Fwd: Re: mercenaries helping Qaddafi
kenneth harrow
ken
FYI- an article in the Kenyan press: http://www.nation.co.ke/News/politics/Kenyan+Dogs+of+War+fighting+for+Gaddafi+/-/1064/1114512/-/9vu1cq/-/index.html
Kenyan ‘Dogs of War’ fighting for Gaddafi
By BERNARD NAMUNANE bnam...@ke.nationmedia.com AND CAROLINE WAFULA cwa...@ke.nationmedia.comPosted Thursday, February 24 2011 at 22:25
Kenyan mercenaries are among foreign soldiers helping the besieged Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi fight off an uprising.
This was confirmed on Thursday by Col Gaddafi’s former Chief of Protocol Nouri Al Misrahi in an interview with the Al Jazeera broadcasting network.
Mr Misrahi was detailing how Gaddafi had resorted to using mercenaries against his own people after losing control of the Libyan armed forces.
When asked where the mercenaries came from and how they were recruited, the first country he mentioned was Kenya. Other countries he listed are Chad, Niger and Mali.
He described the mercenaries as jobless ex-soldiers and officers who were enticed to Libya by money.
He clarified that they were not sent officially by their governments, but were privateers recruited directly by the regime and they were being used to hunt and kill Libyan dissidents after Gaddafi’s armed police and soldiers abandoned him and “went with the people”.
He said Gaddafi has no more trust in his own armed forces because they had largely defied orders to turn their guns on the demonstrators.
“Those mercenaries are being used against Libyans, because Gaddafi has no more trust in his police and soldiers, they let him down and went to the people”.
The mercenaries from African countries, he said, were poor and homeless former soldiers who were easily recruited over the years.
The former senior official in Libya spoke as the government in Nairobi denied that Kenyan mercenaries were being used to execute Gaddafi’s brutal crackdown.
However, there was an admission that retired police and army officers could be in Libya working for private companies. (Read: MP cites his worries over Kenyan ‘dogs of war’)
The story of Kenyan mercenaries was lent further credence by a Libyan military defector quoted in the UK newspaper — The Guardian – listing Kenya as one of the recruitment grounds for thousands of African mercenaries propping up the regime.
Air Force Major Rajib Feytouni said he had personally witnessed 4,000 to 5,000 mercenaries flown into his air force base on Libyan military transport planes since 14 February— several days before the uprising started.
“They (the planes) had 300 men at a time, all of them coming out with weapons. They were all from Africa: Ghanaians, Kenyans,” he is quoted in the Guardian.
The mercenaries are being used by Col Gaddafi to violently break down the wave of protests that is spreading across the North African country.
“That is why we turned against the government. That and the fact that there was an order to use planes to attack the people,” said Major Feytouni in the second largest city of Benghazi which has fallen in the hands of rebels. (Read: Inside Libya's first free city)
Acting Foreign Affairs minister George Saitoti also denied the allegations when he appeared before the Parliamentary Committee on Defence yesterday.
In Parliament, Foreign Affairs assistant minister Richard Onyonka dismissed the involvement of Kenyan mercenaries in the violent Libyan crackdown on protesters.
“The only individuals in Libya are embassy staff and students who are not involved militarily,” he said.
Government spokesman Alfred Mutua also denied
knowledge
of any Kenyan mercenaries fighting on the side of Col Gaddafi.
However, he conceded that there were dozens of
retired
soldiers and police officers who have taken up employment in
private companies
to provide security in war zones who could be mistaken for
mercenaries.
Image Gallery
“In the past, some of our retired military people
as well
as police officers have been contracted to provide security by
private
companies in war torn countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq,”
he said.
_______________________________________
Moses Ebe Ochonu
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There is enough in the world for everyone's need but not for everyone's greed.
