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Oct 8, 2012

Libya, Bani Walid report [update 08.09.2012.]

will be updating with latest news
I'm so disappointed in how #baniwalid is being downplayed by media. #Libya if it were gaddafi sieging the town, would've been top news! [@ahmabd55]
Authorities still not allowing supplies into Bani Walid.
Bani Walid hospital report

Bani Walid hospital report translated in English

Predictable Chaos: 'Libya ungoverned & ungovernable'

*  Friends in BaniWalid report no fuel, medicine, or food entering city. GRAD rockets being heard and two cars stolen by invading militias.

Salem al-Waer, leader of Brigade 93,  made another speech urging resistance on the local radio of Bani Walid last night.
Demonstration in BaniWalid against shelling of Mardum and current blockade
*  Renewed clashes have occurred today.
Clashes have occurred today and the situation is very dangerous. Several thousand GNC CRIMINALS had used Grad rockets and howitzers against the city .
NATO slaves aka Congress has authorised the ministries of defence and interior to use all RTnecessary measures, including the use of force, if the suspects [?] are not handed over by that time.
Suspects for the capture of bandit, criminal, terrorist, garbage Omran Shaban

* Egyptian embassy has started to evacuate Egyptian citizens from BaniWalid

* 16 militiamen attempting to enter Bani Walid were captured by the defenders of the town.
* 3 Bani Walid residents were reportedly killed in total in clashes and shelling near the town today.

* Armed gangs of Libyan occupation goverment using artillery against civilian in Bani Walid city.
District Almrdom (east part of Bani Walid city) was exposed intensive indiscriminate shelling by the armed gangs stationed (new checkpoint of rats) near the eastern side of the city of Bani Walid.
[by Konstantyn Sheglikov] http://chris-sedlmair.posterous.com/breaking-news-baniwalid-libya

Update 21h
Two Bani Walid fighters were killed and 20 others were wounded in clashes with Misrata EXECUTIONERS in the Mardom area.
Despite the devastation, despite wounds despite the pain we still are ready ..... Sirte today

Update 24h
 - SABHA: Warfalla protesters in the streets of Sabha today VIDEO
- Planed  Meeting [?] between Mgariaf and representatives from BaniWalid at GNC
- No phone network but wifi is working in Bani Walid
SIRTE : Warfalla protest on coastal road in Sirte against occupation of Bani Walid 

'Gaddafi’s regime looks like a beacon of light compared to the current govt'
Geopolitical analyst Patrick Henningsen told RT that there’s no stability in Libya compared to before the onset of last year's NATO bombing.  But now as Bani Walid asks for UN help, Henningsen says residents shouldn’t expect much in terms of assistance.

The United Nations hasn’t done anything of value in the last decade or two. It’s a complete failure led by the United States and its ‘Mini me’ Britain, he said.

Henningsen spoke to RT about the current situation in Bani Walid and Libya as a whole.

RT: The siege of Bani Walid started because the government wants to arrest the suspected murderers of the man who's thought to have captured Colonel Gaddafi. The town failed to hand them over – but is the siege an appropriate response?

Patrick Henningsen: Not in a civilized, normally formed country. But as we know, Libya is anything but civilized and formed in a normal, organic fashion. The ruling party in Libya right now is an amateur government. 
It’s an artificial creation of the west in the post-Gaddafi regime change plan. So this gives you an indication of how they’re governing in this country and certainly there is no stability in Libya compared to before the NATO bombing and destruction of their country.  
http://rt.com/news/bani-walid-gaddafi-libya-944/

Member of Warfalli tribe in East Libya (who support Feb17)
gathered in Benghazi to protest against Bani Walid siege
Tripoli, Green Sqare: Libyan against siege of Bani Walid

Tripoli, Green Sqare Libyan against siege of Bani Walid
BANI WALID yesterday 07.09.2012
BANI WALID : CIVILIANS rocked by Misrata executioners:  
 ‏Several civilians were wounded today when militias shelled the eastern outskirts of Bani Walid and rockets hit homes. [LibyanReality]

The family whose house has been hit this morning in BaniWalid.
Child wounded in shelling in Bani Walid early today
The family whose house has been hit this morning in BaniWalid
The family whose house has been hit this morning in BaniWalid
Child wounded in shelling in Bani Walid early today
Child wounded in shelling in Bani Walid early today
 Does anybody CARE about Bani Walid UN? ALL "DEMOCRATIC INSTITUION" ? 

