Watches Libyan tribal support for Gaddafi unclear due to media spin

Libyan tribal support for Gaddafi unclear due to media spin




Media outlets from around the world provided inconsistent characterizations of Friday’s National Conference for Libyan Tribes – some saying the tribes support Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi while others claim the tribes called for Gaddafi to cede power. Common among the news reports was the assertion that the tribes wanted the civil war to end and amnesty for those who fought in it.

French news outlet Agence France-Presse reported that the tribes called the rebels "traitors" and pledged not to "abandon" or "forsake" Gaddafi in a statement issued by the conference. The statement also supposedly called for marches to "liberate" rebel-held towns:

"The conference also calls all Libyan tribes neighbouring the towns and cities hijacked by armed groups to move peacefully in popular marches to liberate those highjacked towns, disarming the armed rebels.”

Italy’s Agenzia Giornalistica Italia claimed that “The National Conference for Libyan tribes organized by the regime said they were clearly for Muammar Gaddafi”.

A Euronews article stated that the tribes “…called for national unity, urged the rebels to disarm and demanded NATO end its bombing campaign.” Pakistan’s International News quoted Mahmud Mohammed Ali, the representative for the southern tribes as saying during his speech:



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Watches U.N. delegation underscores support for Sudan election

U.N. delegation underscores support for Sudan election

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice speaks with UNAMID Joint Special Rep. Ibrahim Gambari in North Darfur Thursday.

(CNN) -- Members of the U.N. Security Council Thursday wrapped up their visit to southern Sudan, underscoring support for the January referendum vote that could lead to the region's independence.
According to a Security Council diplomat, the 15 members are making the trip at a critical juncture.
U.S. President Barack Obama recently implored Sudanese officials to fully implement a 2005 peace agreement and move forward with the referendum. He called the stakes "enormous."
A U.N. meeting last month called on the international community to respect the outcome of the vote in southern Sudan and Abyei if they meet stipulated criteria. Abyei is a disputed oil-rich city in the region.
"We are here to reinforce that message and the determination of the council to support you and all parties to the CPA [comprehensive peace agreement] in that process," U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice said Thursday, according to the U.N. mission in Sudan.
The delegation traveled to Juba in Southern Sudan to see an academy that will train police to safeguard the election, which could result in Sudan being split into two nations.
The peace agreement ended two decades of violence between the north and the south. The conflict led to the deaths of 2 million people, many from starvation.
The agreement would allow the autonomous southern region -- which holds a majority of the nation's oil -- to secede from the north. Fears that the process would cause more instability in the war-torn nation have sparked concerns among the international community.
The aid organization Oxfam said the situation in Darfur remains desperate. The international peacekeeping force is approaching full strength, it said, but troops are still unable to reach civilians needing protection.
"As the referendum draws near, the world will be watching Sudan," the agency said in a statement from Northern Sudan. "The UNSC needs to take this moment and focus not only on the issues affecting the southern referendum, but to support effective civilian protection in Darfur, promote the rights of the displaced, and to support an inclusive peace process in Darfur."
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