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February update: Libya and the Middle East

Now that the media has moved on from reporting on Libya one might be forgiven in thinking that all is well in the country now that NATO forces got rid of Gaddafi.    All too sadly not.

The Independent reports:

"Almost a year after the start of the Libyan uprising that led to the ousting and killing of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, new research suggests more than a third of its citizens would rather return to being ruled by a strongman than embrace democracy.

Despite thousands of deaths in the revolt against Colonel Gaddafi's 40-year rule, fewer than a third of Libyans would welcome democracy, according to the study published by the Institute of Human Sciences, at the University of Oxford, and Oxford Research International.

Libya is traditionally a tribal society and there are concerns that the vacuum created by Colonel Gaddafi's removal in October could lead to clashes between the factions that toppled him. In recent weeks, medical and human-rights groups have complained that the situation in parts of country is getting out of control.

The deaths of 12 detainees who lost their lives after being tortured by the various militias running law and order in towns and cities across country are documented in an Amnesty International report released today. The study follows last month's decision by Médecins sans Frontières to halt operations in Misrata after being asked by officials to treat prisoners midway through torture sessions, allowing authorities to abuse the victims again.

Still, the survey found 35 per cent would still like a strong leader in five years' time, although more than two-thirds wanted some say in future governance."


As this report from AlJazeera shows there is another plight in the Middle East brought about by the so-called Arab Spring:

"The 'Arab Spring' led hundreds of thousands of Asian migrant workers to flee the region.

Today, some remain stranded, while others are just starting to return.
 

The uprisings sweeping through the Middle East has attracted attention across the world.

The rise and fall of dictators and the ongoing challenges for these countries dominate the news discourse.

But very little is known about the Asian migrant workers who have been inadvertently caught up in the fighting.

The Libyan uprising triggered the flight of hundreds of thousands of Asian labourers. Some, however, were forced to stay in the war-torn country."







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