You are in the the 151th diary of the liveblog bearing witness to the 2011 populist uprisings. We stand with our international friends and their courageous struggle for dignity, self-determination and human rights. (see more about the work of our group below)
PLS REC this diary to maximize how many people bear witness. PLS UNREC the previous liveblog diary.
Libya
Obviously, there have been major developments in Libya. I will add the updates to this section of the liveblog, and any updates to other countries will be down below as usual.
(h/t JustJennifer) - Libya declares ceasefire but fighting goes on
Libya's government has announced an immediate ceasefire against pro-democracy protesters, hours after the United Nations Security Council authorised a no-fly zone over the country.
In a statement televised on Friday, Moussa Koussa, the Libyan foreign minister, said his government was interested in protecting all civilians and foreigners.
"We decided on an immediate ceasefire and on an immediate stop to all military operations," he said, adding "[Libya] takes great interest in protecting civilians".
Koussa said because his country was a member of the United Nations it was "obliged to accept the UN Security Council's resolutions".
But government forces continued to fire on the rebel-held western city of Misurata, witnesses said, where an earlier attack had claimed the lives of at least 25 people.
Key points to the resolution
* Demands "the immediate establishment of a ceasefire and a complete end to violence and all attacks against, and abuses of, civilians".
* Demands that Libyan authorities "take all measures to protect civilians and meet their basic needs, and to ensure the rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian assistance".
* Authorises UN member states "to take all necessary measures ... to protect civilians and civilian populated areas under threat of attack in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, including Benghazi, while excluding a foreign occupation force of any form on any part of Libyan territory".
* Decides "to establish a ban on all flights in the airspace of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya in order to help protect civilians", but says humanitarian flights and flights authorised by the UN and Arab League can take place.
* Strengthens the arms embargo imposed on February 26 by calling on UN member states "to inspect in their territory, including airports and seaports, and on the high seas, vessels and aircraft bound to or from" Libya if the country has information with "reasonable grounds" to believe the cargo contains banned military items, or that armed mercenaries are being transported.
* Orders all states to prevent any Libyan owned, operated, or registered aircraft - or any aircraft believed to be carrying prohibited weapons or mercenaries - to take off, land or overfly their territory without prior approval from the UN committee monitoring sanctions.
* Adds travel bans on the Libyan ambassador to Chad and the governor of Ghat, both directly involved in recruiting mercenaries for the Libyan regime of Muammar Gaddafi.
* Extends an asset freeze to seven more individuals including three additional Gaddafi children, the defence minister, the director of military intelligence, the director of the external security organisation, and the secretary for utilities.
* Freezes the assets of five key financial institutions: the Central Bank, the Libyan Investment Authority, the Libyan Foreign Bank, Libyan Africa Investment Portfoilio, and the Libyan National Oil Corporation.
* Asks Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to establish an eight-member panel of experts to help the UN sanctions committee monitor implementation of sanctions against Libya.
(h/t jnhobbs ) -
Egypt Said to Arm Libya Rebels
CAIRO—Egypt's military has begun shipping arms over the border to Libyan rebels with Washington's knowledge, U.S. and Libyan rebel officials said.
The shipments—mostly small arms such as assault rifles and ammunition—appear to be the first confirmed case of an outside government arming the rebel fighters. Those fighters have been losing ground for days in the face of a steady westward advance by forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.
(h/t Richard Lyon ) -
Libya: UK forces prepare after UN no-fly zone vote
UK forces are preparing to help enforce a no-fly zone over Libya after the UN backed "all necessary measures", short of an invasion, to protect civilians.
(h/t jnhobbs) -
Canada to send six CF-18s for Libya 'no-fly' mission
Canada will contribute six CF-18 fighter jets to help enforce a no-fly zone in Libya, sources have told CTV News.
"The Canadian government has made the decision late today that Canada will send six CF-18 fighter jets to join the Americans, the British and the French and other countries that will participate in imposing a no-fly zone," CTV's Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife reported Thursday.
(h/t jnhobbs) -
The UN to the Rescue in Libya: Is it too Late?
