The rise and fall of Colonel Muamar Gadaffi

[Hofstede]

Huyu jamaa kama kweli ni mbaya kiasi hicho (Dikteta) basi huenda Africa hatuna kiongozi na hata hawa viongozi wetu ambao sio madikteta wanatutesa kuliko ambavyo watu wa Libya wanateswa...

Ni mengi Gaddafi ambayo kaifanyia Libya ambayo sidhani kama kuna kiongozi wa Africa anaweza kusema amefanya hata nusu ya hayo :-

Elimu ya Bure
Tofauti na nchi nyingine za ki-islamu Libya elimu libya ni kwa wote na ni ya bure pote nchini na nchi za nje kuanzia chekechea mpaka masters

Afya
Matibabu bora na ya bure kwa wananchi pia 97% wanapata huduma ya maji masafi (sijui bongo ni asilimia ngapi)

The Great Man Made River Project
Kutungeneza huu mto imechuka takriban miaka 20 kwa gharama ya 20 billion us dollars ( na pesa zote zilitokea ndani ya nchi bila mikopo) hii inasaidia wakulima kuweza kumwagilizia mazao yao.

Pia inasemekana ni msimamo wake ndio ulipelekea nchi za magharibi zinunue mafuta kwa bei ambayo ni nzuri pia ametumia maliasili za nchi yake kwa manufaa ya wananchi wake.

Naombeni majibu wanajamvi kama huyu kiongozi hafai basi ni kiongozi gani wa Africa anayefaa….!!???

Na je kuwa na huyu Dikteta aliefanya kazi na kuleta maendeleo au kuwa na kiongozi anayekaa tu na kumaliza miaka yake kumi kwa kutofanya lolote kipi ni bora..

Colonel Muammar Gaddafi is he really that Bad !!!!!

Gaddafi si mbaya na anastahili credit japo kwa kutumia a minute percentage of national resources to calm the public for years. Gaddafi angekuwa ni perfect leader leo hii Libya na Qatar zingekuwa head to head in terms of infrastructure developments. Ukiongea na Mlibya tena aliyenufaika na hicho kidogo cha kuwadanganyia mpaka katika PhD level ndiyo utajua kuwa Gaddafi alikuwa ni sawa na baba mlevi, anatoa ofa za bia na nyama choma kwa wapambe mpaka wanacheua akiwa bar wakati nyumbani watoto wanakula ugali na kisamvu chukuchuku(Yaani kimechemshwa na kutiwa chumvi tu, no nyanya, no kitunguu, no mafuta etc).

Gaddafi amekuwa akiiendesha Libya kama vile family property. Kilichomfanya Gaddafi kuonekana mbaya ni pale alipoamua kuzima maandamano kwa kuua raia wasio na hatia, huku akijua fika kuwa ana maadui wengi nje ya Libya aliowatengeneza ndani ya miaka 42 ya uongozi wake. Angekuwa anashaurika, angeliandaa Taifa kuelekea kwenye utawala wa kidemokrasia baada ya dalili kuonekana. Lakini kama ilivyo kwa madikteta na watawala wengi waliojilimbizia mali kwa ufisadi (Hapa Tanzania pia imo), watawala kila siku huwa na hofu ya kufikishwa nguvuni baada ya kuachia madaraka kwa njia ya demokrasia kwa mtu asiyeweza kuwalinda, kama ambavyo tunavyoona viongozi wa Tanzania wanavyolindana.

Kwa ujumla ni kwamba Gaddafi amefanya aliyofanya kwa nchi yake kwa kuwa Libya ni Tajiri wa mafuta na alichoifanyia Libya ni kama kumtupia kolokoloni makombo ili ajisahau. Kwa hiyo usishabikiye sana na programme ambazo anafanya kwa kutumia small portion of National income. Kama walibya wote wangekuwa wanaishi kama walivyokuwa wanaishi watoto wake na jamaa zake wa karibu, basi leo hii Gaddafi angekuwa analindwa na wananchi siyo kutafutwa akamatwe.

BTW: Gaddafi aliisaidia Uganda (Under Idi Amini Dada) kwenye vita dhidi yetu ambapo maelfu ya vijana wetu walipoteza maisha, wewe mtanzania unayemtetea leo unatakiwa kujua kuwa ana damu ya ndugu zako mikononi.

