The situation in the besieged city of Misrata is very confusing, Sunday, April 24, the day after Tripoli's announcement of withdrawing its troops. The EXTRA city of Libya, where the day before the rebels celebrated the withdrawal of government forces, is always subjected to intense bombing Gaddafi forces, according to a spokesman for the insurgents.
Government soldiers captured by the rebels said Saturday they had received orders to withdraw from the port city after a siege of nearly two months, and insurgents demanding the departure of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi had claimed victory. Despite this apparent withdrawal, fighting has intensified its strength Saturday and Sunday.
Since Saturday, at least 36 people were killed in the bombing and there were a hundred wounded, "said Safieddine, a spokesman for the insurgents. He said eight people were killed Sunday and 28 on Saturday. "In a day 'normal', said a doctor at the main hospital in the city was generally 11-12 dead and fifty injured." "The brigades of Qaddafi began bombing in the early hours of the morning.
The shelling continues. They are the center of the city mainly street of Tripoli and three residential neighborhoods," said Abdelsalam, another spokesman insurgents, reached by telephone in the city. An interpretation confirmed by the Deputy Foreign Minister of Libya, which has denied that the army withdrew from Misrata.
"The armed forces have not withdrawn from Misrata. They halted trading in Misrata because Misrata tribal chiefs have decided to act," he said, asserting that 60,000 civilians were ready to fight for the city . The announcement by the regime of the mobilization of people in surrounding towns such as Bani Walid or Zliten, strongholds of the tribe of Werfel, seemed to be to complicate the task of involving NATO in these "civilians".
But it should not make major changes to the front, because much of them already would fight under the banner of "popular army" composed of militias of "volunteers". The announcement of this change in strategy has nevertheless added a bit more confusion in the streets of the port city. A spokesman for the rebels announced that the port city, besieged for nearly two months, had been released.
On the Street Tripoli, where fighting is concentrated, "sometimes we fight against men wearing uniforms of the Libyan army, and sometimes against men in civilian clothes," said a rebel, Omar Rajab, 29 years. Because "there are now tribal fighters, from tribes in southern Libya. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said the humanitarian situation was deteriorating in Misrata where access to water and medical care are problematic.
A ship chartered by IOM Misrata arrived Saturday with 160 tons of humanitarian aid (food, medical supplies, tents) and had to leave town to Benghazi in the afternoon, evacuating a thousand refugees from abroad, Nigerians. The IOM has evacuated more than 3,100 Misrata refugees from 21 nationalities.
The Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammad Al-Sabah, for his part said that "Kuwait will make an important and urgent humanitarian assistance through the CNT. Sheikh Mohammad said Kuwait and the NLC would "cooperate closely" to say that formally recognized the Emirate Council. France, Italy, Qatar and the Gambia are the only countries to have recognized the CNT to date.
The senator, who visited this weekend in the rebel stronghold of Benghazi Libya before reaching Cairo where he gave this interview, is an advocate for greater U.S. involvement in the Libyan conflict . Admiral Mike Mullen, Chief of Staff U.S. Army, acknowledged that his side of the conflict was heading toward a deadlock. 
Government soldiers captured by the rebels said Saturday they had received orders to withdraw from the port city after a siege of nearly two months, and insurgents demanding the departure of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi had claimed victory. Despite this apparent withdrawal, fighting has intensified its strength Saturday and Sunday.
Since Saturday, at least 36 people were killed in the bombing and there were a hundred wounded, "said Safieddine, a spokesman for the insurgents. He said eight people were killed Sunday and 28 on Saturday. "In a day 'normal', said a doctor at the main hospital in the city was generally 11-12 dead and fifty injured." "The brigades of Qaddafi began bombing in the early hours of the morning.
The shelling continues. They are the center of the city mainly street of Tripoli and three residential neighborhoods," said Abdelsalam, another spokesman insurgents, reached by telephone in the city. An interpretation confirmed by the Deputy Foreign Minister of Libya, which has denied that the army withdrew from Misrata.
"The armed forces have not withdrawn from Misrata. They halted trading in Misrata because Misrata tribal chiefs have decided to act," he said, asserting that 60,000 civilians were ready to fight for the city . The announcement by the regime of the mobilization of people in surrounding towns such as Bani Walid or Zliten, strongholds of the tribe of Werfel, seemed to be to complicate the task of involving NATO in these "civilians".
But it should not make major changes to the front, because much of them already would fight under the banner of "popular army" composed of militias of "volunteers". The announcement of this change in strategy has nevertheless added a bit more confusion in the streets of the port city. A spokesman for the rebels announced that the port city, besieged for nearly two months, had been released.
On the Street Tripoli, where fighting is concentrated, "sometimes we fight against men wearing uniforms of the Libyan army, and sometimes against men in civilian clothes," said a rebel, Omar Rajab, 29 years. Because "there are now tribal fighters, from tribes in southern Libya. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said the humanitarian situation was deteriorating in Misrata where access to water and medical care are problematic.
A ship chartered by IOM Misrata arrived Saturday with 160 tons of humanitarian aid (food, medical supplies, tents) and had to leave town to Benghazi in the afternoon, evacuating a thousand refugees from abroad, Nigerians. The IOM has evacuated more than 3,100 Misrata refugees from 21 nationalities.
The Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammad Al-Sabah, for his part said that "Kuwait will make an important and urgent humanitarian assistance through the CNT. Sheikh Mohammad said Kuwait and the NLC would "cooperate closely" to say that formally recognized the Emirate Council. France, Italy, Qatar and the Gambia are the only countries to have recognized the CNT to date.
The senator, who visited this weekend in the rebel stronghold of Benghazi Libya before reaching Cairo where he gave this interview, is an advocate for greater U.S. involvement in the Libyan conflict . Admiral Mike Mullen, Chief of Staff U.S. Army, acknowledged that his side of the conflict was heading toward a deadlock.
- Libyan rebels: 36 killed in Misrata since Saturday - Reuters (24/04/2011)
- The battle for Misrata (21/04/2011)
- Libyan rebel spokesman says "Misrata is free" (24/04/2011)
- Libya's Misrata Bombarded Despite Government Claims to Halt Operations - Voice of America (24/04/2011)
- You: LIBYA: Regime says Misrata attack halted, but fighting continues (24/04/2011)
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