The United Nations Security Council has just authorized a no-fly zone over Libya and implicitly allowed the United States, France and Britain to bomb military forces and facilities loyal to Muammar Qadddafi.
Aljazeera live is covering the session and is showing enormous, delirious crowds celebrating in downtown Benghazi, which Qaddafi had threatened to occupy earlier on Thursday. They are deploying celebratory fire, which I’d advise them against, since Qaddafi’s forces are near and the more activist elements of NATO likely to intervene on their behalf rather farther away. They may yet need the bullets.
(h/t Richard Lyon ) -
US readying plans to enforce Libya no-fly zone
:
The Obama administration was readying plans to enforce a no-fly zone in Libya with the help of Arab countries, officials said Thursday as the United Nations Security Council voted to authorize the move.
We can't physically go to these people. International law means it's highly unlikely that the protesters will receive help.What we can do is bear witness and to ask as many people as we can to join us in that. The more public these acts, the more pressure on the government to behave. Please remember to do Twitter and Facebook updates and, if you can, reach out through email to whomever you can. We need all eyes on these events and there are so many around the world, we need people looking everywhere at once: Yeman, Cote d'Ivoire, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Syria, Algeria.... a long haul in Egypt and Tunisia.... So many places requires a vast multitude of eyes.
More regional tidbits after the fold....bold section names indicate fresh content...
The liveblog is primarily for witnessing, for other activities see the group stream.
We are in the process of collecting suggested readings for background reference materials in support of the Eyes on Egypt and the Region group. These readings may be either non-fiction or fiction, general to the region or specific to a country or issue. If there are resources which you believe aid our understanding of the events and processes we are witnessing, please either a) post a comment in the Liveblog with the title "Suggested reading:" and a brief description of the reading in the body of the comment, or b) send your suggestions via the dKos internal mailer to angry marmot.
Libyan Doctors for Hospitals in Libya an impressive new aide organization launched by one of our own: StepLeftStepForward.
Please place links and info for intervention ideas (humanitarian and beyond) in comments titled "Intervention". We encourage you to provide information without imploring, disrespecting those who might not pursue the intervention, or engaging long debates about the merits. With uniform content labeling, those interested can readily find them and those who want to produce intervention diaries can gather the data efficiently. Please post the link if you do produce an intervention resource diary. We'll include it in the next updated liveblog. Thank you.
The group is producing a series of diaries that provide background and analysis on the region in general and on individual countries. We hope to provide a context for interpreting current events in the news. The published diaries in the series are:
Eyes on Egypt and the Region Background Resources
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NOTE: We have renamed the liveblog "Witnessing Revolution". What started in Egypt has spread rapidly. It's not clear that it will be limited by geography or ethnicity. So, we wanted a name which states what is happening yet allows us to grow with the movement, wherever that will be. The number sequence will be continuous. The group name will remain the same. Only this particular diary series within the group will have a name change.
GENERAL ANALYSIS
(h/t suejazz) Bullets Stall Youthful Push for Arab Spring
These days, Muhammad al-Maskati is a prisoner in his apartment, his BlackBerry shut off by the government, the streets outside his apartment filled with tanks, the hospitals around town packed with the wounded.
In Morocco, members of the Feb. 20th Movement are trying to promote democratic institutions despite government intimidation.
Mr. Maskati is a 24-year-old human rights activist who not long ago felt so close to achieving Egypt’s kind of peaceful revolution, through a dogged commitment to nonviolence. Then the Saudi tanks rolled into Bahrain, and protesters came under attack, the full might of the state hammering at unarmed civilians.
ALGERIA
(h/t suejazz ) - Algerian Women Test the 'Arab Spring' Winds
The late-February lifting of the state's emergency powers law hasn't helped the women who keep a weekly vigil here for relatives who disappeared in the country's 1992-2001 civil war.
"We are prevented from demonstrating, we are still under surveillance and each time we try to march police violently shove us around and flood us with vulgarities," said Amel Boucherf.
