Map of Libya

"LandepNews"

Map of Libya

Leaders of the eastern part of Libya on Tuesday created an autonomous council of Cyrenaica (Barqa, in Arabic) and appointed as head of it Ahmed al-Senussi, grandson to former king of Libya, political prisoner under the regime of Muammar al-Qaddafi, which was ousted last October, when he was also killed at the gates of his hometown, Sirte, and member of the National Transitional Council.
The move that is expected to place the new authorities in Benghazi in conflict with the central authorities in Tripoli reflects a reality that was apparent to most analysts since the days of the takeover of the capital last summer, that is that the new leadership will have a difficult problem maintaining the integrity of the country, which was preserved by former leader Qaddafi at the end of a complicated play combining brutal repression with the ability to cancel out different interest.
However, the declaration read at the congress attended by 3,000 delegates does not carry officials force, and does not presume any further action toward an autonomy of Cyrenaica, but it is considered that any larger autonomy would concern the oil investors because this part of the country is the one with the most oil fields.
The members of the congress did not specify whether the new council would operate within the National Transitional Council or would rival it. One of the organizers of the congress said he had been in contact with the leaders in Tripoli and asked them to come and negotiate, and added that no one would be given a “blank cheque.”
The creation of the Cyrenaica Provincial Council, as it is called, reflects on one hand the frustration of Benghazi caused by the neglect they had to suffer over the decades from central authorities of Tripoli, and on the other hand, the way Libya is ruled these days, with the local leaders conducting their affairs undisturbed and unchallenged by the central government.
The declaration that has eight points says in one of them that the Cyrenaica Provincial Council was established to administer the province’s affairs and protect the rights of its people, but that it recognizes the NTC as “the country’s symbol of unity and legitimate representative in the international arenas.” NTC members announced they did not supported the new council and said that neither did most of the Libyans.
It also says that it wants a federal system under which the provinces of Cyrenaica, Fezzan and Tripolitania may enjoy a large autonomy from the government of Tripoli. The declaration also rejected the election of a new national assembly in June, saying it wanted more representation for Cyrenaica.
Analysts told Reuters that by these claims the eastern Libyans want to recreate the situation in the country during the rule of the only Libyan King, Idris, who was deposed by Qaddafi in 1969.
The Kingdom of Libya in the days of Idris was being led in a federal manner, and Cyrenaica was enjoying prestige within the federal state because the king had his powerbase in Benghazi.
Cyrenaica complained about the way it was treated during the regime installed by Qaddafi, and was the cradle of the revolution against him in 2011. Benghazi complained that it was neglected during the regime in power until 2011 and that the national wealth resulted from oil export was not correctly distributed.
Ahmed al-Senussi was imprisoned in the early 1970s, when he was suspected of plotting against the regime, and was in prison until 2001, when he was pardoned. He is the grandson of the king and has an excellent image in the eastern Libya.
The declaration is said to have strong popular support in Benghazi but was deemed by officials in Tripoli as “dangerous” and “a call for fragmentation,” according to a BBC News report.
BBC News says that the Congress of the People of Cyrenaica announced that it wanted its own parliament, police force, courts and to have as capital of Cyrenaica the city of Benghazi. Foreign policy, the national army and the oil resources would be administered by the central government.
Al Senussi and other leaders were careful to stress that the move did not mean the division of the country, and that the nation remains undivided, and that federalism is unity, not division. Elections are expected in Cyrenaica in two weeks to elect a new governing council.
“We are not talking about changing the flag or the anthem but about different administration,” a leader was quoted by the BBC News to say. The flag doesn’t even need to be changed, since it is the flag of the former kingdom, therefore very popular in Cyrenaica.

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