Communist Party of the Irish Republic Statement on the Ungoing Massacre of Civilians in Bani Walid, Libya.

international | anti-war / imperialism | press release

Wednesday October 24, 2012 17:18

by CPIR

For 20 days now, while most of the world has looked on in dumb silence, the city of Bani Walid, in Libya, has been under indiscriminate shelling from Misrata militias, nominally loyal to the NATO imposed National Transitional Council (NTC.) These are the very same Misrata militias who dubbed themselves "The Brigades for the Elimination of Black Skins," as they ethnically cleansed 40,000 Black inhabitants from the city of Tawarga - again with the silent complicity of most of the Western media and political parties, including, shamefully, the parties of the Left.

Communist Party of the Irish Republic Statement on the Ungoing Massacre of Civilians in Bani Walid, Libya.

For 20 days now, while most of the world has looked on in dumb silence, the city of Bani Walid, in Libya, has been under indiscriminate shelling from Misrata militias, nominally loyal to the NATO imposed National Transitional Council (NTC.) These are the very same Misrata militias who dubbed themselves "The Brigades for the Elimination of Black Skins," as they ethnically cleansed 40,000 Black inhabitants from the city of Tawarga - again with the silent complicity of most of the Western media and political parties, including, shamefully, the parties of the Left.

These militias, with almost no military training, are now in possession of tanks, heavy artillery and grad rockets. They feel it an achievement if they can point these weapons in the general direction of Bani Walid, and fire them. They have no knowledge, and care less, where the shells or rockets land, or who they kill and mutilate.

It is being reported by Reuters that Misrata militias have entered the city today, and are bombing empty buildings in "celebration" of their victory. Militia men were quoted as saying that "Bani Walid is finished." These words are particularly chilling, given that they are uttered by people who have already left Tawarga a completely uninhabited collection of burned out and looted buildings.

For the last two weeks, the city has been without electricity. Clean water is becoming difficult to find. The shops are empty. The hospitals are full of mutilated men, women and children, with anaesthetic and other medicines in short supply. And all the time, the Western Left has been silent, and, thus, complicit.

On Sunday, demonstrations were held in Benghazi and Tripoli, calling for the ending of the massacre. Unarmed demonstrators were fired on in Tripoli by pro-NTC militia men, with several serious injuries among the protestors.

Belatedly, yesterday, October 23rd, the Russian government tried to raise the issue of Bani Walid at the UN. The effort was blocked by the USA. Reacting to the Russian attempt to raise the issue, UN General Secretary, Ban Ki-Moon, stated that the Libyan state "authorities must be able to extend Libyan sovereignty and state control and services throughout the territory of Libya." In other words, civilians may be massacred by indiscriminate bombing - as long as its done in support of the interests of the USA.

The CPIR is fully aware that there is no point in calling on genocidal imperialists to come to the aid of the people of Bani Walid, but we call on the parties of the Left to end their silence.

Statement Ends
24th October 2012