 

[chamajani]

Gaddafi si mbaya na anastahili credit japo kwa kutumia a minute percentage of national resources to calm the public for years. Gaddafi angekuwa ni perfect leader leo hii Libya na Qatar zingekuwa head to head in terms of infrastructure developments. Ukiongea na Mlibya tena aliyenufaika na hicho kidogo cha kuwadanganyia mpaka katika PhD level ndiyo utajua kuwa Gaddafi alikuwa ni sawa na baba mlevi, anatoa ofa za bia na nyama choma kwa wapambe mpaka wanacheua akiwa bar wakati nyumbani watoto wanakula ugali na kisamvu chukuchuku(Yaani kimechemshwa na kutiwa chumvi tu, no nyanya, no kitunguu, no mafuta etc).

Gaddafi amekuwa akiiendesha Libya kama vile family property. Kilichomfanya Gaddafi kuonekana mbaya ni pale alipoamua kuzima maandamano kwa kuua raia wasio na hatia, huku akijua fika kuwa ana maadui wengi nje ya Libya aliowatengeneza ndani ya miaka 42 ya uongozi wake. Angekuwa anashaurika, angeliandaa Taifa kuelekea kwenye utawala wa kidemokrasia baada ya dalili kuonekana. Lakini kama ilivyo kwa madikteta na watawala wengi waliojilimbizia mali kwa ufisadi (Hapa Tanzania pia imo), watawala kila siku huwa na hofu ya kufikishwa nguvuni baada ya kuachia madaraka kwa njia ya demokrasia kwa mtu asiyeweza kuwalinda, kama ambavyo tunavyoona viongozi wa Tanzania wanavyolindana.

Kwa ujumla ni kwamba Gaddafi amefanya aliyofanya kwa nchi yake kwa kuwa Libya ni Tajiri wa mafuta na alichoifanyia Libya ni kama kumtupia kolokoloni makombo ili ajisahau. Kwa hiyo usishabikiye sana na programme ambazo anafanya kwa kutumia small portion of National income. Kama walibya wote wangekuwa wanaishi kama walivyokuwa wanaishi watoto wake na jamaa zake wa karibu, basi leo hii Gaddafi angekuwa analindwa na wananchi siyo kutafutwa akamatwe.

BTW: Gaddafi aliisaidia Uganda (Under Idi Amini Dada) kwenye vita dhidi yetu ambapo maelfu ya vijana wetu walipoteza maisha, wewe mtanzania unayemtetea leo unatakiwa kujua kuwa ana damu ya ndugu zako mikononi.

Ivi hiyo nyekundu ndo nini mkuu! Do the ultimate goal of democracy is a development or embezzements? Re-think

 

[Glue]

Emotional..i wish nipate nyuklia sasaiv nailengesha washnton,paris na London

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Nimekusoma mkuu! Pamoja sana kuumaliza adhalimu.

 

[Mapi]

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Mwambie hizo hela zake akamnunulie Gagulo hawala yake ili ajistiri.

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unajua wajnga wasiokaa na kupma mambo kwa upana wake watamlaumu gadaf. Inkera unapoona mtanzania/mwafrka anasifia kung'olewa kwa ghadaf

 

[VoiceOfReason]

Kwa ujumla ni kwamba Gaddafi amefanya aliyofanya kwa nchi yake kwa kuwa Libya ni Tajiri wa mafuta na alichoifanyia Libya ni kama kumtupia kolokoloni makombo ili ajisahau.


Kwa hiyo usishabikiye sana na programme ambazo anafanya kwa kutumia small portion of National income. Kama walibya wote wangekuwa wanaishi kama walivyokuwa wanaishi watoto wake na jamaa zake wa karibu, basi leo hii Gaddafi angekuwa analindwa na wananchi siyo kutafutwa akamatwe.

Mkuu ni nchi ngapi za kiafrika ni tajiri na zimefanya nini rasilimali zao, heri ya hao hata wanapewa makombo sisi tunapewa nini na utajiri wetu wote huu...!!! na swali la kujiuliza kabla hajachukua nchi Libya ilikuwa wapi?