For years she and other women whose relatives disappeared during the war have convened at the same place: the headquarters of the National Advisory Commission for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights.
Bahrain
(h/t suejazz ) -
Bahrain army demolishes monument at Pearl Square
Bahrain's army has demolished the 300 foot (90-meter) pearl monument that had become a symbol of a monthlong Shiite uprising against the Sunni monarchy.
The six white curved beams topped with a huge pearl had risen above the square in the capital, Manama, that was the center of the anti-government protests in the Gulf nation.
Friday's destruction of the monument underlines the resolve of the Sunni regime to root out any dissent in the kingdom, now under emergency rule. The monument long served as a reminder of Bahrain's history as a pearl diving center but more recently became associated with the protests that have roiled the nation.
Security forces overran the protest camp on Wednesday, killing at least five people, including two policemen.
(h/t suejazz ) - UN warns Bahrain over crackdown
The United Nations has warned Bahrain that its violent crackdown on anti-government protesters might be breaking international law.
Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, called King Hamad of the Gulf state on Thursday to express his "deepest concern" about Bahrain''s use of force, which allegedly includes security forces preventing doctors from treating injured protesters.
The secretary-general, who called during a visit to Guatemala, "expressed his deepest concern over reports of excessive and indiscriminate use of force by the security forces and police in Bahrain against unarmed civilians, including, allegedly, against medical personnel," a UN statement said.
He also "noted that such actions could be in breach of international humanitarian and human rights law".
Valerie Amos, the UN''s deputy secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, earlier urged security forces "to refrain from excessive use of force, and to respect medical facilities and ensure the treatment of wounded persons".
Navi Pillay, the UN rights chief, said any takeover by the security forces of hospitals and medical facilities was a "blatant violation of international law... This is shocking and illegal conduct".
(h/t suejazz ) - Bahrain demolishes Pearl Monument, site of protests
Security forces in Bahrain on Friday demolished the Pearl Monument, a landmark that had been the site of massive recent anti-government protests.
Friday evening, pieces of the modern white structure lay like a pile of bones in the center of the Pearl Roundabout, according to pictures broadcast on Bahrain state television.
The government explained the demolition by saying that it was "out of the government's keenness to optimize services and improve the infrastructure" and that it would "boost flow of traffic in this vital area of the capital," according to the state-run Bahrain News Agency.
Thousands of people congregated at the Pearl Roundabout during the height of anti-government demonstrations last month. The highway leading to the roundabout was clogged with protesters this week, though it was clear Friday and streets were quiet after a government crackdown on protesters.
COTE D'IVOIRE
(h/t suejazz) - UN condemns mortar attack on Ivory Coast market/a>
The United Nations on Friday condemned a mortar attack on a market that killed at least 25 people in Ivory Coast and said it could be a crime against humanity.
The U.N. blamed forces loyal to incumbent president Laurent Gbagbo, whose refusal to cede power has sparked a growing political crisis. They said in a statement that Thursday's attack sent at least six 81 mm mortar shells into an Abidjan neighborhood. The UN said at least 40 people also were wounded.
Shells fell without warning on a market in front of the mayor's office in Abobo, a district held by fighters loyal to the internationally recognized president, Alassane Ouattara. At one market stall, an elderly woman lost both her legs, a witness said.
Earlier in the day, pro-Ouattara fighters ambushed a police station in the Adjame district of Abidjan, though it was unclear whether anyone was killed.
Rights group Amnesty International on Friday condemned the attack.
(h/t suejazz ) - U.N. expresses shock at escalating bloodshed in Ivory Coast
At least 25 people were killed in what the United Nations called Friday a shocking escalation of violence in Ivory Coast, wracked by an electoral crisis that many fear is sliding toward another civil war.
France, Ivory Coast's former colonial ruler, condemned Thursday's "deliberate massacre of civilians" and called on the United Nations Security Council to adopt sanctions against self-declared President Laurent Gbagbo and his circle, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero.
The international community has widely recognized Gbagbo's challenger, Alassane Ouattara, as the winner of the November election and the legitimate leader of the west African nation.