---Mohandas Gandhi
kwa...@aol.com
kenneth harrow
ken
On 2/25/11 12:03 PM, Moses Ebe Ochonu wrote:
This is Ghadaffi's brand of Pan-Africanism: recruit financially challenged or greedy "African brothers," train and arm them and alternately unleash them as mercenaries in Africa's many civil wars and as regime protectors in Libya--detached interlopers who can mow down your own citizens because they feel no affinity towards them. Some Pan-Africanism! Meanwhile, in the same Libya, the compatriots of these "African brothers" who migrated there for a better life or to use it as a gateway to Europe are routinely treated like dogs and abused in the most dehumanizing manner imaginable in a display of Arabo-Berber racism that has become a perennial ritual. Yet those celebrating Ghadaffi's pan-African credentials are somehow blind to these contradictions. I should have known that Pan-Africanism is the most convenient go-to rhetoric for discredited African rulers when Gbagbo, too, began posturing as a courageous pan-Africanist hero and succeeded in convincing some of our people.
On Fri, Feb 25, 2011 at 10:21 AM, kenneth harrow <har...@msu.edu> wrote:
this is a reliable source.
ken
FYI- an article in the Kenyan press: http://www.nation.co.ke/News/politics/Kenyan+Dogs+of+War+fighting+for+Gaddafi+/-/1064/1114512/-/9vu1cq/-/index.html
Kenyan �Dogs of War� fighting for Gaddafi
�
By�BERNARD NAMUNANE bnam...@ke.nationmedia.com AND CAROLINE WAFULA cwa...@ke.nationmedia.comPosted�Thursday, February 24�2011�at�22:25
Kenyan mercenaries are among foreign soldiers helping the besieged Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi fight off an uprising.
This was confirmed on Thursday by Col Gaddafi�s former Chief of Protocol Nouri Al Misrahi in an interview with the Al Jazeera broadcasting network.
Mr Misrahi was detailing how Gaddafi had resorted to using mercenaries against his own people after losing control of the Libyan armed forces.
When asked where the mercenaries came from and how they were recruited, the first country he mentioned was Kenya. Other countries he listed are Chad, Niger and Mali.
He described the mercenaries as jobless ex-soldiers and officers who were enticed to Libya by money.
He clarified that they were not sent officially by their governments, but were privateers recruited directly by the regime and they were being used to hunt and kill Libyan dissidents after Gaddafi�s armed police and soldiers abandoned him and �went with the people�.
He said Gaddafi has no more trust in his own armed forces because they had largely defied orders to turn their guns on the demonstrators.
�Those mercenaries are being used against Libyans, because Gaddafi has no more trust in his police and soldiers, they let him down and went to the people�.
The mercenaries from African countries, he said, were poor and homeless former soldiers who were easily recruited over the years.
The former senior official in Libya spoke as the government in Nairobi denied that Kenyan mercenaries were being used to execute Gaddafi�s brutal crackdown.
However, there was an admission that retired police and army officers could be in Libya working for private companies. (Read: MP cites his worries over Kenyan �dogs of war�)
The story of Kenyan mercenaries was lent further credence by a Libyan military defector quoted in the UK newspaper � The Guardian � listing Kenya as one of the recruitment grounds for thousands of African mercenaries propping up the regime.
Air Force Major Rajib Feytouni said he had personally witnessed 4,000 to 5,000 mercenaries flown into his air force base on Libyan military transport planes since 14 February� several days before the uprising started.
�They (the planes) had 300 men at a time, all of them coming out with weapons. They were all from Africa: Ghanaians, Kenyans,� he is quoted in the Guardian.
The mercenaries are being used by Col Gaddafi to violently break down the wave of protests that is spreading across the North African country.
�That is why we turned against the government. That and the fact that there was an order to use planes to attack the people,� said Major Feytouni in the second largest city of Benghazi which has fallen in the hands of rebels. (Read: Inside Libya's first free city)
Acting Foreign Affairs minister George Saitoti also denied the allegations when he appeared before the Parliamentary Committee on Defence yesterday.
In Parliament, Foreign Affairs assistant minister Richard Onyonka dismissed the involvement of Kenyan mercenaries in the violent Libyan crackdown on protesters.
�The only individuals in Libya are embassy staff and students who are not involved militarily,� he said.
Government spokesman Alfred Mutua also denied knowledge of any Kenyan mercenaries fighting on the side of Col Gaddafi.
However, he conceded that there were dozens of retired soldiers and police officers who have taken up employment in private companies to provide security in war zones who could be mistaken for mercenaries.Image Gallery
�In the past, some of our retired military people as well as police officers have been contracted to provide security by private companies in war torn countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq,� he said.
