Libyan Air Force At Last Is Out To Blast Outlaws:

 

The GNC declared south Libya a "military zone" and temporarily closed its borders with Sudan, Niger, Chad and Algeria. The move came two days after the PM Ali Zidan arrived from his tour of Algeria, Chad, Niger and Sudan [1]. On the 19th of December 2012 the Libyan News Agency reported that Ali Zidan informed the GNC of his preparations to send forces to the south and to appoint a "Military Governor" for the military zone. He also advised locals to steer away from the border areas that are not permissible by law [4], otherwise they will be "blasted" by the Libyan Air Force [5]. The PM's stark warning was cheered and applauded by a number of the GNC's present members.

By the 19th of December, the Libyan News Agency LANA [2] had reported that Kufra's military commander, Colonel Miftah Alabdali, said Libyan Air force was already combing the area along the Chadian and the southern Egyptian borders. It was also reported that at least one suspected camp was blasted on Tuesday morning.

Border problems all over Libya were known from day one of Liberation, but apparently both the NTC and el-Keib's governments were "powerless" to effect a full solution to the issue. At last, after 14 months of local complaints, the Prime Minister Ali Zidan promised the Berber Tuareg that securing the borders and resolving the Daraj disaster would be among his government's priorities, when he met with Tuareg representatives from all over Libya on the 27th of November 2012.

But on the 6th of December 2012 at least 20 Fezzani members of the GNC had suspended their membership in a protest about the deteriorating security in Fezzan, and even accused the Ministry of Defence and the GNC of not responding to their proposed plan which calls for the resignation of the military commander of the southern area, Abdurrahman Athawil, and the commander of the "operations room", Wanis Bokhmadah [3].

Even security officials working for the transitional government accused the ministries of defence and interior of negligence after they failed to provide support for the fighting units in Sabha, during the clashes at Brak Ashathi in September 2012. When the government security forces returned to Tripoli they surrounded the Roxis Hotel and threatened to "blow up" the hotel unless their demands to meet with the minister of Interior, Fawzi Abdulal, and the minister of defence, Osama Ajwaili, were met. The returned security forces wanted to know why their demands for support and aid were ignored [8].

The decision to declare the area a military zone has angered a number of Tuareg leaders, and according to the head of the Amazigh World Congress, Fathi Benkhlifa, Benghazi could be more deserving of such militarisation [6]. There are far more dangerous developments still taking place in Cyrenaica and along the Musaid border with Egypt which are damaging to Libya's reputation and which could or otherwise would derail the revolution.

Therefore the question to ask is why does not the Libyan Air Force exercise its muscle along the eastern and western borders as well as inside Libya itself? And why declare the whole region a military zone when the matter seemingly is no more than border patrol?

The Libyans of the south on the other hand had never resorted to shutting down oil fields or water or power supplies or public roads just to demand scholarship for their revolutionaries, unpaid wages, or urgent medical treatment abroad for their wounded, or even semi-autonomy at home just to provide food and shelter for their own impoverished and war-torn people. And they had burnt no embassies nor blew up any government offices or assassinated scores of Libyans as is the norm in Cyrenaica. Instead they say they are still waiting patiently for  the government to do the right thing, and that their impoverished region was hijacked by foreign elements to traffic in humans, arms, drugs and other 'contrabanda' agendas ever since the presumed and premature liberation of Libya. 

On the following day, the 20th of December 2012, the president of the GNC, Dr. Magarief, met with Tuareg leaders in Tripoli and, according to Solidarity Press, he promised to resolve all their problems [7]. This sounds very promising, but the source failed to say when the promise will be fulfilled or how the GNC's president could have the "magic wand" to re-solve "all the Tuareg's problems".

Many of the Berber Tuareg, the Tebu and the Arab tribes of Fezzan still live in tattered huts and palm-frond shelters in extreme poverty, beneath the scorching heat of the Sahara's sun, and without any of the air-conditions and the other signs of the luxury others enjoy along the shores of Tripoli and at the 5-star Roxis Hotel. It is impossible to imagine these "mere hamlets" live in rich Libya today, let alone free Libya; as much as it is possible to perceive Libya itself does not exist beyond the boundaries of Tripoli - except that Benghazi is seemingly being punished for trying to take a share of that "policy".

On the 21st of December 2012 a relief convoy left Zuwarah for the south, carrying food, medical supplies, clothing and blankets -- the good, old Libyan spirit: the people are helping each other.

Sources:

[1]: http://www.libyaherald.com/2012/12/17/gnc-announces-temporary-closure-of-southern-borders-and-declares-south-a-closed-military-zone
[2]: http://www.lana-news.ly/ar/art.php?a=31208
[3]: http://www.presssolidarity.net/نواب-المؤتمر-الوطني-عن-سبها-يعلقون-عضو/
[4]: http://www.lana-news.ly/ar/art.php?a=31295
[5]: https://www.youtube.com/v/7ghPXUpxOkk?hl=en_GB&version=3&rel=0"
[6]: http://ossanlibya.org/?p=30417
[7]: http://www.presssolidarity.net/المقريف-يعد-طوارق-ليبيا-بحل-جميع-مشاكل/
[8]: http://www.presssolidarity.net/قوات-من-اللجنة-الأمنية-تحاصر-فندق-ريكس/

The End of The General Board for Tourism and Antiquities

 Made by Mesratha's "Revolutionaries of The Central Workshop". Photo source: temehu.com.

In its second regular meeting of the 28th of November 2012 the transitional Council of Ministers had devolved the Antiquities Department's assets and terms of reference to the Ministry of Culture and Civil Society. The Council of Ministers had also dissolved the General Board for Tourism and Antiquities (الهيئة العامة للسياحة والآثار) and devolved all its assets and functions to the newly created Ministry of Tourism.