The Libyan government announced an immediate ceasefire in its offensive against rebels in the country’s east, as a coalition of Western and Arab nations prepares for air-strikes as authorized by the UN Security Council.
Qaddafi pledged an imminent assault on rebel stronghold Benghazi that would show “no mercy,” while France promised air-strikes on Qaddafi’s forces “within hours” after the UN Security Council approved military action.
Libyan rebels battle Qaddafi-loyalist forces at Ajdabiya, as the provisional opposition government in Benghazi, just 150 miles up the coast, prepare for an assault on the city.
Dozens were injured as police cracked down on protesters in Casablanca and stormed the offices of the United Socialist Party. Leaders pledged to go ahead with a massive mobilization on March 20.
Qaddafi-loyalist forces pushed deeper into rebel-held eastern Libya, overrunning the oil hub of Port Brega as opposition leaders in Benghazi issued an urgent call for a no-fly zone.
Mauritanian police clashed with pro-democracy demonstrators in the central plaza of the capital, Nouakchott. Police used tear gas and clubs to disperse the protest, leaving several hospitalized.
France became the first country to recognize Libya’s opposition as its rightful government, while Qaddafi’s forces succeeded in taking the oil hub of Ras Lanuf from its rebel defenders.
In a move to head off protests, Morocco’s King Mohammed VI announced a constitutional reform that recognizes the importance of Amazigh (Berber) culture for the national identity.
Moammar Qaddafi is simultaneously playing the al-Qaeda card to rally US imperialism to his side and playing the US imperialism card to rally the Libyan people to his side.
The UN appointed a team of special prosecutors to investigate allegations that Libyan leader Moammar Qaddafi has ordered forces to torture and abduct opponents.
International consensus is growing for some kind of foreign military intervention in Libya as Qaddafi’s forces continue to press their offensive against rebels both east and west of Tripoli.
Moammar Qaddafi defended his military’s right to put down the rebels by invoking Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip, and insisted he still has “very good relations with the United States.”