_______________________________________
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There is enough in the world for everyone's need but not for everyone's greed.
---Mohandas Gandhi
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-- kenneth w. harrow distinguished professor of english michigan state university department of english east lansing, mi 48824-1036 ph. 517 803 8839 har...@msu.edu
kenneth harrow
the racist allusions are really gross. you are completely right about that.
i am sending on only the reported story since it addresses who the mercenaries are. descriptions of africans are often horribly racist, in many events. you are right to point that out.
but the question of "who are the foreigners" is a question of importance, and i got this account from a very reliable source. i can't answer more about who came from where and why, or even if the report is true. i am inclined to think it is, but� you know this is the job for one of those researchers to complete. i am just passing it on.
ken
On 2/25/11 1:09 PM, kwa...@aol.com wrote:
Ken,�
We have to be a little circumspect about the reporting by the Western media. Below is a direct quote from the news report you sent:
�"Air Force Major Rajib Feytouni said he had personally witnessed 4,000 to 5,000 mercenaries flown into his air force base on Libyan military transport planes since 14 February� several days before the uprising started.�They (the planes) had 300 men at a time, all of them coming out with weapons. They were all from Africa: Ghanaians, Kenyans,� he is quoted in the Guardian.
The mercenaries are being used by Col Gaddafi to violently break down the wave of protests that is spreading across the North African country."
�I question this. Where did Gaddafi recruit his "mercenaries" from? Were these Ghanaians recruited in Ghana? In the Ghana of Jerry Rawlings, I would have found this allegation entirely palpable. Current Ghanaian democracy and�the loyal Opposition parties will not sit idle and have Gaddafi recruit its citizens for mercenary work.�Going to the Guardian link, I could not help but notice the racist undertones of some�of the people involved in the Libyan upheaval. Below is a cartoon of Gaddafi that is said to have referred to him as the�"The Monkey�of�Monkeys of Africa"�- now, we know in that part of the world what they mean when they refer to certain humans as monkeys.�
Graffiti showing a caricature of Gaddafi reading, 'The Monkey of Monkeys of Africa', a reference to his self-declared title 'The King of Kings of Africa'. Photograph: Alaguri/AP
We need to be careful and not get caught up in the euphoria of the moment.
�Thanks,�Kwabby�
�
-----Original Message-----
From: kenneth harrow <har...@msu.edu>
To: usaafricadialogue <USAAfric...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Fri, Feb 25, 2011 11:21 am
Subject: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Fwd: Re: mercenaries helping Qaddafi
this is a reliable source.
ken
FYI- an article in the Kenyan press: http://www.nation.co.ke/News/politics/Kenyan+Dogs+of+War+fighting+for+Gaddafi+/-/1064/1114512/-/9vu1cq/-/index.html
Kenyan �Dogs of War� fighting for Gaddafi
�By�BERNARD NAMUNANE bnam...@ke.nationmedia.com AND CAROLINE WAFULA cwa...@ke.nationmedia.comPosted�Thursday, February 24�2011�at�22:25
Kenyan mercenaries are among foreign soldiers helping the besieged Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi fight off an uprising.
This was confirmed on Thursday by Col Gaddafi�s former Chief of Protocol Nouri Al Misrahi in an interview with the Al Jazeera broadcasting network.
Mr Misrahi was detailing how Gaddafi had resorted to using mercenaries against his own people after losing control of the Libyan armed forces.When asked where the mercenaries came from and how they were recruited, the first country he mentioned was Kenya. Other countries he listed are Chad, Niger and Mali.He described the mercenaries as jobless ex-soldiers and officers who were enticed to Libya by money.
He clarified that they were not sent officially by their governments, but were privateers recruited directly by the regime and they were being used to hunt and kill Libyan dissidents after Gaddafi�s armed police and soldiers abandoned him and �went with the people�.
He said Gaddafi has no more trust in his own armed forces because they had largely defied orders to turn their guns on the demonstrators.
�Those mercenaries are being used against Libyans, because Gaddafi has no more trust in his police and soldiers, they let him down and went to the people�.
The mercenaries from African countries, he said, were poor and homeless former soldiers who were easily recruited over the years.
