Africa File: Libyan oil terminals blocked, customer Italy worried, Egypt's military rulers reinforce western border, fleeing Egyptians report carnage

posted by Perilous Times at 5:20 AM

- Senior Libyan Officials and Diplomats Resign, Air Force Pilots Defect, Protest Qaddafi's Bloody Crackdown on Regime Opponents
- Qaddafi Employing Mercenaries from Chad and Sudan to Suppress Anti-Regime Uprising
- Rebels Reportedly Control Eastern Part of Libya, Pro-Regime Forces Holding Out in Capital Tripoli
- Qaddafi's Son Blames Egypt for Uprising, 1 to 1.5 Million Egyptians in Libya
Pictured above: Palestinian students in Gaza express their contempt for Libyan leader Muammar al-Qaddafi in a demonstration sanctioned by Gaza Strip rulers Hamas.
- The Voice of America reports today: The Libyan military continues to crack down on anti-government protesters, prompting an international outcry. Some Libyan officials are also calling for the violence to stop. Witnesses in the capital, Tripoli, and other cities report more attacks by forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. Some say the violence is being carried out by people they describe as mercenaries, apparently from sub-Saharan Africa. The day before, witnesses said helicopter gunships fired on the demonstrators
- Reuters reports today: Flows from marine oil terminals in Libya were halted on Tuesday and the energy supply situation in the north African country is causing concern, an Italian government source said.
- "The situation is worrying. This morning the oil terminals were blocked in Libya," the source said. Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is using tanks, helicopters and warplanes to combat a growing and bloody revolt in Libya, which supplies 25 per cent of Italy's crude oil.
- Same source reports: Egypt's new military rulers reinforced their border with Libya on Tuesday and opened the frontier round-the-clock to thousands fleeing the turmoil unleashed by the revolt against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
- Egypt, which borders Libya to the east, was planning to send at least four aircraft to evacuate its citizens from Tripoli, pending permission from Libyan air traffic authorities.
- The Egyptian army said on Monday that Libyan forces had withdrawn from their side of the frontier and had been replaced by "people's committees", though it was not clear whether or not they were loyal to Gaddafi.
- MSM reports: Libya's ambassador to Indonesia has resigned to protest a bloody crackdown against protesters by his government. Salaheddin M. El Bishari told the English-language Jakarta Post newspaper in an exclusive interview: "Soldiers are killing unarmed civilians mercilessly. Using heavy weaponry, fighter jets and mercenaries against its own people. It is not acceptable. I have enough of it. I don't tolerate it anymore."