But Gbagbo has refused to cede power, the stalemate resulting in uncertainty and bloodshed.
The United Nations refugee agency reported heavy shelling in the Abobo neighborhood of Abidjan that was responsible for the deaths. Many more were injured.
Djibouti
(h/t suejazz) - Election observers quit Djibouti
An international election observation team funded by the US is pulling out of Djibouti after being declared “illegal” less than a month before the country goes to polls boycotted by the opposition.
Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, foreign minister, told the Financial Times the group had failed to maintain neutrality and that the country was seeking to avert scenes of “chaos and upheaval” similar to those across the Middle East and north Africa.
The tiny port state, ruled by the same party since independence in 1977, has faced a series of opposition rallies in past weeks as many have sought to imitate a wave of democratic fervour that has swept north Africa. At least one person was killed during protests in which police lobbed teargas at rock-throwing demonstrators on February 18.
Mr Ali Youssouf said the US group had several times exhibited “very very concerning behaviour”, offering food and water to demonstrators, carrying participants in their cars. On March 2, Djiboutian authorities declared the US group, Democracy International, “illegal”.
EGYPT
Egypt has a referendum on some constitutional changes this weekend. To learn more about what the people will be voting on and what the ramifications are, please read Richard Lyon's diary, Meanwhile Back in Egypt
IRAN
(h/t JustJennifer ) -
IRAN: Protesters slam Bahrain's royal family, U.S. for crackdown on dissidents
More than 1,000 Iranians took part in an officially sanctioned protest Friday against the royal family of Bahrain and its Western allies in connection with a violent crackdown against largely Shiite anti-government demonstrators.
Protesters in Tehran shouted "Death to Al Khalifa in Bahrain" and "Death to America," referring to the close alliance between the Khalifa ruling family and the United States.
"We are all Muslims," protester Ali Asadpour, 58, told Babylon & Beyond. "We should be united against the arrogant power, the U.S., and we want an Islamic system in Bahrain."
IRAQ:
(h/t JustJennifer ) -
Thousands Rally In Iraq Against Bahrain Crackdown
Reports say thousands of people rallied today across Iraq to denounce a crackdown on Shi'ite-led demonstrators in Bahrain.
Protests were reported in Baghdad's Shi'ite neighborhood of Sadr City and in cities and towns in the predominantly Sunni Diyala province.
JORDAN
(h/t suejazz) - Hundreds of Jordanians demonstrate despite Saturday's start of national dialogue on reform
Hundreds of Jordanians calling for reforms demonstrated peacefully Friday, rejecting the beginning of a national dialogue as insufficient.
It was the 11th straight week of Friday protests.
On Saturday, the first meeting of the dialogue committee is set to start work on reforms in Jordan's regime, in which the king has the final say on important issues, though the parliament is an elected body.
The demonstrators say the parliament was chosen through a distorted map of election districts favouring the backers of King Abdullah II, and it must be replaced.
The king has given the 53-member committee three months to draft new laws for parliamentary elections and political parties. While these are key demands for the protesters, some opposition figures have refused to participate, saying the government appointed people without consultating them, and some political groups were not represented.
KUWAIT
(h/t suejazz ) - Kuwait says navy heading to Bahrain soon: ambassador/a>
Kuwait's navy plans to head to Bahrain soon to protect the Gulf Arab island nation's waters, Kuwait's ambassador to Bahrain was quoted as saying on Thursday.
On Monday, Bahrain asked for support under a Gulf defense pact after weeks of protests by pro-democracy activists, mainly majority Shi'ites who complain of discrimination by a Sunni monarchy.
The ambassador, Sheikh Azzam al-Sabah, was cited by Kuwait's Watan news service, which gave no further details. Kuwaiti officials could immediately not be reached for comment.
LEBANON
(h/t suejazz ) - Lebanon Appeals for Libya No-Fly Zone, Vows Arab Participation
Lebanon’s ambassador to the United Nations said he would appeal today to the Security Council to authorize a no-fly zone over Libya and that Arab nations would play a “significant” role in its enforcement.
