Libyan man says Gaddafi crushing Berbers
MARK COLVIN: A humanitarian crisis appears to be developing in Libya's Western Mountains. Reports say Colonel Gaddafi's forces have cut all supply routes to the traditional regions of the Berber tribes.
They no longer have access to fresh water supplies, baby formula or basic medical supplies. One Libyan man who we're not naming for security reasons has just escaped to Tunisia from Tripoli. He is a Berber originally from Libya's Western Mountains but raised for many years in England. He says the region desperately needs help from NATO but despite many requests from Libya's opposition council is getting almost no support.
I asked him to tell me about conditions in the Western Mountains at the moment.
LIBYAN MAN: It's pretty dire Colonel Gaddafi's forces, they've literally blocked off all aid, all food going up into the Western Mountains to the Jebel Nafusa. They've also cut off electricity, water supplies, medical supplies going up into the Jebel Nafusa.
MARK COLVIN: Why?
LIBYAN MAN: There's approximately 16 villages on the Western Mountains, on the Jebel Nafusa. Approximately 14 of these have raised the independence flag, the flag of the old monarchy. And they refuse to bow to Gaddafi's will.
MARK COLVIN: Is there a very strong history of repression of them? Do they have a particular reason to dislike the Gaddafi regime?
LIBYAN MAN: The Western Mountains are Berber. People there, they're not Arab. If you look at the population of Libya, Libya consists of maybe 15 per cent Berber. The Berbers, they're the indigenous people of North Africa. There's traces of the Berbers living in North Africa for up to 50,000 years. The Arabs have only been in North Africa for 1600 years.
MARK COLVIN: And how has the Gaddafi regime treated the Berbers?
LIBYAN MAN: Well up until two years ago it was illegal for Berbers to name their kids Berber names.
MARK COLVIN: So did he try to crush the language and the culture?
LIBYAN MAN: He tried to crush the culture for sure. He banned the teaching of the Berber language; like how to read and write the Berber language.
MARK COLVIN: And these are mountain villages, how have they managed to hold out so strongly?
LIBYAN MAN: Most of them have stockpiled on food anticipating an outcome like this by Colonel Gaddafi and his forces. One thing they couldn't stockpile for is water. And currently they're living on water supplies from rainfall three weeks ago that have been sitting in cisterns. And it's not going to last very long.
MARK COLVIN: How much damage has been done to the towns, the villages, to old buildings, the cultural artefacts?
LIBYAN MAN: In Kalaa, this is approximately 15 kilometres from Yafran which is a Berber village, Kalaa also is a Berber village, 20 tanks rolled into that town, firing indiscriminately at anything that moved. There's ancient ruins next to the old granary in Yafran. And apparently Gaddafi forces were targeting ancient Roman ruins.
Anything that has history they will destroy. They will destroy the Berber history on the Western Mountains. He's vowed on many occasions to destroy the Berber people and break their spirit, so never again will they rise or speak up against him.
MARK COLVIN: And what sort of casualties have there been?
LIBYAN MAN: The casualties have been in the hundreds. Most of them are being ferried across or driven across deserts into Tunisia for medical treatment as there's no medical supplies in the mountains anyways. It's literally finished.
They can't drive them north to Tripoli. If they did they'd be executed or they'd disappear from the hospitals like many hundreds of injured casualties have disappeared from hospitals.
MARK COLVIN: And does NATO know about this problem? Do the European Union know about it? Do the Americans know about it?
LIBYAN MAN: People in the Libyan transitional government, they've been contacting NATO and other governments which they have contact with. Only a few strikes have been made in the Western Mountains against the pro-Gaddafi forces; nothing significant as we see in eastern Libya or in Misurata.
They will phone in a thousand times and maybe they'll get one strike. They'll inform them of government location or like where pro-Gaddafi forces have amassed. And maybe like once in a thousand they might strike.
They're not taking out individual tanks or small brigades. If it's not an entire brigade they won't even look at it.