The former senior official in Libya spoke as the government in Nairobi denied that Kenyan mercenaries were being used to execute Gaddafi�s brutal crackdown.However, there was an admission that retired police and army officers could be in Libya working for private companies. (Read: MP cites his worries over Kenyan �dogs of war�)The story of Kenyan mercenaries was lent further credence by a Libyan military defector quoted in the UK newspaper � The Guardian � listing Kenya as one of the recruitment grounds for thousands of African mercenaries propping up the regime.Air Force Major Rajib Feytouni said he had personally witnessed 4,000 to 5,000 mercenaries flown into his air force base on Libyan military transport planes since 14 February� several days before the uprising started.�They (the planes) had 300 men at a time, all of them coming out with weapons. They were all from Africa: Ghanaians, Kenyans,� he is quoted in the Guardian.
The mercenaries are being used by Col Gaddafi to violently break down the wave of protests that is spreading across the North African country.
�That is why we turned against the government. That and the fact that there was an order to use planes to attack the people,� said Major Feytouni in the second largest city of Benghazi which has fallen in the hands of rebels. (Read: Inside Libya's first free city)
Acting Foreign Affairs minister George Saitoti also denied the allegations when he appeared before the Parliamentary Committee on Defence yesterday.In Parliament, Foreign Affairs assistant minister Richard Onyonka dismissed the involvement of Kenyan mercenaries in the violent Libyan crackdown on protesters.
�The only individuals in Libya are embassy staff and students who are not involved militarily,� he said.
Government spokesman Alfred Mutua also denied knowledge of any Kenyan mercenaries fighting on the side of Col Gaddafi.
However, he conceded that there were dozens of retired soldiers and police officers who have taken up employment in private companies to provide security in war zones who could be mistaken for mercenaries.Image Gallery
�In the past, some of our retired military people as well as police officers have been contracted to provide security by private companies in war torn countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq,� he said.
_______________________________________
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Cornelius Hamelberg
help his friend al-Gaddafi.
There's also some rumours that some people in Algeria may be coming
to the colonel's aid.
If Gaddafi had told his people that he loved them etc, many would not
be feeling as bitterly as they do now. Another thing that is most
surprising is that Gaddafi can't TALK! What an opportunity to make the
kind of nationalistic & revolutionary speeches in the sort of Arabic
that could be recorded for all history.
Libya produces 2% of the world's oil.
10% of that oil goes to Europe.
For now, even as the price of oil is going up and up in these
uncertain times, I can only add my two Libyan dinars worth:
http://www.thelocal.se/blogs/corneliushamelberg/2011/02/26/gaddafi-the-maniac-bloodthirsty-revolutionary-versus-his-own-people-the-rest-of-humanity/
On Feb 25, 9:47 pm, kenneth harrow <har...@msu.edu> wrote:
> kwabby
> the racist allusions are really gross. you are completely right about that.
> i am sending on only the reported story since it addresses who the
> mercenaries are. descriptions of africans are often horribly racist, in
> many events. you are right to point that out.
> but the question of "who are the foreigners" is a question of
> importance, and i got this account from a very reliable source. i can't
> answer more about who came from where and why, or even if the report is
> ken
>
>
>
>
> > Ken,
> > media. Below is a direct quote from the news report you sent:
> > to 5,000 mercenaries flown into his air force base on Libyan military
> > started.
> > “They (the planes) had 300 men at a time, all of them coming out with
> > weapons. They were all from Africa: Ghanaians, Kenyans,” he is _quoted
> > in the /Guardian. /_
> > <http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/23/inside-libya-banghazi-jub...>
> > the wave of protests that is spreading across the North African country."
> > Were these Ghanaians recruited in Ghana? In the Ghana of Jerry
> > Rawlings, I would have found this allegation entirely palpable.
>
> > Graffiti showing a caricature of Gaddafi reading, 'The Monkey of
> > Monkeys of Africa', a reference to his self-declared title 'The King
> > of Kings of Africa'. Photograph: Alaguri/AP
> > We need to be careful and not get caught up in the euphoria of the moment.