BTW: Gaddafi aliisaidia Uganda (Under Idi Amini Dada) kwenye vita dhidi yetu ambapo maelfu ya vijana wetu walipoteza maisha, wewe mtanzania unayemtetea leo unatakiwa kujua kuwa ana damu ya ndugu zako mikononi.

Mkuu Gaddafi loyality yake inapaswa kuwa kwa benefit ya Libya na sio Tanzania na wala mtu hulazimishwi kuchagua marafiki aliamua kuwa rafiki wa Iddi Amin hio pekee isiwe ndio kumuhukumu kwamba amewatendea mabaya Libya pia inasemekana alishiriki katika kuangusha ile ndege iliyoua watu wengi.... (kwahiyo hii inamfanya kuwa jasusi na hata ghaidi) lakini tukija kwenye suala la uongozi wake wa Libya alipowatoa na alipowafikisha sasa ni viongozi wangapi wanaweza wakajivunia such a record

 

[coby]

Nimeshawishika kuandika hii thread kwa sababu moja tu NATO NA NCHI ZA MAGHARIBI ZIMEKIDHI MATAKWA YAO YA KUMUONDOA MADARAKANI GADAFI KWA KUIPUUZA AFRICA.<br />
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1. AU imewekwa pembeni na UN na kudhalilishwa kwenye suala la Libya. Ni wazi kutakuwa na mpasuko mkubwa miongoni mwa nchi moja moja na ndani ya AU kwa maslahi ya mataifa ya Magharibi. Hii itapanuka hadi kwenye kutuamulia watawala.<br />
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2. Naona sera ya kuwachonganisha waafrika ndani ya nchi zao ili wapore mali ghafi ya Libya imepata nafasi na fursa kubwa sana.<br />
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3. Wanataja kustabilise Libya licha ya wao kutojua kwa vipi? Hatima yake tumepata Somalia nyingine kwa lazima ya mataifa ya magharibi.<br />
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Kwa yaliyotokea Libya bila ushabiki sioni nchi hata moja itakayoweza kusimama kutetea maslahi yake bila kutilia manani maslahi ya nchi zenye mabavu ya uchumi na kijeshi<br />
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Lakini kwa kuamini vichwa vya JF naomba tubadilishane mawazo kwa kuwekana sawa kwenye hili suala tukizingatia kweli Gadafi naye alikaa madarakani muda mrefu, lakini si peke yake. Wapinzani wake wamefadhiliwa na nchi za magharibi ambazo pamoja na mengine zimehusika moja kwa moja kuharibu uwekezaji wa muda mrefu wa kimaendeleo wa Libya. Mwisho majukumu ya UN na AU kwa sasa ni wazi kuna kukizana labda tuseme ni zama mpya hizi. <br />
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Tafadhali naomba tupanueni mawazo, maana mtazamo wangu labda na wa wengine kama mimi umetatizika sana.

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Waafrika tuache kulalamika na kutaka huruma.Tuliitaji uhuru toka kwa wazungu tukaupata,tukafurahia bila kujua tunaingiza ukoloni wa waafrika wenzetu ambao kwa kigezo kuwa wanalinda amani na uhuru wetu wanajineemesha peke yao huku tukiambulia gawio kiduchu na tukisimama kusema wanatuonea basi tunaambulia kipigo cha mbwa mwizi kwa risasi na mabomu kama walibya(rats) walivyofanyiwa na Ghadafi au wabongo (mbayuwayu) walivyofanyiwa pale Arusha, Mbeya,Tarime nk.
Hakuna binadamu anayependa kufugwa kama Ghadafi na maraisi wengine wa Afrika wanavyotaka kufuga raia zao na kuona hakuna mwingine anayeweza kuongoza au kuona wengine wote ni vibaraka.
Wazungu they fight to protect their interest. Their being super power is a result of exploiting others, that's how it has been always.So badala ya kukaa kulalamika tu, tuamke do every thing to raise our economy wenye manufaa kwa wananchi wote huku tukitengeneza mifumo mizuri ya kiutawala ili isiwepo sababu ya kutokeza unarest na kuwapa sababu wazungu kama ilivyotokea libya. Kwa stail hiyo tutakua tunajijenga na kuwa super power. La sivyo tutaendelea kuonewa hivihivi na kulalamika hivihivi milele

 

[Askari Kanzu]

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unajua wajnga wasiokaa na kupma mambo kwa upana wake watamlaumu gadaf. Inkera unapoona mtanzania/mwafrka anasifia kung'olewa kwa ghadaf

Punguza jazba, pupa zako za kuandika zinakufanya uonekane ngumbaru!

