Africa

According to information received by European Humanists Peter Noordendorp and Benoit Mangin, the situation in Ivory Coast has become increasingly violent: at least three Humanist non-violent activists are amongst those who have been killed. Ceremonies of Well-being (from Silo’s Message) for those involved in the non-violent struggle will be held throughout Europe and beyond.

Cote d’Ivoire faces a humanitarian tragedy, with aid access becoming increasingly difficult, hospitals and schools closing, law and order collapsing and casualties mounting, France’s representative to the United Nations said on Friday.
The crisis has displaced up to a million people, according to the UN refugee agency. Some 90,000 people have fled to neighboring Liberia.

Reports of civilian casualties are mounting in Libya amidst ongoing U.S.-led air strikes and the Gaddafi regime’s assault on three rebel-held towns. At least 16 civilians were reportedly killed after forces loyal to Col. Muammar Gaddafi resumed an attack on the coastal city of Misurata, shelling an area around the city’s main hospital.

To avoid misunderstandings: Gaddafi is a brutal, cynical, corrupt dictator, who obviously considers Libya as his personal property. His sons were forged in the same furnace. And yet, to try to justify, as many do, especially the French government of Sarkozy, the international military mission against the Libyan regime as a matter of morality and values, is simply hypocritical.

The U.S. and allied air strikes on Libya have entered their fourth day as part of an international effort to enforce a no-fly zone. An U.S. Air Force F-15 fighter jet has crashed after apparent mechanical failure in northeast Libya. Libyan rebels rescued the pilot after he ejected from the warplane, which came down near the eastern city of Benghazi.

Following Western air strikes against Libyan military targets, Muammar Gaddafi looks set to try and bring the fighting to the big cities. Radio Netherlands Worldwide correspondent Hans Jaap Melissen reports that the tanks destroyed by French Mirage jets just a few dozen miles outside Benghazi have become a tourist attraction for the city’s residents.

International forces have launched attacks in Libya to enforce the UN-authorised no-fly zone to protect civilians. US President Barack Obama says he has authorised “limited military action in Libya”.
French warplanes were the first to carry out air strikes in Libya, followed by US and British forces firing Tomahawk cruise missiles.

The United Nations Security Council has given the green light for a no-fly zone over Libya.
The measure includes an authorisation of air strikes against Libyan army facilities to stop Colonel Gaddafi’s regime from attacking opposition protesters. A UN spokesperson said that a majority of the 15-member council is agreeing to a no-fly zone in order to protect civilians in Libya.

In Libya, forces loyal to Col. Muammar Gaddafi have captured the city of Zwara, west of Tripoli, and are battling under-equipped rebel fighters for control of the oil town of Brega. In recent days, Gaddafi forces have won back control of several key cities. Debate continues at the international level over whether the U.N. Security Council should institute a no-fly zone.

In Libya, forces loyal to Col. Muammar Gaddafi are locked in intense fighting with the opposition forces for control of several cities and towns. The International Committee of the Red Cross says Libya has descended into civil war with increasing numbers of wounded civilians arriving in the hospitals in eastern cities.