FEB17 : Zintan militia leader accused in Algeria. He apparently sold Milan anti-tank missiles & Katyusha's rockets to arms smugglers. #Libya
ZLITEN: A powerful explosionS shakes Zliten including several districts. The cause of the explosion is not known. We believed these are missiles of Misurata executioners. 
BANI WALID: Armed Misrata and other gangs continue to surround the city of Bani WalidLibya. As tension between gangs and Bani Walid resident continues to mount, residents have been left without food and other supplies – and are calling on the UN for help.
BANI WALIDOn October 4th, local doctors said that a group of armed men prevented three vehicles carrying medical supplies, personnel, and oxygen from entering the city. The men had set up a checkpoint about 80 kilometers away from Bani Walid, according to Bikya Masr news.
“The situation is very bad. No fuel, no food, no drugs, no communication. Everything is in a very bad situation,” Alshandoli said.
A petition circulating around the city on Friday night asked the UN Security Council to convene an emergency meeting and “to immediately intervene to protect the civilians in the town.
Signatories of the petition claimed that pro-government armed militias were trying to kill large numbers of people in Bani Walid, because of the city’s pro-Gaddafi history.
http://rt.com/news/bani-walid-libya-gaddafi-859/
TROPOLI protests: The valley of the 50 tribes will destroy Misrata in one night! SAID PROTESTERS.
At least 300 demonstrators gathered outside the National Congress today calling on the government to raise the siege of Bani Walid.
Misratan EXECUTIONERS had launched airstrikes on the south side of the town this morning, injuring three women and an elderly man. 
Otherwise ! Several hundred prisoners from Bani Walid were still being held in Misrata without trial.
'No food, no drugs': Libyan troops siege Gaddafi stronghold
Source: RT news
Protesters from Bani Walid shout slogans during a demonstration against the decision of the National Congress besieging the city of Bani Walid, in front of the National Congress in Tripoli October 7, 2012 (Reuters / Ismail Zitouny)
BANI WALID 05.09.2012. 
= VIDEO: Big Bani Walid rally against the occupation of the city, 5.10.2012
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Yok-VjQpUQ
Armed Libyan forces continue to surround the city of Bani Walid, Libya. As tension between government troops and opposition supporters continues to mount, residents have been left without food and other supplies – and are calling on the UN for help.
Human rights group Amnesty International has asked authorities to avoid unnecessary force, and to allow medical and other vital supplies into the city.
It comes after Libya’s General National Congress gave the Ministries of Interior and Defense permission to use force to arrest those suspected of killing Omran Shaaban – the man who is credited for capturing the country’s ex-leader, Muammar Gaddafi, last year.
Over the past week, government troops have surrounded the city.
“Right now, the armed forces are attacking our city at the eastern boundary between us and Misrata city,” Dr. Abdul-hamid Alshandoli, a member of Bani Walid’s social council who is inside the sieged city, told RT.
The government also called on the release of others being detained in Bani Walid, giving those in the city ten days to comply. The deadline came and went on Friday.
The chief of staff for Libya’s army issued a statement on Thursday, calling on residents to hand over the individuals to avoid a military assault.
According to Amnesty International, hundreds of residents in the city have been arrested by armed militias. Many continue to be detained without being charged or put on trial, and have been tortured or otherwise ill-treated, the organization said.
Libyan protesters from the city of Bani Walid hold slogans during a protest outside the National Congress in Tripoli on October 7, 2012 (AFP Photo / Mahmud Turkia)