“I am sure you heard Saif al-Islam Qaddafi’s statement that in two days they will be in Benghazi,” Ambassador Nawaf Salam told reporters before the council met. “I hope the Security Council will prove him wrong on two counts: that there will be no rivers of blood and that the council will act swiftly and have a no-fly zone and other measures to protect the civilian population.”
Qaddafi, son of Libya’s leader Muammar Qaddafi, said on state-run television that government forces were closing on the rebel stronghold of Benghazi. “By God, victory is coming,” he said.
Salam said a “number” of Arab countries are committed to help enforce the no-fly zone and that “significant participation has been confirmed from the highest political authorities.” He declined to be more specific.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said today in Cairo that Arab participation was critical. “The Arab League statement, their very courageous stance, suggests that they know that they have to step up and lead and participate in any action,” Clinton said in an interview on CBS News.
MAURITANIA:
(h/t mali muso) - Mauritania protesters want better salaries, lower food prices
Hundreds of people took to the streets after Friday afternoon prayers, demanding more jobs and decent food prices. What was initially meant as a peaceful protest, ended with protesters throwing stones at security forces and setting fire to car tires.
...
Protesters distributed bottles of fresh water to security forces surrounding them, while the authorities continued to deny any access to Blokat square. Demonstrators prevented Mauritania TV from covering the protests, fearing the station would use the footage for political propaganda. Protesters earlier complained about police women pretending to be journalists. The videos were reportedly used by intelligent forces to identify youth leaders and facilitate future arrests.
MOROCCO:
(h/t UnaSpenser) - Dozens of activists injured in Moroccan protests
DOZENS OF people were injured and more than 100 arrested in Morocco after demonstrations by protesters unconvinced by King Mohammed’s concessions on political reform.
Riot police used truncheons to break up a rally in Morocco’s biggest city, Casablanca, on Sunday – the latest in a series of weekly protests in the country over the past month.
Reports suggested dozens were injured when police tried to storm the Unified Socialist Party headquarters, where protesters had sought refuge during clashes.
...
Oussama El-Khifli, one of the organisers of the Moroccan protest movement, told Le Monde yesterday police charged the crowd as they began a sit-in demonstration, arresting 123 people. “We will continue to protest for radical change,” he said, predicting a “surprise” for next weekend when a further march is planned.
OMAN
(h/t suejazz) - Omani protesters block airport
Despite a series of concessions offered by the country's rulers, about 500 security guards employed by private companies staged a protest rally on Wednesday at the Muscat airport road to demand higher wages.
"Our objective of this protest is for our wages to be raised," said one of the protesters.
The protest rally caused many travelers to miss their flights. Oman's police intervened to disperse the crowd but there were no reports of violence.
The protest by the private security guards came a day after several hundred state petroleum workers rallied outside of the agency's headquarters in Muscat, demanding higher wages.
Oman has been the scene of sporadic demonstrations demanding jobs, political openness, and an end to corruption over the past weeks.
On Sunday, Oman's Sultan Qaboos bin Saeed issued a decree granting lawmaking powers to councils that previously had only advisory roles. At present, only the sultan and his cabinet can pass laws.
He also ordered an increase in state pension benefits and payments for families receiving social security in an attempt to quell the protests.
(h/t suejazz ) - A bold blueprint for Oman reforms
Sultan Qaboos Bin Saeed seldom stops surprising as befits an original revolutionary who ushered in his share of fundamental changes during the past four decades. In less than two weeks, however, the Omani ruler surprised anew as he issued no fewer that 28 royal decrees, which literally shocked a vast majority of his subjects.
Observers unaccustomed to tectonic shifts marvelled at the speed of these changes and, more important, at their substantive features. The most recent, which empowered the sultanate's two advisory councils — the elected Majlis Al Shura and the appointed Majlis Al Dawla — with legislative authority, is historic. What will Oman look like after these latest reforms?
