The world cannot ignore the high number of deaths and crisis in Libya as reports come through of more than 2000 people having died in Benghazi alone. The voice of the people of Libya must be heard as the world watches the Gadaffi regime make a last desperate stand to remain in power.
Libyans have shown their courage and commitment in their desire for better living conditions and a change from autocracy to democracy. First Tunisia , then Egypt , now Libya.
As neighbours on this African continent we all need to show our support to Libyans in their drive for democracy. Civicus has called an emergency press conference today at the Grade Hotel in Johannesburg, South Africa for activists to demand African governments take action on Libya.
“Archbishop Desmond Tutu joins African civil society in call for African Governments to urgently treat the situation in Libya as a threat to international peace and security.”
Speakers include:
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Noel Kututwa, Foreign Policy, Amnesty International
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Patrick Mpedzisi, Executive Director, African Democracy Forum
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Ingrid Srinath, Secretary General, CIVICUS
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Rajesh Latchman, Global Call to Action against Poverty
In support of this call Creative Consulting & Development Works wants to help spread the word by posting this statement below:
“Civil Society: African Governments must protect the People of Libya
Johannesburg, 24 February 2011.
“We, civil society organisations from all over Africa, urge our governments to protect the people of Libya against whom crimes against humanity are being committed by a vicious regime.
As news reports and testimonies of people caught up in the events in Libya indicate, the violent unprecedented brutal crackdown against protestors is continuing. Libya’s ‘supreme leader’ Colonel Muammar Gaddafi has urged his supporters to come out on the streets to attack the “rats” and “cockroaches” opposing his iron grip on power.
Indications from his public address of 22 February show that he is in no mood to relent to the legitimate demands of the pro-democracy protestors. Instead, he has threatened to purge opponents “house by house” and “inch by inch” and do whatever it takes to hold on to his iron grip on power. The situation in Libya is fast spiralling into an international and continent-wide crisis.
Article 3 of the Constitutive Act of the African Union (AU) lists the promotion of peace, security and stability on the continent as one of its key objectives. Despite this, the AU and African governments have been slow to react. Issuing statements urging the violence to stop will not deter the Libyan regime, which has practised its brutal methods for over 40 years.
The UN Security Council has issued a unanimous statement condemning the violence but has failed to take any concrete action to restore peace and security to the people of Libya. The three African countries that sit on the UN Security Council – South Africa, Nigeria and Gabon – as representatives of the continent have a special responsibility to ensure that the people of Libya are protected from grave human rights violations constituting crimes against humanity.
It is vital that all African governments immediately recognise that this is an extraordinary situation which is fast becoming a threat to peace and security in Africa and internationally that must be recognised and acted upon resolutely by the UN and the AU.”
photos: Reuters and AP