 

[Askari Kanzu]

Karibuni Mh. Membe naye atatamka!

Burkina Faso offers Gaddafi exile
Wed Aug 24, 2011 5:50pm GMT

OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) - Burkina Faso, a former recipient of large amounts of Libyan aid, has offered Muammar Gaddafi exile but has also recognised the rebel National Transitional Council (NTC) as Libya's government.

Chad, another major aid recipient, also recognised the rebel council.

The African nations join a list of more than 40 countries who have recognised the rebels who have taken control of most of Libya and are now hunting the veteran leader.

Burkinabe Foreign Minister Yipene Djibril Bassolet said that Gaddafi could go into exile in his country even though it is a signatory of the International Criminal Court, which has charged him crimes against humanity.

"In the name of peace, I think we will take, with our partners in the international community, whatever steps are necessary," Bassolet said, without giving any other details.

As recipients of Gaddafi's largesse during his decades in power, the governments in Ouagadougou and N'Djamena had previously been hesitant about taking sides the conflict. Libya's rebels have often accused neighbouring Chad of backing Gaddafi by sending mercenaries to put down the uprising, a charge denied by N'Djamena.

But a council delegation was in Chad on Wednesday when Moussa Dago, secretary general for Chad's foreign affairs ministry, recognised its authority and called on it to protect Chadian interests in the country.

Burkina Faso, not a neighbour but previously a Gaddafi ally in sub Saharan Africa, also recognised the council as the only legitimate Libyan authority. Gaddafi has said he is ready to fight to the death in Tripoli, although there have been a number of reports that he might seek refuge in an African nations.

Reuters

 

[Nonda]

Eee bana nyie akina Ami, Gang Chomba, Nonda na hata Gamba la Nyoka hamchoki kumtetea Gaddafi? Kanali keshachemsha. Kuna jamaa tayari ameshatangaza kitita cha pauni millioni moja kwa yeyote atakayemkamata Gaddafi.

 

[Nonda]

Wezi wanataka kugawana hela ambazo Gaddafi alizikusanya aka sovereign fund ya Libya, wakimaliza frozen assets wanajikwapulia mafuta na "walibya" wataambulia "protection na domocracy"

 

[Askari Kanzu]

Aisee Nonda huyo Jacob Zuma alikuwa anafikiria nini wakati nchi yake ilipopiga kura ya SC Resolution 1973! Hizo video clips hazinishawishi chochote manaake wote hao ni wanafiki wakubwa, JZ na hao RT!

 

[Nonda]

"The reasons for the U.S./NATO intervention in Libya keep changing," he said. "First, it was about the potential for a massacre in Benghazi. When the massacre did not materialize and once the war against Libya was under way, the reasons for intervention changed."

And Kucinich questioned the motivation behind U.S. intervention in Libya.

"Was the United States, through participation in the overthrow of the regime, furthering the aims of international oil corporations in pursuit of control over one of the world's largest oil resources?" he asked. "Did the United States at the inception of the war against Libya align itself with elements of Al Qaeda, while elsewhere continuing to use the threat of Al Qaeda as a reason for U.S. military intervention, presence and occupation?"


Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0811/61920.html#ixzz1VypEXcM9

 

[Askari Kanzu]

Waziri wa Gaddafi akubali: Mchezo umekwisha!

'It's over for Gaddafi' says his foreign minister
Wednesday 24 August 2011

Exclusive: Colonel Gaddafi's foreign minister, Abdul Ati al-Obeidi, tells Channel 4 News that the dictator's reign has come to an end.

