Libya Politics | Society Ghaddafi siblings prepare for Libya unrest
Tunisia is Libya's main western neighbour; Egypt its main eastern neighbour. Libya is flanked by revolution and ordinary Libyans are as fed up with leader Ghaddafi as Tunisians and Egyptians were with their rulers.
Brother Mutassim al-Ghaddafi during the last years has build up a considerable power base as Libya's National Security Advisor, giving him a strong position within the security forces and in international diplomacy. Mutassim is a conservative, strongly countering any reform schemes and seen to prepare for his succession through army support. A "dark horse" (Ambassador Cretz) in the Libyan succession struggle is younger brother Khamis al-Ghaddafi, Commander of the 32nd Brigade, "widely known to be the most well-trained and well-equipped force in the Libyan military." Khamis, although seen as a conservative, is alternately supporting each of his elder brothers, but also believed to have his own agenda in the succession struggle, where he could count on army loyalty. Last year, the power struggle was shifted dramatically in favour of "reformist" Saif al-Islam as Mutassim and another brother, Hannibal, were involved in scandals provoking world-wide headlines, including drunkenness, playboy behaviour and wife-beating. Saif al-Islam "wisely distanced himself from the local drama," Ambassador Cretz noted, also pointing out he had declined to accept an official government role to maintain a positive image among the Libyan population. One year ago, the US Ambassador observed that "young Libyan contacts" had repeated that "Saif al-Islam is the 'hope' of 'Libya al-Ghad' (Libya of tomorrow), with men in their twenties saying that they aspire to be like Saif and think he is the right person to run the country." "Domestic audiences - particularly among Libya's swelling ranks of young adults - may welcome him as Libya's knight in shining armor," Ambassador Cretz concluded. According to unconfirmed reports from Tripoli, Saif al-Islam indeed is active these days, trying to work out a reform agenda for Libya. The well-articulated and educated Ghaddafi son sees himself as a possible leader to take over if Libyans demand the dethroning of his father. Even the "Great Leader" could see his secession by Saif al-Islam as the most realistic option if the people would demand reform. At the same time, however, Ghaddafi senior currently depends more on his two conservative sons to control national security forces in possible clashes with the population. Both are preparing for such a confrontation, which would given them an upper hand in Libya's succession struggle. By now, however, both parties are still working discretely out of the spotlight. No one has commented on the mounting unrest in the Arab world except the "Great Leader" himself, stating he was "very sorry" about what happened to his dictator colleage in Tunisia. By staff writers © afrol News - Create an e-mail alert for Libya news - Create an e-mail alert for Politics news - Create an e-mail alert for Society news |
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