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Tripoli/Sana'a/Manama: Muammar Gaddafi Wednesday
clung to power as rebellion against his four-decade rule
intensified and a Libyan diplomat disclosed that the leader had
called for genocide. As the death toll of the latest uprising in
the Arab world reached 500, protests continued elsewhere too.
Two youth died in clashes at the Sana'a university in Yemen.
Attempts to quell the unrest were seen in Algeria, where emergency
was lifted, and in Bahrain, where the government freed political
prisoners.
The movement that began in Tunisia and Egypt last month saw Libya
on the edge for the eighth day. Libya's Interior Minister Abdul
Fattah Younis al Abidi quit after hearing that some 300 civilians
have been killed in Libya's eastern city of Benghazi.
"Gaddafi told me he was planning on using airplanes against the
people in Benghazi, and I told him that he will have thousands of
people killed if he does that," CNN quoted Abidi as saying. Though
he had quit Monday, the decision became public Wednesday.
A defiant Gaddafi, who has been in power since 1969, in a
televised speech Tuesday, refused to step down despite mass
uprising and vowed to die "a martyr" in his country.
According to international organisations, over 500 people have
been killed and up to 4,000 injured in clashes with government
forces since protests against Gaddafi's regime began Feb 15.
Abidi said he now supports the people and the revolution.
Describing Gaddafi as "a stubborn man", Abidi said "he (Gaddafi)
will either commit suicide or he will get killed", the media
report said.
He also called on Libyan security forces "to join the people in
the intifada (uprising)".
The eastern Libyan city of Benghazi was reportedly taken over by
protesters after days of violent clashes.
Kharey, a local, told Al Jazeera Wednesday that residents of
Benghazi were forming committees to manage the affairs of their
city, and that similar committees were being set up in the towns
of Beyda and Derna.
In a disturbing development, Ibrahim Dubbashi, deputy ambassador
at the Libyan mission to the UN in New York, told reporters that
he had information that "genocide" had started in the western
region.
"They are attacking the western part," DPA quoted Dubbashi as
saying. "The Gaddafi message today was to call on collaborators to
commit genocide against the people."
Looking at the grave situation in Libya, many countries, including
India, have chalked out evacuation plan for their nationals.
India's plans for possible evacuation through land, air and sea
are at present being worked out, India's External Affairs Minister
S.M. Krishna said in New Delhi. There are about 18,000 Indians in
Libya.
Things continued to be grim elsewhere in the Arab world.
In Yemen, at least two youths were shot dead Tuesday night by
government supporters during a protest at Sana'a University, the
New York Times reported.
There has been mass unrest against President Ali Abdullah Saleh's
32-year rule for nearly two weeks.
According to medical workers, eight people were injured when
government supporters opened fire on the protesters, who have been
staging a sit-in in front of the university since Sunday.
About 2,000 protesters remained holed up at the university despite
the shooting. They have vowed to stay until Saleh steps down.
Looking at the unrest, some countries have begun feverish efforts
to carry out reforms.
Algeria's cabinet has adopted a decision to lift the country's
19-year emergency.
The government said the order would come into force "without
delay" in the North African nation that borders Libya.
The protests in Algeria began one day after mass demonstrations
forced Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak to step down after 30
years in power Feb 11, and one month after demonstrators across
the border in Tunisia toppled their longtime leader, Zine el-Abidine
Ben Ali.
Not just Algeria, Bahrain too saw an attempt to calm the
situation.
Bahrain released 25 political prisoners following an order of King
Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa who left the country for Saudi Arabia for
consultations Wednesday after a week of anti-regime protests.
CNN reported that about 25 detainees, described by the king as
"prisoners of conscience", were released Tuesday night and
proceedings against other prisoners were halted, the Bahrain
Center for Human Rights said.
The releases bring to about 100 the total number of political
detainees so far released, Nabil Rajab of the Bahrain Center for
Human Rights was quoted as saying.
But, he said, about 400 people are still detained on
politically-inspired charges.
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