A few days after demonstrations in Sohar surprised everyone, Sultan Qaboos made modest changes, replacing several ministers and undersecretaries, advisers, and Majlis Al Dawla members. Against a wave of protests, and instead of delaying, he dismissed key aides, espoused freedom of speech by tolerating dissent, supported calls for accountability, and agreed to share power.
The sum total of these incredible transformations shook the political establishment even if they reaffirmed the ruler's bold outlook.
PALESTINE
(h/t another American ) - Gaza security forces violently disperse rally
Security forces forcefully dispersed protesters from a square in central Gaza City late Tuesday, witnesses said.
Protesters in Gaza said security forces set up hundreds of barriers around the main square of demonstrations and were patrolling the area.
They beat people with batons and set fire to tents that were set up by the demonstrators, according to activists in Gaza City.
QATAR:
(h/t UnaSpenser ) - Al Jazeera journalist killed in Libyan ambush
Al Jaber is the first journalist to be killed during the Libyan uprising generated a wave of spontaneous revulsion and anger. Outside the courthouse, the epicentre of the anti-Qadhafi revolt. Thousands gathered to mourn the loss of an intrepid journalist, and to reinforce their resolve to unseat the regime of the Libyan leader, Muammar Qadhafi.
“Here and now, Libyan and Qatari blood is mixed for the sake of freedom. Our condolences go to the Qatari people and the Al Jazeera channel” read a prominent banner held aloft by several young protesters. As the sun dipped over the Mediterranean and the lights outside the courthouse came alive, the Qatari national flag was raised from the top of the building.
Wadah Khanfar, Director-General of the Qatar based Al Jazeera channel said the network would not be silenced. The killing of Al Jaber, he said, came after Mr. Qadhafi launched an “unprecedented campaign” against the channel.
(h/t UnaSpenser) -
Monday calender the week ahead
WEDNESDAY
MARCH 16
- An anti-government protest organized on Facebook is scheduled in Doha, Qatar.
SAUDI ARABIA:
(h/t JustJennifer ) - Saudi king to announce reforms
Saudi Arabia's monarch will announce a government reshuffle, an anti-corruption drive and a promise to increase food subsidies to combat rising prices in an address to the nation, diplomats have said.
King Abdullah's speech - his first address since unrest began sweeping the Arab world - is expected after midday Muslim prayers on Friday, the state news agency reported.
The speech by the ailing 86-year-old monarch comes after several small demonstrations in the oil-rich kingdom. The monarchy could be worried about protests escalating into more intense gatherings.
Saudi diplomats, speaking to the Associated Press news agency on condition of anonymity, said the king plans to replace the ministers of defence, higher education and religious affairs.
SYRIA
(h/t suejazz) - Syrian TV says security forces, protesters clash
Syrian state media says security forces have dispersed protesters in two towns in what would be the most serious unrest in years in one of the Mideast's most repressive states.
Amateur video footage posted Friday on YouTube and Twitter shows large groups of protesters in several cities throughout Syria but its authenticity could not be immediately be independently confirmed.
State television says some "infiltrators" in the town of Deraa caused "chaos and riots" and smashed cars and some property before they were chased off by riot police. It says a similar demonstration in the coastal town of Banyas was dispersed without incident.
One amateur video showed what appeared to be show Syrian government trucks spraying water on marchers. Two others purport to show several thousand men gathering in the cities of Homs and Baniyas.
(h/t suejazz ) - Syrian forces kill two protesters in southern city
Syrian security forces killed two demonstrators on Friday in the southern city of Deraa as they took part in a peaceful protest demanding political freedom and an end to corruption in Syria, a resident said.
Hussam Abdel Wali Ayyash and Akram Jawabreh were among several thousands who where chanting "God, Syria, Freedom" and anti-corruption slogans, accusing the family of the president of corruption, when they were shot dead by security forces who were reinforced with troops flown in by helicopters, the resident said.
(h/t suejazz) - Syria’s charming offensive
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a dictator who wants to be accepted by polite Western society should look for a charming, glamorous wife. That, at least, is what the world’s autocrats are learning from the example of Bashar al-Assad, the president of Syria.
