Thursday 20 October 2011

Gaddafi death: A sad end but has Libyan conflict ended?

By Mubatsi Asinja Habati

Everything comes to an end. Be it power, life, or leadership. Who knew the people power revolutions that began in Tunisia would reach Libya in a violent way and topple the 42 year-old rule of Col. Muammar Gaddafi, the self acclaimed Africa’s "King of Kings" then that rebellion would lead to his death? This life is very unpredictable.  A Gaddafi era has come to a sudden halt, some of his children, relatives and commanders have died with him as others were captured.

Last hours of Gaddafi as he's pulled from hole
Whereas the peaceful overthrow of long-standing Presidents in Egypt and Tunisia made now what’s known as the "Arab spring" look like a genuinely quite bloodless transformation, in Libya the transformation came in a different version. The people of Libyan town of Misrata rebelled against Gaddafi accusing him of dictatorship and sidelining people of Eastern Libya. The Misrata rebels got the backing of western countries spearheaded by France in the patronage of NATO

After 8 months of a grueling fight Col. Gaddafi was today put out of action as he ranted and called the National TransitionalCouncil (NTC) rebels now leaders of Libyan government rats, mad dogs, cockroaches, etc.  While the world would have liked to have him tried, Gaddafi was reportedly killed in battle. The NATO airstrike reportedly hit Gaddafi's convoy escaping his home town of Sirte, where battle has raged for last two months, this morning. The African Union was totally opposed to the military solution of the Libyan conflict but had not option other than grudgingly recognizing the NTC-led government.

In any case, as most Libyans are celebrating and some mourning Gaddafi’s death questions are being asked if the death of Libya’s former leader means the end of war and marks new Libya. Other questions the NTC must answer include whether the insurgency will take root like we have seen in Iraq even with killing of Saddam Hussein and Afghanistan after removal of the Talibans. How will the escalating power struggle among Gaddafi’s foes play out? Gaddafi might be dead after his 4 decades rule but Libyan conflict could be far from over.

8 comments:

  1. Who's next?

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  2. I only wish this was an example to the other dictators. but in the end it will be like the Bourbon Monarchy where people learnt nothing and forgot nothing

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  3. @Robert who is next, is a hard question to answer now but there're pointers: leaders who don't listen to the voices of their people will have a related fate. @Jemima learning from history seems to be a big challenge for dictators.

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  4. There is no just war whatsoever!

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  5. I THINK THE LIBYA CASE WILL BE BETTER THAN EGYPT AND MAY BE JUST MAY BE THIS WILL BE THE END OF VIOLENCE IN LIBYA. Howerver regimes installed by the west tend to play at being democratic for sometime to pse those who are watching but still do nothing to change the plight of their ctyrmen. hoping it wont be the case in Libya

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  7. Good people so far the winds of Arab 'revolutions' seem to have settled in Libya but revolutionaries may bring little or no change. Under Gaddafi Libyans' social services including electricity bills were heavily subsidized by govt. Will this arrangement continue? What will happen if it doesn't? In a feat of anger and ulterior motives the West might have helped install the wrong guys in power, Human Rights bodies say they've discovered decomposing bodies believed to be of late Gaddafi supporters killed in revenge. Will reprisal attacks continue and more importantly will NTC contain the situation, arrest perpetrators? Only time will tell.

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  8. you all should be in prediction of whoz next. dont shy away say it. @ Tatu haha the bourbon monarchy hmmmmm

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