> > Kwabby
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: kenneth harrow <har...@msu.edu>
> > To: usaafricadialogue <USAAfric...@googlegroups.com>
> > Sent: Fri, Feb 25, 2011 11:21 am
> > Subject: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Fwd: Re: mercenaries helping Qaddafi
>
> > this is a reliable source.
> > ken
>
> > FYI- an article in the Kenyan press:
>
> > *Kenyan ‘Dogs of War’ fighting for Gaddafi *
> > <http://twitter.com/home?status=Currently%20reading%20http://www.natio...><http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=http://www.nation.co.ke/News/poli...><http://digg.com/submit?url=http://www.nation.co.ke/News/politics/Keny...><http://del.icio.us/post?url=http://www.nation.co.ke/News/politics/Ken...><http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http://www.nation.co.ke/News/po...><http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http://www.nation.co.ke/News/po...>
>
> > By BERNARD NAMUNANE bnamun...@ke.nationmedia.com AND CAROLINE WAFULA
> > cwaf...@ke.nationmedia.comPosted Thursday, February 24 2011 at 22:25
> > Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi fight off an uprising.
> > Protocol Nouri Al Misrahi in an interview with the /Al Jazeera/
> > Mr Misrahi was detailing how Gaddafi had resorted to using mercenaries
> > against his own people after losing control of the Libyan armed forces.
> > When asked where the mercenaries came from and how they were
> > recruited, the first country he mentioned was Kenya. Other countries
> > he listed are Chad, Niger and Mali.
> > He described the mercenaries as jobless ex-soldiers and officers who
> > were enticed to Libya by money.
> > He clarified that they were not sent officially by their governments,
> > but were privateers recruited directly by the regime and they were
> > police and soldiers abandoned him and “went with the people”.
> > had largely defied orders to turn their guns on the demonstrators.
> > homeless former soldiers who were easily recruited over the years.
> > The former senior official in Libya spoke as the government in Nairobi
> > However, there was an admission that retired police and army officers
> > worries over Kenyan ‘dogs of war’_
> > <http://www.nation.co.ke/News/MP+cites+his+worries+over+Kenyan+dogs+of...>)
> > The story of Kenyan mercenaries was lent further credence by a Libyan
> > African mercenaries propping up the regime.
> > Air Force Major Rajib Feytouni said he had personally witnessed 4,000
> > to 5,000 mercenaries flown into his air force base on Libyan military
> > started.
> > “They (the planes) had 300 men at a time, all of them coming out with
> > weapons. They were all from Africa: Ghanaians, Kenyans,” he is _quoted
> > in the /Guardian. /_
> > <http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/23/inside-libya-banghazi-jub...>
> > the wave of protests that is spreading across the North African country.
> > there was an order to use planes to attack the people,” said Major
> > <http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/23/inside-libya-banghazi-jub...>)
> > Acting Foreign Affairs minister George Saitoti also denied the
> > allegations when he appeared before the Parliamentary Committee on
> > Defence yesterday.
> > In Parliament, Foreign Affairs assistant minister Richard Onyonka
> > dismissed the involvement of Kenyan mercenaries in the violent Libyan
> > crackdown on protesters.
> > not involved militarily,” he said.
> > mercenaries fighting on the side of Col Gaddafi.
>
> > However, he conceded that there were dozens of retired soldiers and
> > police officers who have taken up employment in private companies to
> > provide security in war zones who could be mistaken for mercenaries.
> > Image Gallery
> > “In the past, some of our retired military people as well as police
> > _______________________________________
> > --
> > You received this message because you are subscribed to the
> > "USA-Africa Dialogue Series" moderated by Toyin Falola, University of
> > Texas at Austin.
> > For current archives, visit
> >http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue
> > For previous archives, visit
> >http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.html
> > To post to this group, send an email to
> > USAAfric...@googlegroups.com
> > You received this message because you are subscribed to the
> > "USA-Africa Dialogue Series" moderated by Toyin Falola, University of
> > Texas at Austin.
