Surprise, Stalwart Supporters!
Tribalism is tribalism. It is also predictable. Tribal societies have their own special brand of getting even, getting their own back, teaching their competitors a lesson. And if they've been brutalized, why then, they brutalize back. They may speak the language of conciliation and co-operation, fundamental human values and freedom, liberty and democracy, but they act out the theatre of tribal vengeance.There are some countries on some Continents which are so absorbed by their culture of tribalism, so deeply ingrained and thoroughly embedded in their subconscious, their psyches, their traditions and heritage, that they're subsumed by it. Civilizing influences do what they can, but they're little match for deeply entrenched tribalism. Where the welfare of the specific tribe and its constituents supersede all other entitlements.
The National Transitional Council of Libya, which the West went out of its way through NATO forces represented primarily by the military air and sea forces of the U.S., France, Britain, Canada, Italy and um, Qatar with their no-fly agreement to aid and assist the rebels in Misrata, Tripoli and elsewhere to eventually conquer the regime of Moammar Gadhafi, has spoken justice and democracy.
But it has been incapable of instilling a sense of justice and forgiveness in the hearts and minds of the revolutionary tribal forces that swept them into transitional authority. Nor has it been able to persuade the tribal revolutionaries to become a trifle more civil. Nor was it able to exert sufficient authority to persuade those same tribal groups to surrender their arms to a national security agency.
So what followed was inevitable, and had been occurring, in any event; the imprisonment, torture and murder of those held to be supportive of the former regime.
"Patients were brought to us in the middle of interrogation for medical care, in order to make them fit for further interrogation. This is unacceptable. Our role is to provide medical care to war casualties and sick detainees, not to repeatedly treat the same patients between torture sessions." Christopher Stokes, general director MSFAmnesty International, for their part, have been interviewing detainees, among them Africans who had been working in Libya before the start of the protests, and not necessarily as mercenaries in the army of Col. Gadhafi. They are, however, accused of being mercenaries, resulting in their imprisonment and torture. And sometimes death. They have been beaten hours on end with whips, cables, plastic hoses, metal chains, bars and sticks; electric shocks with live wires.
"Several detainees have died in the custody of armed militias in and around Tripoli and Misrata in circumstances that suggest torture", a report by Amnesty International claimed. The United Nations human rights head, Navi Pillay, lays the blame at the feet of the NTC leadership, not having addressed the problem. The problem is they have attempted to, then shrugged in resignation.
"The torture is being carried out by officially recognized military and security entities, as well by a multitude of armed militias operating outside any legal framework", further reads the report. Hospitals have been commandeered by the militia groups representing particular tribes, and their patients have been consistently tortured and many killed.
In towns where legend has it that the inhabitants supported the Gadhafi regime, the tribal militias have emptied those towns of their inhabitants, driving out almost all of the citizens of Tawergha, for example. No one shed a tear from the international community at the untimely and brutal death of Col. Gadhafi, although civility and justice would have preferred he stand trial.
But that event, a stark symbol of tribal justice, is repeating itself infinitely in the Libya of today. So much for freedom, liberty and justice. The tribal elements have the freedom and are at liberty to mete out their brand of justice.
Labels: Justice, Libya, NATO, Revolution
posted by Pieface @ Saturday, January 28, 2012
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