LIBYA: Gaddafi Foundation weighs in on rumors of family feud

The chief of a Libyan charitable organization has responded to a Jan. 20 piece on Babylon & Beyond reporting allegations of a power struggle within the family of Libyan president Muammar Gaddafi. 

Youssef Sawani, executive director of the Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation, said the article contained "inaccuracies and mistaken assumptions" about the political situation in Libya.

Here's the letter:

"Your article, relying on little more than speculation, states that the Foundation's decision to focus on humanitarian aid in Africa rather than domestic politics in Libya is the result of a power struggle within the Gaddafi family. This is completely wrong.

As a United Nations-accredited non-governmental organization, the foundation decided to renew its mission to improve lives across the African continent, a decision arrived at as a result of a dialogue among the members of our Board of Trustees about the best use of our resources, not because of some political or family squabble. 

Moreover, Mr. Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, who serves as the Foundation's chairman, is not abandoning the noble issues and causes that he has always passionately supported; rather, he will continue to champion them in his individual capacity, as will other groups within Libya, including the Human Rights Society.

In America, political speculation is a parlor game. Alas, there are no such intrigues when it comes to the current political structure in Libya, nor the goals of the Foundation, which have been transparent and well-established ever since its formation."

-- Los Angeles Times

Comments

[Enough is enough]

A final comment on the situation in Libya:
Now, that the first peaceful protesters have been attacked by Gaddafi´s security personell and their supporters, the newspaper affiliated with the pseudo-reformist son Saif al Islam has described them as saboteurs and by doing so positioned Saif and his foundation as allies of the old regime. It is now clear to the international community as well as to many reform mindes Libyans that the Gaddafi Pariah Clan is united agains the people´s struggle for human rights, democracy and individual freedom.
Those of the foundation struggling for reform must now choose sides, either for freedom and humanity or for the old regime of terror.
Muammar Gaddafi is the Saddam Hussein of North Africa, and his sons and daughter deserve the same fate as their counterparts.
God bless the freedom loving brave Libyan People!

[Enough is enough]

And for those guys who have always considered Gaddafi not to be the problem but a part of the solution:
Just today he asked the Palestinians for un uprising against Israel, as such nothing new, but than classified the West as the "white countries" and the Islamic countries as the "greens" while their enemy were the first. It is always the same deficiant moral and intellectual comments coming out of this "mad dog of the middle east".
While citizens are intimidated, the press in censored and any public unrest a bloody event, there needs to be a final call on the Libyan armed forces to end their silence. They have to end the nightmare of Gaddafi now. No other options are left.

[Enough is enough]

I fully agree with you, my friend from Uganda.
On behalf of Dr. Youssef, which I have met years ago as a honourable man captured inside a system that cannot change peacefully (as in Tunisia and Egypt) I would write exactly the same letter to the newspaper.
However, I would consider either shutting down my offices or even go into exile after it becomes clearer every day, that one day the public unrest will definately end the regime of Gaddafi and his sons, no matter how reform-minded they may look like. Where is Saif al Islam now? Silent. He has chosen to ignore the aspirations of the young Libyan generation, he is missing the historic mission to challenge the regime. That is the sad story behind the letter.

[Andrew from Uganda]

It is clear that Youssef Sawani can not say the truth. He is of course any employee who would like to keep job and secure his life in a tough speaking Libyan government. The truth is that, Gaddafi is using the Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation, to boast his African image

[Enough is enough]

Well, Dr. Youssef, your letter reflects the official line of the government...

There are many ways to take the life of a human being. There’s the Mubarak way: allow corrupt police officers to smash an innocent young man’s skull in broad daylight in front of witnesses, then let those officers go with little more than a slap on the wrist. There’s the Ben Ali way: over a lifetime deprive him of his dignity and means of supporting his family until he snaps and, out of sheer desperation, takes his own life. Then there’s the Gaddafi way: hang the young men in public, replay their execution on television over and over again, leave some of their bodies dangling from the gallows for days, and drag the rest through the streets for all to see and take heed, just as he did on February 17th, 1987.

In the end: Game over, Gaddafi, young and old, male and female, brother and sister. It is over. It is simply over.