The foreign backed military ousting and brutal killing of Colonel Gaddafi was a forerunner to more chaos and the failed state syndrome of Afghanistan, Kosovo (Serbia rejects the independence of Kosovo) and Iraq. It is clear that powerful Western military forces can alter the “leadership landscape” but winning the peace remains very distant. Libya is now entering a similar pattern whereby decentralization and the abuse of power remains to the fore. In Kosovo since the ending of the conflict you have had untold killings of Orthodox Christians but how many Kosovo Albanians are in prison for these crimes? Libya is the same because many Gaddafi loyalists and black Africans were killed after the fall of Gaddafi. It mattered not that fighters either gave themselves up or if they were captured because many were killed either way. Similarly, many ordinary civilians have been killed on the most flimsy of grounds. Indeed, the brutal massacres inflicted against black Africans were clearly racial because many were singled out and killed based on the color of their skin. Currently many people in Bani Walid are both angry and scared about what may develop in the following days. It is always likely that a fresh massacre may ensue alongside false charges against individuals who merely demand justice. Therefore, with the international community already failing many Libyans it is essential that more is done for places like Bani Walid. Libyan troops and various militias are now surrounding Bani Walid. Not surprisingly, many voices within Bani Walid are calling for international support. The fear and grievances of the people of Bani Walid needs to be known and enacted on. If Libyan government forces adopt a heavy handed approach then this will merely widen the gap and create more divisions. One year ago various anti-Gaddafi forces entered Bani Walid and this followed an all too familiar path. This applies to looting, kidnapping people and the abuse of power. In an article published in The Daily Telegraph (UK) the writers Nick Meo and Hassan Morajea, comment that “The town’s inhabitants were tired of the militia men barging into their homes, pushing their wives around and looting their possessions. Even worse were the arrests of suspected Gaddafi officials. Thousands of men have been dragged away across Libya in the past few months to prison and in many cases torture, in some cases for revenge just because they came from a town that was pro-Gaddafi during the war.” “Torture has become a stain on the face of the new Libya. The United Nations and human rights groups accuse militias of doing what Gaddafi’s torturers used to do, with whips, chains and plastic hoses. Médecins Sans Frontières withdrew doctors from detention centres in Misurata last week, complaining they were being asked to patch victims up between torture sessions.” The above comment was stated in late January 2012 when pro-Gaddafi loyalists fought a military battle with a patchwork of forces which support the foreign backed leaders of Libya. Once more the simmering mass discontent in Bani Walid is challenging the weak institutions of this country. Meanwhile people in Bani Walid want the world to take note about their plight and the merits of the new leaders of Libya. Not all individuals who are against the new rulers of Libya are pro-Gaddafi in Bani Walid. Yet like Gaddafi loyalists many individuals feel marginalized, betrayed by the “new Libya” and have suffered persecution. This resentment can be felt in other parts of Libya irrespective if people are pro or anti Gaddafi. The sad truth is that the new Libya is blighted by violence, no rule of law which is functioning across the country, the destruction of Sufi shrines by Salafists and widespread criminality. On top of this, the many massacres committed by rebels who were supported by foreign powers remain unpunished. It is difficult to forge reconciliation when one side continues to suffer. Alongside this you no longer have a functioning state. Instead, it is a patchwork of different political and military ruled areas whereby elements of central power are not functioning to any reasonable degree. The Libyan government is claiming that they are targeting criminal elements. However, using mortars and other military hardware against criminals really sums up the manipulation of language. Therefore, many people in Bani Walid demand that the international community takes note of their plight in order to stop more bloodletting by the current patchwork of rulers in Libya. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/9046372/Militia-chaos-in-Bani-Walid-raises-danger-of-civil-war-in-post-Gaddafi-Libya.html leejay@moderntokyotimes.com http://moderntokyotimes.com