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With the war to oust Gaddafi almost over, the new Libyan regime has begun counting the country’s losses

Libya is now leaking the wounds of its   six months war to     oust Muammar Gaddafi, its president for 42 years. The new administration being set up after the defeat of Gaddafi has spoken of enormous damage to the country and estimated that it would cost $5billion to repair. In the cause of the battle to oust Gaddafi, infrastructures in the country were badly damaged. Mustafa Abdul Jalil, leader of the National Transition Council, NTC, the rebel group, requested that international bodies and nations that helped the rebels in ousting Gaddafi to rally round the country to resuscitate the country’s economy.

The United Nations Security Council was the first to respond to the request by the rebels. The Council has approved the release of $1.5 billion that the United States seized from the government of Gaddafi. According to the UN Security Council, the money would be used to provide basic services, especially electricity, and to build political support for NTC as it tries to consolidate control of the country. Other countries involved in aiding the rebels have also pledged financial and diplomatic support. Silvio Berlusconi, the prime minister of Italy, has offered aid to the nascent Libyan government and promised to unfreeze about $500 million of the government fund.

But even as the victorious rebels are establishing a new government, uncertainty about the whereabouts of Gaddafi was still its greatest source of discomfort. The search for Muammar Gaddafi continued last week. The rebels have continued to comb every part of the country for Gaddafi. After the rebels captured Tripoli, the Libyan capital, they hoped to capture Gaddafi in his Bab al-Aziziya compound but the former strong man of Libya was nowhere to be found after the rebels ransacked the compound. The Libyan rebels and officials of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, NATO, hoped that the hunt for Gaddafi would not turn into a protracted affair just like that of Saddam Hussein, the former Iraqi leader, and Osama bin Laden, the al-Qeada terrorist leader.

The NATO officials are to deploy more intelligence assets in the hunt for Gaddafi. These range from agents on the ground picking up the latest reports and rumours, to the use of satellites to monitor any convoys or unusual movement in the desert, as well as the interception of communications to see if any supporters or Gaddafi himself gives anything away. For a possible trace to his location, intelligent unit of NATO has begun analysis of the last audio message released by Gaddafi after the rebels took control of Tripoli. According to the rebels, there are indications that Gaddafi is still in or around Tripoli, but no one seems sure, and there has been a long speculation that he might have gone to his hometown of Sirte to make his last resistance in the battle for a country he ruled for 42 years. Most of the rebel leaders believe that Gaddafi is still hiding in the Bab-al-Aziziya compound underground tunnels or made his way out of the city secretly through the tunnels.

According to Innocent Jirgba, a political analyst, If Gaddafi manages to evade capture, it would make it difficult for the rebels to have a sense of victory and for a new government to get on with its work of restoring peace to the country. A free Gaddafi will always pose a threat to the Libyan people as his loyalists can always regroup to fight back.

The precedent that worries most Libyans is Iraq where Hussein managed to hide out for eight months, and his loyalists organised themselves, joined by al-Qaeda and other radical groups to continue the fight in the country. Bin Laden also proved that hiding is also a possible game as it took the US forces close to a decade after the 911 incident before he was killed.

Jirgba said hiding effectively in a war situation requires some kind of support network and sympathetic population. And for Gaddafi to hide without being noticed, he has to limit his communication and other activities. The more communication is done, the more it is likely that he would be found by those seeking to capture him. He said that Gaddafi has been unpredictable and it would be better he was captured because it would be difficult to tell what his next action would be.

As the hunt for Gaddafi continues, Algeria has given refuge to four of his family members. Safia, Gaddafi’s wife, Aisha, the daughter, Muhammad and Hannibal, his two sons, are now taking refuge in Algeria after crossing the bordering desert. The action brought the Algerian government under heavy criticisms from those who saw it as an attempt to avoid justice.  The Libyan rebel-controlled National Transition Council, NTC, accused the Algerian government of betrayering Libyans. But Mourad Benmehidi, the Algerian ambassador to the UN, said  his country acted on humanitarian ground. He said the country was abiding by the holy rule of hospitality observed in the desert. According to reports from the Algerian government, Aisha the only daughter of Gaddafi, gave birth to a baby girl hours after crossing over from Libya.

The Algerian government has observed a policy of neutrality in the six-month conflict in the country. Its relations with the Gaddafi regime were good but sometimes bumpy. But relations with the NTC have never been a cordial one as Algeria has held out from granting the council recognition, the only country in North African that has not done so. The Libyan rebels even made claimed that Algeria sent mercenaries to help Gaddafi in the six-month old crisis, an allegation which the Algerian government denied. 