Libyan protesters from the city of Bani Walid hold slogans during a protest outside the National Congress in Tripoli on October 7, 2012 (AFP Photo / Mahmud Turkia)
But despite calls from the army, a large number of residents have turned out to protest the demands.
“Many armed groups came to main entrance of Bani Walid and they asked the people to get out of the city. We have decided not to go because we want to defend our rights, our homes, and our families,” Alshandoli said.
Protesters from Bani Walid shout slogans during a demonstration against the decision of the National Congress besieging the city of Bani Walid, in front of the National Congress in Tripoli October 7, 2012 (Reuters / Ismail Zitouny)


Protesters from Bani Walid shout slogans during a demonstration against the decision of the National Congress besieging the city of Bani Walid, in front of the National Congress in Tripoli October 7, 2012 (Reuters / Ismail Zitouny)
As the conflict between government forces and opposition followers continues in the former Gaddafi stronghold, the city is reportedly suffering from a lack of necessary supplies.
On October 4th, local doctors said that a group of armed men prevented three vehicles carrying medical supplies, personnel, and oxygen from entering the city. The men had set up a checkpoint about 80 kilometers away from Bani Walid, according to Bikya Masr news.
“The situation is very bad. No fuel, no food, no drugs, no communication. Everything is in a very bad situation,”Alshandoli said.
A petition circulating around the city on Friday night asked the UN Security Council to convene an emergency meeting and “to immediately intervene to protect the civilians in the town.”
Signatories of the petition claimed that pro-government armed militias were trying to kill large numbers of people in Bani Walid, because of the city’s pro-Gaddafi history. 
However, it seems the solution is not as easy as simply asking the UN for help.
“It’s difficult to know how to actually provide assistance in this case. It’s a question of what type of international body has the authority to come in, in what way they have the mandate or ability to act, and how they themselves can be protected – given the repeated and numerous strikes against Western targets in Libya over the past year,” editor of the Corbett Report, James Corbett, told RT.
Bani Walid was one of the last cities to fall under the control of anti-Gaddafi forces last year.

Libya: Bani Walid siege must be lifted 

As a large contingent of armed forces and armed militias surround Bani Walid in preparation for a possible assault, Amnesty International has called on the Libyan authorities to avoid unnecessary and excessive use of force in the city and to ensure that medical and other essential supplies are allowed into the city.

On 25 September, Libya’s parliament, the General National Congress authorized the Ministries of Interior and Defence to use force if necessary to arrest suspects including those responsible for the alleged torture and killing of Omran Shaaban, credited with capturing Colonel Mu’ammar al-Gaddafi on 20 October 2011.

It also called for the release of other detainees held in Bani Walid and set a deadline for implementation of 10 days.

Following the decision, members of the Libyan army, Libya Shield forces and armed militias from various parts of the country, including Misratah, surrounded Bani Walid, about 140 kilometres south-east of Tripoli.

“It is worrying that what essentially should be a law-enforcement operation to arrest suspects looks increasingly like a siege of a city and a military operation,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International.

“Libyan authorities should ensure that maximum restraint is exercised in any use of force, which should be proportionate to the purported objective of arresting suspects.”

Local doctors said that, on 4 October, three vehicles carrying medical supplies, oxygen, and medical personnel were prevented from reaching the city by a group of armed men, who set-up a checkpoint about 80 kilometres away from Bani Walid on the main road from the capital Tripoli.

Local residents told Amnesty International that vehicles carrying petrol, water and food supplies from the capital had also been turned back at the same checkpoint in the previous four days.

Families travelling from Tripoli to Bani Walid by car were also told to turn back.

“Movement to and from Bani Walid should not be arbitrarily constrained, and in particular all medical and other essential supplies should be allowed to reach the city without any impediments,” Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui added.


Photo source: Right Now I/O
Thanks to  Warwick
Read also:
ATTENTION! The city of Bani Walid seeks help 
http://libyasos.blogspot.gr/2012/10/attention-city-of-bani-walid-seeks-help.html

Libya, Bani Walid report - WHERE IS THE UN? [ 09.09.2012.]
http://libyasos.blogspot.gr/2012/10/libya-bani-walid-report-09092012.html
Libya, Bani Walid report [update 10.09.2012.]
http://libyasos.blogspot.gr/2012/10/libya-bani-walid-report.html