View attachment 35955
Mr Obeidi told Channel 4 News Foreign Affairs Correspondent Jonathan Miller that Gaddafi's 42-year grip on the country "was over" after rebels stormed the capital, Tripoli, and breached the Libyan leader's compound.

Mr Obeidi also said he was not in contact with other ministers in the regime, and confirmed that the prime minister had defected to Tunisia.

He added that if he were commanding forces loyal to Gaddafi, he would tell them to stop their resistance.

"If I was in charge, I would tell them to lay down their arms," he said.

Speaking from a house in Tripoli, where he is with his son and grandchildren, Mr Obeidi said that it now appeared that Gaddafi had exhausted all the options available to him. Gaddafi had previously been assured by the international community that he would be guaranteed safe passage out of Libya, if he chose to accept it.

 

[Gang Chomba]

kuna propaganda zimepangwa ulimwengu
uaminishwe kuwa Kamanda katutoka.
Hivyo yeye Gadaffi binafsi katuambia wanawe
kuwa wakitangaza tu habari hiyo basi tuwajibu
''We know he will not die.'' We know he will not die.
We know he will not die.
We know he will not die.
We know he will not die.
Allah akbar

 

[Nonda]

Huyu jamaa kama kweli ni mbaya kiasi hicho (Dikteta) basi huenda Africa hatuna kiongozi na hata hawa viongozi wetu ambao sio madikteta wanatutesa kuliko ambavyo watu wa Libya wanateswa...

Ni mengi Gaddafi ambayo kaifanyia Libya ambayo sidhani kama kuna kiongozi wa Africa anaweza kusema amefanya hata nusu ya hayo :-

Elimu ya Bure
Tofauti na nchi nyingine za ki-islamu Libya elimu libya ni kwa wote na ni ya bure pote nchini na nchi za nje kuanzia chekechea mpaka masters

Afya
Matibabu bora na ya bure kwa wananchi pia 97% wanapata huduma ya maji masafi (sijui bongo ni asilimia ngapi)

The Great Man Made River Project
Kutungeneza huu mto imechuka takriban miaka 20 kwa gharama ya 20 billion us dollars ( na pesa zote zilitokea ndani ya nchi bila mikopo) hii inasaidia wakulima kuweza kumwagilizia mazao yao.

Pia inasemekana ni msimamo wake ndio ulipelekea nchi za magharibi zinunue mafuta kwa bei ambayo ni nzuri pia ametumia maliasili za nchi yake kwa manufaa ya wananchi wake.

Naombeni majibu wanajamvi kama huyu kiongozi hafai basi ni kiongozi gani wa Africa anayefaa….!!???

Na je kuwa na huyu Dikteta aliefanya kazi na kuleta maendeleo au kuwa na kiongozi anayekaa tu na kumaliza miaka yake kumi kwa kutofanya lolote kipi ni bora..

Colonel Muammar Gaddafi is he really that Bad !!!!!

Aliyefaa ni Nyerere tu, aliyetuachia nchi muflisi baada ya miaka 24/ 26 madarakani.

Kwa record hiyo uliyoiweka ya Gaddafi ,mimi ningekula "maisha bora" yangu na kumwacha aendelee kuongoza Taifa kama King wa Saudia ; mpaka kifo chake ndio ukomo wa muhula wa uongozi.

 

[Nonda]

Waziri wa Gaddafi akubali: Mchezo umekwisha!

Speaking from a house in Tripoli, where he is with his son and grandchildren, Mr Obeidi said that it now appeared that Gaddafi had exhausted all the options available to him. Gaddafi had previously been assured by the international community that he would be guaranteed safe passage out of Libya, if he chose to accept it.

Kwa hili la buluu... Gaddafi alijifunza kutoka kwa yaliyomsibu Charles Taylor.

Kama kweli Utawala wa Gaddafi umekwisha basi I salute Gaddafi for keeping his word...not leaving his country and fighting to the end.

 

[Mr.Toyo]

Nimeona it's better to share with you this post nanyi pia mpate kufahamu kuhusu NTC/Libyan Rebels:

A who’s who of the Libyan revolution

August 22, 2011 17:08:00Debra Black
Staff Reporter
Libyan rebels claimed they had taken control of Tripoli on Monday, ending the mercurial and terrifying dictatorship of Moammar Gadhafi.
With almost lightning speed, the rebel forces appear to be on the road to ending the dictatorship of Gadhafi.
Their group is made up of members of a popular uprising; tribal factions; an Islamic group with ties to Al Qaeda; a political and military group with alleged ties to the CIA; and a group of former Gadhafi ministers, academics and businessmen.
Just who are these people and what role are they playing in the uprising?


The National Transitional Council
Officially recognized by Canada, the U.S., Britain and other nations as Libya’s official government, this group is made up of academics, businessmen and former Gadhafi ministers and officials.
It is the most visible group and is supposed to be the political face of the revolution. It is led by Mustafa Abdel-Jalil.
According to CBS News, Abdel-Jalil said Monday Libya’s new government would be based on “freedom, democracy, justice, equality and transparency — within a moderate Islamic framework.” Those sentiments fly in the face of suggestions that hardline Islamists have gained control of the rebel movement.
But the National Transitional Council is more or less “a political front,” said David Model, a professor of political science and international relations at Seneca College, in a phone interview with the Star.
The council was formed in late February and has received heavy financial support from the U.S., France and Britain. Their mission has always been regime change, he said.


The National Conference of the Libyan Opposition
Formed in 2005 from a number of anti-Gadhafi groups, it played a pivotal role in turning the Day of Rage protest in February into an all-out government protest that led to the ongoing civil war, according to media reports.
Members of this group are considered pro-Western and favour liberal democratic reforms. Its members include the Libyan Constitutional Union, Libyan League for Human Rights and the Libyan Tmazight Congress.
The National Front for the Salvation of Libya
This group, established in 1981, was trained and supported by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, Model said. It made an unsuccessful attempt on Gadhafi’s life in 1984. The group makes up a substantial portion of the rebel forces, Model said.
The group also has a military wing called the Libyan National Army. It was formed in 1988 by Khalifa Haftar and was backed by the CIA, according to a study done by think-tank, the Jamestown Foundation. Haftar returned to Benghazi in March to join the forces attempting to overthrow Gadhafi.


The Libyan Islamic Fighting Group
This rebel force has been designated a terrorist group by the U.S. State Department. It is said to have ties to Al Qaeda. Formed in the training camps of Afghanistan in the 1990s, the first emir of the group was Muftah al-Wadi, Model said.
The group’s main purpose is to overthrow Gadhafi because he has been running a secular state, while it wants an Islamic state. It has also helped and supported jihadi groups around the world and sent a number of its members to fight the U.S. in Iraq, Model said.


The others
The last group of rebels isn’t really an organized one and doesn’t belong to one group or another. Its heart is on the streets and with some residents of Benghazi, Model said. Some of the rebels are from an ethnic tribe in Eastern Libya that has a long-standing hatred for Gadhafi; others rebels are simply people who have risen up against the repression and tyranny of Gadhafi’s regime. At least two Libyan Canadians have returned to their homeland, and specifically Benghazi, to fight with the rebels, according to media reports.
Who ends up at the helm of the government if Gadhafi is overthrown is unclear, said Model, who is presenting a paper at Oxford University in September dealing with U.S. foreign policy in Libya.
“It’s hard to predict who will come out on top,” he said. “There may be a struggle to determine who actually is going to form the government. It’s not clear because there are some religious extremist groups involved in the revolution.”

SOURCE thestar.com mobile: article

 

[Askari Kanzu]

...Hivyo yeye Gadaffi binafsi katuambia wanawe
kuwa wakitangaza tu habari hiyo basi tuwajibu
''We know he will not die.''...

Yaani Gadaffi ni baba'ko?

 

[mnyikungu]

katika vita hii mi nimevutiwa na kshujaa mmja hivi anaitwa SEIF AL ISLAM, huyu kamanda ni kiboko na kama ni mech basi yeye ni man of the match sababu yeye inaonekana ndo mwiba mkali kwa waasi na ndo maana wametangaza mara mbili kumuuwa kumbe wapi! na pia wakatangaza kumteka kesho yake akaonekana mtaani. huyu kweli ni shujaa.