MARK COLVIN: A Libyan man who can't be identified for security reasons speaking to me from Tunisia about the Western Mountains of Libya and the Berber tribes.
They no longer have access to fresh water supplies, baby formula or basic medical supplies. One Libyan man who we're not naming for security reasons has just escaped to Tunisia from Tripoli. He is a Berber originally from Libya's Western Mountains but raised for many years in England. He says the region desperately needs help from NATO but despite many requests from Libya's opposition council is getting almost no support.
I asked him to tell me about conditions in the Western Mountains at the moment.
LIBYAN MAN: It's pretty dire Colonel Gaddafi's forces, they've literally blocked off all aid, all food going up into the Western Mountains to the Jebel Nafusa. They've also cut off electricity, water supplies, medical supplies going up into the Jebel Nafusa.
MARK COLVIN: Why?
LIBYAN MAN: There's approximately 16 villages on the Western Mountains, on the Jebel Nafusa. Approximately 14 of these have raised the independence flag, the flag of the old monarchy. And they refuse to bow to Gaddafi's will.
MARK COLVIN: Is there a very strong history of repression of them? Do they have a particular reason to dislike the Gaddafi regime?
LIBYAN MAN: The Western Mountains are Berber. People there, they're not Arab. If you look at the population of Libya, Libya consists of maybe 15 per cent Berber. The Berbers, they're the indigenous people of North Africa. There's traces of the Berbers living in North Africa for up to 50,000 years. The Arabs have only been in North Africa for 1600 years.
MARK COLVIN: And how has the Gaddafi regime treated the Berbers?
LIBYAN MAN: Well up until two years ago it was illegal for Berbers to name their kids Berber names.
MARK COLVIN: So did he try to crush the language and the culture?
LIBYAN MAN: He tried to crush the culture for sure. He banned the teaching of the Berber language; like how to read and write the Berber language.
MARK COLVIN: And these are mountain villages, how have they managed to hold out so strongly?
LIBYAN MAN: Most of them have stockpiled on food anticipating an outcome like this by Colonel Gaddafi and his forces. One thing they couldn't stockpile for is water. And currently they're living on water supplies from rainfall three weeks ago that have been sitting in cisterns. And it's not going to last very long.
MARK COLVIN: How much damage has been done to the towns, the villages, to old buildings, the cultural artefacts?
LIBYAN MAN: In Kalaa, this is approximately 15 kilometres from Yafran which is a Berber village, Kalaa also is a Berber village, 20 tanks rolled into that town, firing indiscriminately at anything that moved. There's ancient ruins next to the old granary in Yafran. And apparently Gaddafi forces were targeting ancient Roman ruins.
Anything that has history they will destroy. They will destroy the Berber history on the Western Mountains. He's vowed on many occasions to destroy the Berber people and break their spirit, so never again will they rise or speak up against him.
MARK COLVIN: And what sort of casualties have there been?
LIBYAN MAN: The casualties have been in the hundreds. Most of them are being ferried across or driven across deserts into Tunisia for medical treatment as there's no medical supplies in the mountains anyways. It's literally finished.
They can't drive them north to Tripoli. If they did they'd be executed or they'd disappear from the hospitals like many hundreds of injured casualties have disappeared from hospitals.
MARK COLVIN: And does NATO know about this problem? Do the European Union know about it? Do the Americans know about it?
LIBYAN MAN: People in the Libyan transitional government, they've been contacting NATO and other governments which they have contact with. Only a few strikes have been made in the Western Mountains against the pro-Gaddafi forces; nothing significant as we see in eastern Libya or in Misurata.
They will phone in a thousand times and maybe they'll get one strike. They'll inform them of government location or like where pro-Gaddafi forces have amassed. And maybe like once in a thousand they might strike.
They're not taking out individual tanks or small brigades. If it's not an entire brigade they won't even look at it.
MARK COLVIN: A Libyan man who can't be identified for security reasons speaking to me from Tunisia about the Western Mountains of Libya and the Berber tribes.
