini, the Italian foreign minister, said on Wednesday that protesters also held the city of Cyrenaica, while reports indicate that the anti-government forces' control could stretch as far west as the city of Misurata, where machine gun and heavy arms fire has been reported.
Other towns that appear to no longer be under Gaddafi's control include Derna and Bayda, among others across the country's east.
There have been reports of clashes between pro- and anti-government protesters in the cities of Sabha in the south, Sabratha, near Tripoli and Az Zawiya in the west, where fierce violence was reported. Reuters news agency, quoting Egyptian nationals fleeing Az Zawiya, reported that anti-government protesters had taken the city.
'People in control'
Soldiers in the cities controlled by the protesters have switched sides, filling the void and no longer supporting Gaddafi's government. In a statement posted on the internet, army officers stationed in Misurata pledged their "total support" for the protesters.
Major-General Suleiman Mahmoud, the commander of the armed forces in Tobruk, earlier told Al Jazeera that the troops led by him had switched loyalties.
"We are on the side of the people," he said. "I was with him [Gaddafi] in the past but the situation has changed - he's a tyrant."
Thousands gathered in Tobruk to celebrate their taking of the city on Wednesday, with Gaddafi opponents waving flags of the old monarchy, honking cars and firing in the sky.
"In 42 years, he turned Libya upside-down," said Hossi, an anti-government protester there. "Here the leader is a devil. There is no one in the world like him."
Armed opponents of the government are also patrolling the highway that runs along the country's Mediterranean coast. Al Jazeera's correspondent said that even in the towns under anti-government forces' control, gangs of pro-Gaddafi militias had been reported to be roaming the streets at night.
"From what I've seen, I'd say the people of eastern Libya are the one's in control," Hoda Abdel-Hamid, Al Jazeera's correspondent who is in Libya, reported. She said that no Libyan officials had been manning the border where Al Jazeera's team crossed into the country.
Capital paralysed
Tripoli, the Libyan capital, meanwhile, is said to be virtually locked down, and streets remained mostly deserted, even though Gaddafi had called for his supporters to come out in force on Wednesday and "cleanse" the country from the anti-government demonstrators.
He described citizens who opposed him as "rats" and "mercenaries".
Libyan authorities said food supplies were available as "normal" in the shops and urged schools and public services to restore regular services, although economic activity and banks have been paralysed since Tuesday.
London-based newspaper the Independent reported, however, that petrol and food prices in the capital have trebled as a result of serious shortages.
'Advisory role'
In the first comments from a Gaddafi family member regarding a post-Gaddafi Libya, Saadi, the Libyan leader's third son, told London-based newspaper the Financial Times that his father would play an advisory role in any new re
"My father would stay as the big father who advises," he said. "After this positive earthquake, we have to do something for Libya... We have to bring in new blood to govern our country."
He claimed that 85 per cent of the country was "very calm" and that army battalions were ready to strike at protesters.
On Wednesday, an army general told Al Jazeera that two pilots had ejected from their air force jet near the town of Agdabia after refusing to bomb civilians in Benghazi, which has been a stronghold of the anti-government protesters.
In addition to desertions by many army troops, Gaddafi has also been faced with several diplomats in key posts, as well as cabinet ministers, refusing to recognise his authority and calling for him to be removed.
Hundreds killed
Foreign governments, meanwhile, continue to rush to evacuate their citizens, with thousands flooding to the country's borders with Tunisia and Egypt. The United States, Britain, France, Italy, Turkey, China, France and India, among others, have made arrangements for their nationals to leave the country.
James Bays, Al Jazeera's correspondent, reported that there was "a desperate scene at Tripoli's airport". He said that there was a "log-jam" there, with some saying that they have been trying to leave the country for three days.
He said it was "almost impossible to buy a ticket", and that police were beating people with clubs to stop them from getting inside the airport.
"The airport is still very firmly under the control of Gaddafi's people," he reported, adding that secret police are patrolling the area, and several checkpoints have been set up on the road leading there.
While authorities have placed tight restrictions on reporting from the country, rights groups say that hundreds of people have been killed in the violent crackdown on anti-government protests that began on February 17. Witnesses say that government-employed foreign mercenaries have been patrolling the streets of cities, firing indiscriminately at people.
The use of warplanes against civilian targets has also been widely reported.
The Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights put the number of people killed at 640, though Nouri el-Mismari, a former protocol chief to Gaddafi, and Frattini, the Italian foreign minister, put the number closer to 1,000.
Denying these figures as "fabrications," the Libyan interior ministry on Wednesday said the death toll since the violence began is only 308.
'Industry of extermination'
Alain Juppe, the French defence minister, on Thursday said he "hop[ed] wholeheartedly Gaddafi is living his last moments as leader". He repeated calls for economic sanctions to be imposed on Libya, including halting purchases of oil from the country.
William Hague, the British foreign minister, said that the United Kingdom was seeking an international investigation into the use of violence against Libyan protesters, and that the "odds are stacking heavily against [Gaddafi]". In earlier comments, Hague had suggested that mass desertions and defections from the diplomatic corps and military meant that Libyan state institutions were in danger of collapse.
Opposition parties in Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco, meanwhile, have made a joint statement on the government crackdown in Libya, calling on their governments to intervene.
"It is a genuine industry of extermination that has been unleashed. We must stand up to it, as any conscious individual would, and do everything to stop this massacre," read the statement.
As condemnations for the crackdown continue to pour in, international oil prices have hit two-and-a-half year high on the back of instability in the country, which is one of Africa's largest oil producers.
The Libyan regime is facing growing international condemnation over its brutal crackdown on pro-democracy supporters as the death toll from the country's revolution climbs.
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said Wednesday that the 27-member bloc has decided to suspend talks with Libya on the EU-Libya Framework Agreement and promised to "take further measures" in response to the brutal violence against Libyan civilians.
The UN Security Council has also condemned Libya's deadly crackdown on the pro-democracy protesters and demanded an immediate end to the violent repression of peaceful demonstrations against Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi's regime and expressed "deep regret for the death of hundreds of civilians."
A statement from the 15-member council called for those responsible for the violence against protesters to be brought to account and said Libya's regime had to "address the legitimate demands of the population."
The African Union (AU) also slammed the brutal crackdown on civilians in crisis-hit Libya, asking for an end to the suppression of the pro-democracy protesters.
The African body said in a statement issued on Wednesday that it "condemns the disproportionate use of force against civilians and deeply deplores the many human lives lost so far."
US President Barack Obama condemned the "outrageous" crackdown by Libyan security forces on protesters and said Washington would work with international partners to hold Gaddafi's government accountable.
"The suffering and bloodshed is outrageous and it is unacceptable. So are threats and orders to shoot peaceful protesters," Obama said in his first public comments on the violence in Libya.
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Thursday deplored the Libyan government's violent crackdown on protesters and warned that the unrest could threaten the global economy.
This comes just a day after Gaddafi pledged to fight the intensifying revolution against his four-decade-long grip on power.
As many as 1,000 Libyans have so far been killed by the Libyan forces under Gaddafi's rule.
A total of 130 Libyan soldiers have been executed for refusing to open fire on anti-Gaddafi protesters.
Gaddafi, who came to power 41 years ago in a bloodless military coup, delivered a televised address on Tuesday in which he vowed to fight on to his "last drop of blood" and called on his supporters to take to the streets to confront the pro-democracy protesters.
He also declared that he has no intention of relinquishing power and referred to the protesters as "rats and to be held to account d cockroaches."
The Libyan government vigilantes and snipers struggle to regain control of the capital after pro-Gaddafi forces lost several cities to revolutionary protesters.
Reports say the revolution flag is now flying over Tajuraa city close to Tripoli. The western cities of Zwaara and Azzawiya are also under the control of the protesters.
This comes as more and more soldiers are now joining the popular revolution.
Anti-government protesters have also overrun the eastern province of Cyrenaica. This follows the fall of the second largest city of Benghazi.
Soldiers in the coastal town of Tobruk say Gaddafi's forces have lost control of the region. They say they no longer back the Libyan ruler. Tobruk lies close to the Egyptian border.
Many governments and international bodies across the world have reacted strongly to the crisis in Libya.
Reports widely indicate that government-led violence in the country has left at least one thousand protesters dead over the past several days.
Reports say the Libyan Revolution has gained momentum despite brutal crackdown by Gaddafi's regime.
The developments come as popular revolutions continue to sweep US-backed autocratic regimes across the Middle East and North Africa.
South Africa's Closing Argument Against Israel for Genocide at the ICJ
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