First, his wife, Asma al-Assad, was the subject of a glowing profile in the March issue of the U.S. edition of Vogue, which described this ‘‘rose in the desert’’ as ‘‘the freshest and most magnetic of first ladies’’ and reported on the ‘‘wildly democratic principles’’ that govern family life chez Assad. Now, the Harvard Arab Alumni Association has organized an event in Damascus, ‘‘under the patronage’’ of Mrs. Assad, who was scheduled to deliver a keynote address on Thursday.
On Wednesday, the day before the planned Harvard alumni event, security officers beat and detained a group of nonviolent demonstrators who gathered to call for the release of the estimated 3,000 to 4,000 political prisoners in the country.
TUNISIA
(h/t suejazz) - Tunisia won't join military intervention in Libya
Tunisia will not take part in any international military intervention in its neighbour Libya, a government spokesman said on Friday.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said during a visit to Tunis on Thursday that talks were underway about Arab countries playing a direct role in a military operation against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to protect civilians.
"It is out of the question," government spokesman Taieb Bakouch told Reuters when asked if Tunisia would be involved.
"We will not take part in any military intervention against Libya, we will not take part in any way," he said.
(h/t suejazz ) - Clinton encounters frustration with U.S. stance on Arab unrest
At the height of the popular uprising in Tunisia, the Obama administration confronted a difficult choice: embrace a little-understood democracy movement, or side with a staunch ally who stood for three decades as a bulwark against Islamic extremism and al-Qaeda.
Three months later, U.S. officials are looking back on Tunisia’s Jasmine Revolution with something akin to nostalgia. In the weeks since dictatorships were toppled in Tunis and Cairo, the changes sweeping the Middle East have brought only worsening violence and, for the White House, an array of bad options.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton traveled to Tunisia and Egypt this week in a visit that was intended to show support for two countries where pro-democracy movements prevailed. But at each stop, Clinton was dogged by questions about looming crises in other countries where democratic aspirations have been met with brute force.
On Thursday, as she shuttled between meetings with interim government officials in Tunisia’s sun-drenched capital, Clinton conferred with European and Middle Eastern allies on how to stave off violence against anti-government forces in Libya, deal with a refugee crisis and respond to a deadly crackdown on protesters in Bahrain. In the case of Libya, the administration faced the prospect of either participating in military intervention in a third Muslim country or standing back and failing to prevent the possible annihilation of Libya’s fragile pro-democracy movement.
“There is no good choice here,” Clinton acknowledged during a town-hall meeting with Tunisian students and business leaders. “If you don’t try to take [Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi] out — if you don’t support the opposition and he stays in power — there is no telling what he will do.”
In a series of meetings with journalists, government officials and civil-society leaders, Clinton touted U.S. economic aid and business partnerships intended to foster private business development and job growth. Both countries have struggled with high unemployment, especially among youth, as well as a legacy of official corruption.
“We know there is a lot of work to be done but we are very confident about the potential for democracy and economic opportunity,” she said.
At the town-hall meeting, she praised the Tunisian uprising as a contagion that is inspiring people around the world. But she cautioned that building democracy requires sustained commitment.
“It is about building institutions and convincing people to work together even when it’s hard,” she said. “. . . The euphoria in the streets gives way to a grinding system that is needed to produce good results.”
Western Sahara
(h/t suejazz) - Awakening Protests in Morocco And Western Sahara
As the extraordinary events sweeping the Arab world bring down republic government figureheads, a new question is whether these social reset buttons will have the tenacity to tackle Arab monarchies.
For international analysts closely observing Morocco's awakening uprisings, the absolute monarchy's financially draining, vice-like grip on the Western Sahara might prove to be its Achilles heel. Unlike its fellow Gulf monarchs or the respected North African power of Algeria, Morocco has no oil wealth to lavishly soothe grievances.
The former French president Charles de Gaulle once described Morocco as a country whose revolution was still to come. The escalating discord and protests may yet see Morocco's own population giving voice to what the full detrimental magnitude of the monarchy's colossal expenditure in its 35-year war and occupation of the Western Sahara means for their desperate socio-economic woes.
