International Responses: Conflict of Resolutions in Libya

Libya appears to be in the throes of a full-on civil war, with violence escalating throughout the country. Indeed, loyalists are reportedly sniping from rooftops, storming houses, and carrying out airstrikes. Bombing by pro-Qaddafi forces began on Monday, March 7th, targeting the western city of Zawiyah. Loyalists are also closing in on Ras Lanuf, the location of a sizable oil refinery, yet, the opposition appears to be holding Benghazi and Zawiyah, despite heavy air raids.

Bodies line the streets in Zawiyah, which has been under heavy shelling for five days. Numbers of injuries and casualities remain undetermined, but it can be assumed that the total is steadily rising in Tripoli, Misurata, and other cities. According to Al Jazeera sources, some estimates range into the thousands. Numbers of refugees fleeing Libya are said to be around 215,000, and according to the UNHCR, foreign workers are being forced to leave at gunpoint for the Sudanese, Tunisian, and Egyptian borders.

There are reports that Qaddafi's government is negotiating with opposition forces regarding a potential step down from power. The New York Times, wrote that the Head of National Opposition Council, Mustafa Abdel Jalil, claimed that rebel forces were approached by a government official with demands that Qaddafi be able to keep his assets, evade prosecution for war crimes, and secure a safe passage for him and his family, if he leaves Libya within 72 hours. An official of the Provisional Transitional National Council, however, Abdel Hafiz-Ghoga, asserted that there was no truth behind such negotiations. Indeed, such allegations are suspicious, considering not long ago Qaddafi himself vowed to fight "to the last drop of blood."

As brutalities multiply in Libya, foreign policy leaders are conflicted. Most rebel forces voice a desire for a no-fly zone to fortify their few strategic advantages, but they not want direct military intervention. The international community, however, risks losing support from Russia and China if a no-fly zone were carried out. In addition, such a plan is difficult to authorize by legal international standards, and Britain and France are in discussions to bring about a United Nations resolution.

The Arab League is said to be meeting on Friday to discuss options for the current violence, and word from the African Union is coming in regards to solutions. President Obama has called the violence in Libya "unacceptable."

Link to an interactive map from the NY Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/02/25/world/middleeast/map-of-how-the-protests-unfolded-in-libya.html?ref=africa

Read more:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/07/AR2011030701703.html?hpid=topnews