 

[Askari Kanzu]

Gaddafi's Fleeing Mercenaries Describe the Collapse of the Regime
By Jovo Martinovic / Montenegro Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2011



Right from the start, Mario, an ethnic Croatian artillery specialist from Bosnia, suspected it was a lost cause.

"My men were mainly from the south [of Libya] and Chad, and there were a few others from countries south of Libya," said Mario, who spoke on condition that his last name not be published. A veteran of the wars of the former Yugoslavia, he had been hired by the Gaddafi regime to help fight the rebels and, later, NATO. "Discipline was bad, and they were too stupid to learn anything. But things were O.K. until the air strikes commenced. The other side was equally bad, if not worse. [Muammar] Gaddafi would have smashed the rebels had the West not intervened."

By early July, Mario said, more than 30% of the men under his command had deserted or defected to the rebel side. NATO missiles scored several direct hits on his forces, causing "significant casualties." At that point in the war, he said, "military hardware stopped having the role it [once did]. We had to use camouflage and avoid open spaces."

Away from the front, at the heart of the regime, mistrust and excess further undermined Gaddafi's hold on power, Mario said. "Life in [Gaddafi's] compound and shelters was so surreal, with partying, women, alcohol and drugs," said Mario, 41. "One of the relatives of Gaddafi took me to one of his villas where they offered me anything I wanted. I heard stories about people being shot for fun and forced to play Russian roulette while spectators were making bets, like in the movies."

Tension between two of Gaddafi's sons contributed to the sense that Gaddafi's cause was doomed. "I noticed profound rivalry between Gaddafi's sons," Mario said, speaking en route from the southern city of Sabha to Libya's border with Niger. "Once, there was almost an armed clash between Mohammed's and Saif [al-Islam]'s men. I saw one group interrogating the other at gunpoint, and then more of the other group arrived fully armed, and it was a standoff for several minutes, with both sides cursing each other."

Mario respected and liked Gaddafi's most prominent son, Saif al-Islam, who in 2009 threw himself a lavish 37th birthday party on the coast of the former Yugoslav republic of Montenegro, one of Europe's newest glamour spots for the superrich. The ties between the Gaddafi family and the former Yugoslavia stretch back to the days of Josep Broz Tito, Yugoslavia's storied communist leader, who was a friend and ally of Gaddafi's. Mario said that Gaddafi had hired several former Yugoslav fighters, most of them Serbs, to help him in his fight against NATO and the rebels. One by one, Mario said, these foreign advisers and commanders left Tripoli. Some senior Libyans joined them.

"I noticed that many Libyans pretended loyalty just out of fear and were just seeking a way to turn against [Gaddafi]," Mario said. "Many officers admitted to me they stood no chance against NATO, and one of them told me he was in touch with the people in Benghazi." Benghazi is the rebel stronghold in the east of the country.

Mario left Tripoli 12 days ago after receiving a warning from a comrade. "Two weeks ago, a friend who brought me here told me I should leave Tripoli, as things were going to rapidly change and that deals have been made," he said. He noticed Gaddafi's South African mercenaries beginning to leave. Mario decided with a fellow mercenary to flee Tripoli. "I tried to get ahold of Saif before that, but he was beyond reach," he said. "Later he called my companion to ask if we needed something and to say that they would win back all of Libya."

Another former Yugoslav soldier, a retired general in the old Yugoslav army and a longtime military adviser to Gaddafi, cut things tighter, leaving Tripoli on Aug. 21. The man, who spoke on condition that his name not be published, spoke to TIME as he traveled through Libya toward Tunisia. "Back there is chaos," he said, referring to Tripoli, which was then being overrun by the rebel forces. "The whole system has collapsed. I knew it was coming. I haven't spoken to [Gaddafi] in four weeks. He wouldn't listen."

Like Mario, the former general had sensed that the regime would soon fall. "Everything seemed normal until recently, but we could feel the deal breaking behind the stage," he said. The former general, who had lived in Tripoli and ran a business there for many years, described Gaddafi as a "fool" and compared him to Slobodan Milosevic, the Serbian leader who took on NATO during the 1999 war in Kosovo and ultimately died in a prison cell at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in the Hague. "You can't fight NATO and play a stubborn lunatic like that guy," the former general said.

Time.com