The rebels took over the Bab-al-Aziziya compound on August 23, after six months of battle against forces loyal to Gaddafi. The rebels are also in control of almost all parts of the capital city, though there are still pockets of resistance from pro-Gaddafi forces. Abdul Jalil, the leader of NTC, has given Saturday, September 10, as ultimatum to loyalists of Gaddafi in his hometown of Sirte and other towns in the country to surrender. At a news conference in Benghazi, the western town, Abdul Jalil said that if there was no peaceful resolution of the crisis by September 3, it would be decided through a military means. “We do not wish to do so but we cannot wait any longer,” he said.

William Hague, the UK foreign minister, welcomed the ultimatum given to the pro-Gaddafi forces by the NTC. “I think it is the right thing to do, to say to the forces loyal to the remnants of the Gaddafi regime: here is the opportunity to lay down your arms, to consider your situation,” he said.

The rebels are also taking peaceful steps that could avoid further fighting in Sirte. They have opened up negotiations with tribal leaders both in Sirte, Bani Walid and Sabha, the remaining pro-Gaddafi strongholds. The peace talks with the tribal leaders was successful but there have been little response from the pro-Gaddafi forces. With the little response from the rebels, there are fears that a military assault on Sirte could be a lengthy and bloody battle.

The rebels made an attempt to reach Sirte few weeks ago after Tripoli was captured but were repelled by Gaddafi’s loyalist troops. On Monday, August 29, rebel fighters from Benghazi in the east captured Nofilia, a small town closed to Sirte, on their way to capture Sirte. 

Noda Is Japan’s New PM

 Cinderella Amos

Yoshihiko Noda, 54, emerged the new prime minister of Japan, after a successful election conducted, Monday, August 29. This will make him the country’s sixth leader in five years.  Noda won 308 votes out of the 476 possible votes.

Before the election, Naoto Kan, former prime minister, and his cabinet, officially resigned to clear the way for Noda’s election. Noda was formerly the finance minister, in Kan’s cabinet. He is expected to resume office on Wednesday after a ceremonial endorsement by Japan’s emperor.

After the election, Noda thanked the cabinet for the support it gave him and urged the party to remain united to tackle Japan’s massive problems. “Running Japan’s government is like pushing a giant snowball up a snowy, slippery hill. In times like this, we can’t say, I don’t like this person, or I don’t like that person. The snowball will slide down,” he said.

As a fiscal conservative, Noda faces a host of daunting problems, including the post-tsunami recovery and nuclear crisis, a sluggish economy and a surge in the yen, which has upset Japan’s exporters.

Noda will also need to try to unify the fractious ruling party and restore public confidence in politics amid widespread anger over squabbling in parliament and a perceived lack of leadership in the wake of the triple disaster.

Moreover, many people are already counting on him because they believe he has the wherewithal to solve the problems of Japan.

According to Peter Beck, a lecturer in Keio University, Noda is a compromise choice. He was basically the only candidate that the different factions in the Democratic Party could agree on. “Up until now, he has been a virtual unknown.  In terms of a new energy policy, he is a firm supporter of nuclear energy,” said Steve Chao, a reporter from Tokyo.

Hurricane Irene Leaves Behind Tears, Pains

The government of the United  States of America, USA, is counting its loss after a massive destruction by hurricane Irene. At least, 20 people across eight states have died due to the hurricane which occurred August 27. Some were killed as trees crashed into their homes and cars. Others died while trying to surf in the turbulent sea or from injuries received from flying debris and could not get to a hospital for medical attention.

Also, the storm has moved up the east coast, leaving four million businesses and homes without power. Two nuclear power plants were brought off line and oil refineries and ports were shut down. Floodwater is also one thing Americans are fighting hard to deal with as sections of roads and bridges are completely washed away, leaving thousands stranded.

In some areas, flood water rose as high as 12 feet and many homes in Vermont have been completely washed away. Home furnishings, such as couches and tables were seen floating on the streets of the city. 

Roger Pielke, an expert in hurricanes and economics, said the losses inflicted by the hurricane is about $7 billion.

In addition, President Barak Obama grieved and said that the wound inflicted by the disaster would take time to heal. “The impacts of this storm will be felt for some time, and the recovery effort will last weeks or even longer,” he said.