> > For current archives, visit
> >http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue
> > For previous archives, visit
> >http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.html
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>
> --
> kenneth w. harrow
> distinguished professor of english
> michigan state university
> department of english
>
> read more »
toyin adepoju
tioyin
kenneth harrow
but i also think about cameroon, with how many years of autocratic rule, with pseudo elections? 2 presidents since 1960; since 1958, really, when ahidjo first came to power, that is, was placed in power by the french, and with them squashed brutally the upc and opposition. ahidjo and biya "toujours" like "eyedema toujours." remember that "toujours," played on the radio every day?
egypt, tunisia, libya... we need to have that list lengthened.
ken
On 2/26/11 10:03 AM, toyin adepoju wrote:
Whatever he does, Its over for Ghaddafi's reign. His situation is not sustainable. God bless those determined and desperate citizens� who say they have had enough.
tioyin
On 26 February 2011 13:48, Cornelius Hamelberg <cornelius...@gmail.com> wrote:
The latest bad news is that Mugabe is sending his elite bodyguards to
help his friend al-Gaddafi.
There's also some rumours that some �people in Algeria may be coming
to the colonel's aid.
If Gaddafi had told his people that he loved them etc, many would not
be feeling as bitterly as they do now. Another thing that is most
surprising is that Gaddafi can't TALK! What an opportunity to make the
kind of nationalistic & revolutionary speeches �in the sort of Arabic
that could be recorded for all history.
Libya produces 2% of the world's oil.
�10% of �that oil �goes to Europe.
For now, even as the price of oil is going up and up �in these
uncertain times, I can only add my two Libyan dinars worth:
http://www.thelocal.se/blogs/corneliushamelberg/2011/02/26/gaddafi-the-maniac-bloodthirsty-revolutionary-versus-his-own-people-the-rest-of-humanity/
On Feb 25, 9:47�pm, kenneth harrow <har...@msu.edu> wrote:
> kwabby
> the racist allusions are really gross. you are completely right about that.
> i am sending on only the reported story since it addresses who the
> mercenaries are. descriptions of africans are often horribly racist, in
> many events. you are right to point that out.
> but the question of "who are the foreigners" is a question of
> importance, and i got this account from a very reliable source. i can't
> answer more about who came from where and why, or even if the report is
> true. i am inclined to think it is, but �you know this is the job for
> one of those researchers to complete. i am just passing it on.
> ken
>
> On 2/25/11 1:09 PM, kwab...@aol.com wrote:
>
>
>
> > Ken,
> > We have to be a little circumspect about the reporting by the Western
> > media. Below is a direct quote from the news report you sent:
> > "Air Force Major Rajib Feytouni said he had personally witnessed 4,000
> > to 5,000 mercenaries flown into his air force base on Libyan military
> > transport planes since 14 February� several days before the uprising
> > started.
> > �They (the planes) had 300 men at a time, all of them coming out with
> > weapons. They were all from Africa: Ghanaians, Kenyans,� he is _quoted
> > *Kenyan �Dogs of War� fighting for Gaddafi *
> > <http://twitter.com/home?status=Currently%20reading%20http://www.natio...><http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=http://www.nation.co.ke/News/poli...><http://digg.com/submit?url=http://www.nation.co.ke/News/politics/Keny...><http://del.icio.us/post?url=http://www.nation.co.ke/News/politics/Ken...><http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http://www.nation.co.ke/News/po...><http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http://www.nation.co.ke/News/po...>
>
> > By BERNARD NAMUNANE bnamun...@ke.nationmedia.com AND CAROLINE WAFULA
> > cwaf...@ke.nationmedia.comPosted Thursday, February 24 2011 at 22:25
> > Kenyan mercenaries are among foreign soldiers helping the besieged
> > Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi fight off an uprising.
> > This was confirmed on Thursday by Col Gaddafi�s former Chief of
> > Protocol Nouri Al Misrahi in an interview with the /Al Jazeera/
> > broadcasting network.
> > Mr Misrahi was detailing how Gaddafi had resorted to using mercenaries
> > against his own people after losing control of the Libyan armed forces.
> > When asked where the mercenaries came from and how they were
> > recruited, the first country he mentioned was Kenya. Other countries
> > he listed are Chad, Niger and Mali.
> > He described the mercenaries as jobless ex-soldiers and officers who
> > were enticed to Libya by money.
> > He clarified that they were not sent officially by their governments,
> > but were privateers recruited directly by the regime and they were
> > being used to hunt and kill Libyan dissidents after Gaddafi�s armed
> > police and soldiers abandoned him and �went with the people�.
