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James FoleyOctober 7, 2011 15:02

Is this the beginning of the end in Libya?

What could be the final assault of the Libyan conflict has begun. Again.
Sirte libya 2011 10 7Enlarge
A strategic map of Sirte, Muammar Gaddafi's hometown, used by rebel soldiers. (Courtesy)

OUTSKIRTS OF SIRTE, Libya — Nearly three weeks into their assault on Muammar Gaddafi’s hometown of Sirte, the revolutionaries launched their first coordinated attack on the city proper, sending hundreds of trucks and men on foot pushing from strategic points into the city.

The results were mixed — with rebels having cleared a neighborhood of bungalows known as the 700 Houses complex where they’d taken significant sniper fire, but still mostly thwarted from entering one of the loyalist centers which contains Sirte’s main hospital and Ugadugo Congress Hall.

By late afternoon, at least 11 had been killed and more than 150 wounded.

News began to filter last night through the Misrata-based brigades encamped in nicely furnished houses of former regime figures that the attack would come this morning. And several reporters saw commanders planning the assault with an accurate map of the city last night.

The young fighters woke up by 6 a.m. They were joined by hundreds of machine gun trucks streaming in from Misrata.

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Will divisions among Libya's rebels outlast the regime?

James FoleyOctober 5, 2011 06:22
SIRTE — Competition manifests itself in playful and innocent ways, but between the lines lies the future of Libya.

Muammar Gaddafi "hiding near Algeria border": report

News DeskSeptember 28, 2011 08:55
International officials and aid agencies have expressed fears for the more than 200,000 civilians caught up in heavy fighting in Sirte and Bani Walid.

Libya video: Gaddafi weapons cache found

September 26, 2011 06:15
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SIRTE — The transitional government seized a major weapons cache near Sirte in a blow to the pro-Gaddafi forces still holding out in the leader's hometown.

On Location: Libya — fighting for Sirte

James FoleySeptember 21, 2011 15:15

OUTSIDE SIRTE, Libya — GlobalPost is on the ground with the transitional government forces as they battle for Sirte, Gaddafi's hometown. It is a disorganized, bloody fight.
 

African Union recognizes rebels as Libya leaders

News DeskSeptember 20, 2011 19:27
The AU and South Africa lagged behind other organization and nations including Nigeria and China, which have already recognized the NTC as Libya's ruling authority.
September 13, 2011 13:00
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China no longer Gaddafi's BFF

In a self-described "win-win" move, China has become the last member of the U.N. Security Council to recognize the Libyan rebels.
China foreign minister libya summit 2011 09 13Enlarge
China's foreign affairs Vice-Minister in charge of Africa and Middle-East Zhai Jun arrives at the Elysee Palace before a summit on the post-Gaddafi era on Sept. 1, 2011 in Paris. This week, China became the last U.N. Security Council member to recognize the Libyan rebels as the leaders of the North African country. (Lionel Bonaventure/AFP/Getty Images)
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"The turmoil in Libya is only temporary, while the China-Libya friendship is everlasting."

That's one way to put it — specifically, the Chinese state media's way.

China has become the final member of the U.N. Security Council to recognize the Libyan rebels, adding to the resistance facing Gaddafi, even as his men continue heavy assaults in Sirte and Bani Walid.

China had previously been accused of offering to sell massive amounts of weapons to Libyan loyalists despite a U.N. ban, and had refused for months to waiver in its support of Gaddafi.

Xinhua continues detailing the role China wishes to play in Libya's reconstruction — a role "based on a win-win relationship":

China's decision has been based on its long-standing independent foreign policy of peace and the principle of respecting the choice of the Libyan people.

China's policy on Libya is not designed to seek its own interests but is entirely in the interests of bilateral relations as well as peace, stability and development in the region as a whole.

CNN has a different take on China's decision to switch allegiance from Gaddafi to the Libyan rebels:

Looking at this move through the prism of an oil-sprinkled lens, Beijing’s motivation comes into focus a bit more. China is the world’s second largest consumer of oil after the U.S. And Libya, at peak production, was pumping out a total of 1.5 million barrels a day. And 11 percent of that went where? You guessed it — China.

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Libya's rebels accused of illegal arrests and revenge killings

September 13, 2011 09:14
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TRIPOLI — Libya’s National Transitional Council, the country's new authority, must bring rebel forces under its control and stop abuses, Amnesty International said.

"Chaos" in Bani Walid as rebels assault loyalist stronghold

James FoleySeptember 11, 2011 22:06
BANI WALID, Libya — The assault on Bani Walid has turned chaotic with little coordination between revolutionary groups trying to gain control of the city.

Gaddafi son crosses desert to Niger

September 11, 2011 18:10
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NIAMEY — Saadi Gaddafi, 38, was reportedly among a group of nine people who crossed from Libya into Niger in a convoy of vehicles that was intercepted by Nigerien soldiers.
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