Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez has spoken to Moammar Qaddafi about creating a bloc of friendly nations—tentatively dubbed the Committee of Peace—to mediate a resolution to Libya’s crisis.
Libyan rebels drove Qaddafi’s forces from the key eastern oil port of Brega, as two US warships entered the Mediterranean, bound for Libya on an officially “humanitarian” mission.
Veteran Tuareg guerilla fighters who Qaddafi backed in Mali and Niger are now said to be serving as mercenaries for his regime—while indigenous Tuareg tribes in Libya have joined the revolution.
The UN Security Council ordered a travel ban and asset freeze on Moammar Qaddafi’s regime, as Muhammad as-Sanussi, Libya’s exiled crown prince, said the country is unified against the dictator.
Hugo Chávez Tweeted to his followers: “Long live Libya and its independence! Qaddafi is facing a civil war!” Nicaragua’s Daniel Ortega also expressed solidarity with the embattled Libyan dictator.
Fighting in Libya spread to towns near Tripoli, as eastern cities organized interim governments. France called for Moammar Qaddafi to step down, and Italy is preparing a “rescue mission.”
As his regime totters, Col. Qaddafi calls the insurrection an al-Qaeda conspiracy. But will it be enough to assure the good graces of his one-time advisor Richard “Prince of Darkness” Perle?
The Algerian Council of Ministers approved a draft ordinance repealing the country’s 19-year state of emergency, delivering on a promise made the week before in the face of protests.
Moammar Qaddafi’s regime has lost vast swathes of Libya’s east to insurrectionists, with many army troops going over the rebels. Two pilots defected after being ordered to bomb Benghazi.
Fidel Castro writes in his column “Reflections of Comrade Fidel” that NATO’s planned invasion of Libya will begin in “a matter of hours or a few days.”
Libya’s UN Mission—breaking with the regime of Moammar Qaddafi—called on the UN to impose a no-fly zone over the country. European diplomats say NATO is prepared to enforce a no-fly zone.
Protesters, apparently joined by members of the security forces, seized control over several eastern Libyan cities, and fighting has now spread to Tripoli, where warplanes are strafing demonstrators.