YEMEN
(h/t JustJennifer ) - Yemen declares 'state of emergency'
Ali Abdullah Saleh, the Yemeni president, has declared a nationwide state of emergency, after a violent crackdown on anti-government protests killed at least 41 people, and left scores more wounded, in the capital Sanaa.
Saleh said on Friday that the decision to impose the state of emergency was made by the country's national security council, but there was no immediate indication of how long it would last.
The Reuters news agency reported Saleh as saying that it was clear that there were "armed elements" amongst anti-government protesters, and that the clashes earlier in the day were between citizens and protesters, not protesters and security forces.
At least 41 people were killed and scores wounded after the Yemeni security forces opened fire on protesters at University square, in the capital Sanaa.
(h/t JustJennifer ) - Yemen protest turns deadly
At least 30 people have been killed and scores were wounded after Yemeni security forces opened fire on protesters at University square, in the capital Sanaa.
Security forces opened fire on Friday, in attempts to prevent protesters from marching out of the square where they were gathered, sources said. Medical sources said the death toll was likely to rise.
Pro-regime "thugs" also opened fire on protesters from houses close to university square, witnesses told the AFP news agency.
Friday's attack came as tens of thousands gathered across the country, continuing to demand that president Ali Abdullah Saleh - the country's ruler of 32 years - step down.
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Our Egyptian brethren articulated what people around the region are fighting for, though variations to the theme may exist from country to country. banner held by protesters and translated to English:
1 The departure of Mubarak
2 An end to the current Parliament
3 An end of the state of emergency
4 The creation of a national united government
5 A parliament elected by the people to modify the constitution and run the presidential elections
6 Put those responsible for the killings on trial
7 Put those responsible for stealing the country's money and other acts of corruption on trial
HOW TO HOST A WITNESSING DIARY message UnaSpenser or Richard Lyon or the group that you'd like to host.
Please note the following:
1. you must be or become a member of the group
2. the diary must be published to the group queue (do not publish directly, the group editors/admins must do the final publishing so that it is available for the group to edit if important updates arise while the diary is active)
3. please remember that timing is unpredictable. We generally wait until a current diary has about 300 comments before publishing the next diary in the chain. Sometimes that's one diary per day. Sometime's it's 15.
4. THANK YOU for volunteering and keeping this effort vibrant.
Resources:
Note: The Mothership Diary is the place to go for a complete list of resources.
Al Jazeera English - Watch Live (the Youtube link below should work for Mac users unable to load this.)
Al Jazeera live also available on
Dish Network channel 9410
DirecTV: Channel 375 Link
Al Jazeera on Facebook:
http: //www.facebook.com/aljazeera
Al Jazeera Live on YouTube
English Stream http://www.youtube.com/...
Arabic Stream http://www.youtube.com/...
BBC Middle East reporting
BBC Middle East and Arab Unrest
WorldWideTahrir{NEW} : Worldwide protests being organized to coincide with the upcoming ones in Egypt.
bicycle Hussein paladin - Why Iran 1979 Went to the Islamists and This One Won't
People to follow on twitter: - please suggest people for specific countries. Thank you!
@ArabRevolution - Region
@Dima_Khatib - Region
@JNovak_Yemen - Yemen
@WomanfromYemen - Yemen
@Gheblawi - Libya
@ShababLibya - Libya
@feb17voices - Libya
@DrsForLibya - Libya
@libyanexpat - Libya
@lissnp - Iran
@prsianbanoo - Iran
@sandmonkey - Egypt
@JRamyRaoof - Egypt
@Elazul - Egypt
@Ssirgany - Egypt
@sharifkouddous
@monasosh
@ioerror
@ElBaradei
@SultanAlQassemi
@evanchill
@glcarlstrom
@nolanjazeera
@3arabawy
@shadihamid
@bencnn
@arabist
@speaktotweet: Egyptian Voice Tweets on Twitter
Previous Child Diaries:
Egypt and the Region Liveblog Archive by unaspenser
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