Libya: The shadow of a partition under a tribal background

By African Bulletin on May 9, 2011

This last week, a tribe leaders meeting has called for a general amnesty law aiming to end the civil war. They are, at the same time, supporting the Libyan leader Muammar Kadhafi and calling the rebels as “traitors”.

These Participants at the meeting said they wanted “to work for a general amnesty law that includes all who were involved in the anti-Qaddafi uprising and took the arms against the Libyan regime in February. Such a law “will pave the way for an era of peace and forgiveness”, the statement added. The government spokesman, Moussa Ibrahim, had earlier assured that the meeting was representing all the tribes across the country, including those from the rebel areas. All these tribes have stated to remain loyal to the regime in place and will not “abandon” Muammar Kadhafi, whose departure was demanded by the rebels. They also called to “liberate” the cities under insurgents’ control, and lunched a call to the neighboring towns and cities to start peaceful and popular actions to free these occupied cities by disarming the rebels. However, and by the end of April, there was another sounding music, played be the Leaders  or representatives of 61 Libyan tribes, that had declared, in a written statement at Benghazi, the rebellion stronghold, their intention to build “an unified Libya”, “once the dictator Muammar Gaddafi is thrown out of the country “. The signatories of the text have added: “Libya, tomorrow and once the dictator gone, will be a unified country, including the capital Tripoli, where we will be, finally, free to form a civilian and an emancipated society, according to our wishes “. Through these two conflicting situations, one should not neglect the weight of the tribalism and tribes in Libya. It is the only credible and major factor to play on or with in consideration of the “Libyan Issue”.