> > He said Gaddafi has no more trust in his own armed forces because they
> > had largely defied orders to turn their guns on the demonstrators.
> > �Those mercenaries are being used against Libyans, because Gaddafi has
> > no more trust in his police and soldiers, they let him down and went
> > to the people�.
> > The mercenaries from African countries, he said, were poor and
> > homeless former soldiers who were easily recruited over the years.
> > The former senior official in Libya spoke as the government in Nairobi
> > denied that Kenyan mercenaries were being used to execute Gaddafi�s
> > brutal crackdown.
> > However, there was an admission that retired police and army officers
> > could be in Libya working for private companies. (Read: _MP cites his
> > worries over Kenyan �dogs of war�_
> > <http://www.nation.co.ke/News/MP+cites+his+worries+over+Kenyan+dogs+of...>)
>
> > The story of Kenyan mercenaries was lent further credence by a Libyan
> > military defector quoted in the UK newspaper � /The Guardian/ �
> > listing Kenya as one of the recruitment grounds for thousands of
> > African mercenaries propping up the regime.
> > Air Force Major Rajib Feytouni said he had personally witnessed 4,000
> > to 5,000 mercenaries flown into his air force base on Libyan military
> > transport planes since 14 February� several days before the uprising
> > started.
> > �They (the planes) had 300 men at a time, all of them coming out with
> > weapons. They were all from Africa: Ghanaians, Kenyans,� he is _quoted
> > in the /Guardian. /_
> > <http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/23/inside-libya-banghazi-jub...>
> > The mercenaries are being used by Col Gaddafi to violently break down
> > the wave of protests that is spreading across the North African country.
> > �That is why we turned against the government. That and the fact that
> > there was an order to use planes to attack the people,� said Major
> > Feytouni in the second largest city of Benghazi which has fallen in
> > the hands of rebels. (Read: _Inside Libya's first free city_
> > <http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/23/inside-libya-banghazi-jub...>)
>
> > Acting Foreign Affairs minister George Saitoti also denied the
> > allegations when he appeared before the Parliamentary Committee on
> > Defence yesterday.
> > In Parliament, Foreign Affairs assistant minister Richard Onyonka
> > dismissed the involvement of Kenyan mercenaries in the violent Libyan
> > crackdown on protesters.
> > �The only individuals in Libya are embassy staff and students who are
> > not involved militarily,� he said.
> > Government spokesman Alfred Mutua also denied knowledge of any Kenyan
> > mercenaries fighting on the side of Col Gaddafi.
>
> > However, he conceded that there were dozens of retired soldiers and
> > police officers who have taken up employment in private companies to
> > provide security in war zones who could be mistaken for mercenaries.
> > Image Gallery
> > <http://www.nation.co.ke/News/-/1056/1113114/-/1119sthz/-/index.html>
> > �In the past, some of our retired military people as well as police
> > officers have been contracted to provide security by private companies
> > in war torn countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq,� he said.
> read more �
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-- kenneth w. harrow distinguished professor of english michigan state university department of english east lansing, mi 48824-1036 ph. 517 803 8839 har...@msu.edu
Prof Segun Ogunbemi
As I watched the Iranian Press TV this evening plus what I read in the news papers in Nigeria about the uprising in Libya, I became speechless. How can Qaddafi who has been an advocate of a United States of Africa turn against his own Libyan people in such a ruthless manner? If he had succeeded in his dream to have Africa united and be governed by him: Is this the way he would have treated Africans? We have a clear picture of the kind of hypocracy that is apparent among some African leaders. Killing the people who have been suffering in silence for about 42 years of Qaddafi's reign of terror in Libya has no moral justification. Qaddafi has wantonly violated the rights of his people to protest against his unjust governance and leadership. It is time for Qaddafi to quit the stage and allow peace to reign in Libya. I think
enough is enough and that is a resonate message coming from the oppressed Libyans. And the rest of the world must join hand together to say the end of the reign of Qaddafi has come. And it has come now.
May African leaders who have been in power for a long time like Qaddafi begin to have a re-think of holding to power as if it is their birthright. A word is sufficient for the wise. |