Families of stranded Nigerians plead with govt

ON all fronts, Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, his family members, and aides remain embattled.

As he vows to fight his opponents with his last blood, the International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo says the world body will probe him, his inner circle, including some of his sons for crimes against humanity in his violent crackdown on harmless protesters.

At a briefing in The Hague, The Netherlands yesterday, Moreno-Ocampo said Gaddafi’s security forces were alleged to have attacked peaceful demonstrators in several towns and cities across Libya since February 15. He identified Gaddafi and several commanders and regime officials as having formal or de facto command over forces that may have committed such crimes.

There were reports yesterday of rebel units in pick-up trucks armed with machine-guns and rocket launchers around the strategic oil installation at Brega, securing the site after they repelled an attempt by Gaddafi’s loyalists to retake the port in rebel-held east Libya.

Government warplanes allegedly launched air strikes on the town yesterday morning to secure an airstrip belonging to the huge oil complex on the Mediterranean coast.   There were no reports of casualties.

In Nigeria, families of returnees and those still stranded in Libya, have commended the Federal Government for its swift evacuation of Nigerians from the crisis-ridden country. They, however, appealed to President Goodluck Jonathan to ensure that Nigerians holed up in the country are promptly brought home.

So far, over 1,000 Nigerians have been evacuated from Libya in two operations carried out by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and other stakeholders. The agency is still faced with diplomatic problems with Libyan authorities in the evacuation of those yet to return.

Moreno-Ocampo vowed there would be “no impunity in Libya.”

The move is backed by United Nations (UN) Security Council Resolution 1970 (2011) that provides jurisdiction to the court over the situation in Libya.

Under the Rome Statute, the prosecutor shall proceed with an investigation unless there is no reasonable basis to believe that crimes falling under the ICC jurisdiction have been committed.

After a preliminary examination of available information, the prosecutor said he had reached the conclusion that an investigation was warranted.

The prosecution office has acted with unprecedented haste to launch an investigation, partly to warn Libyan officials against continuing the deliberate slaughter of civilians.

The Argentine prosecutor said the court was using the opportunity “to put them on notice: If forces under their command commit crimes, they could be criminally responsible.”

He also warned that leaders of Libya’s opposition could be investigated if allegations are raised against them. “We will be impartial,” he said.

The Office of the Prosecutor is liaising with the UN, the African Union, the Arab League, as well as States. Additionally, the prosecutor will also request information from other sources including from INTERPOL, who will provide assistance.  The prosecutor will act independently and impartially.

The next step is for the prosecutor to present his case to ICC judges who will then decide whether or not to issue arrest warrants based on the evidence.

Meanwhile, Gaddafi’s forces yesterday struck at rebel control of oil export hubs in Libya’s east for a second day as Arab states weighed a plan to end turmoil Washington said could make the nation “a giant Somalia.”

Arab foreign ministers on Wednesday condemned Gaddafi’s bloody crackdown on his own people, and said they would consider imposing a no-fly zone over the country.

A flight scheduled to leave for Tripoli on Tuesday after it returned with the second batch of 536 Nigerians on Sunday night is still held up at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.

Although, NEMA spokesman, Yushau Shuaib, told The Guardian that the delay might be caused by the strained relationships between the two countries.

Libya closed its embassy in Abuja over 10 years ago but Nigeria still maintains an embassy in Tripoli.

According to him, families of the stranded Nigerians who were at the NEMA’s headquarters on Wednesday were worried about the unfolding development in Libya, stating that anything might happen if adequate measures were not taken to protect the embattled citizens.

Speaking on behalf of the families of the stranded Nigerians at NEMA’s headquarters, Festus Koiki, who praised the government’s pulling its citizens out of Tripoli, stated that “for the first time in the history of the country, the Federal Government has demonstrated its ability and capability to address the plights of distressed Nigerians abroad.”

One of the returnees, Awo Marley said he was proud to be a Nigerian when he saw the country’s crew at the Tripoli International Airport to evacuate them.

“I am not a politician, but the administration of Goodluck Jonathan deserves commendation for competing with other developed countries to rescue their citizens. It was indeed a moment of joy when our country performs its responsibility to its people.”

Shuaib said efforts were in top gear to ensure the immediate evacuation of the remaining Nigerians, as the chartered aircraft would soon leave Abuja for Tripoli.

Officials of the surging rebels told The Associated Press (AP) “we are in a position to control the area and we are deploying our forces.”

At Brega, army units that have joined the opposition moved in to keep security after Wednesday’s battle, waged by citizen militias from nearby towns and cities. Despite having little central organisation, the anti-Gaddafi fighters armed with automatic weapons and some heavy machine guns and rocket launchers was able to repel a force of several hundred regime troops that attacked after dawn.

-Guardian

Posted by admin on Mar 4 2011. Filed under Africa & World Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry