Misurata tense as ultimatum expires

The besieged Libyan rebel city of Misurata was relatively calm yesterday but braced for new attacks by Muammar Gaddafi’s forces as an ultimatum to surrender expired, a day after shelling killed 14 people.

However, fighting continued in the Al-Ghiran and Zawiat al-Mahjub areas near the airport, which rebels have been trying to capture from Gaddafo forces based there.

In their eastern stronghold of Benghazi, the rebels warned that they would soon run out of funds unless Western governments make them a $3 billion loan secured on frozen Gaddafi regime assets.

Nato said aircraft under its command carried out 158 sorties on Monday, 56 of them strikes against ground targets, which had included 12 ammunition caches and three self-propelled artillery pieces around Misurata.

Loyalist tanks had thrust into the western suburbs of the oil-rich North African nation’s third city from their airport base, triggering clashes that wounded more than 30 people.

Government spokesman Mussa Ibrahim announced late on Friday the ultimatum for rebel fighters in Misurata to cease fire, offering amnesty if they laid down their weapons.

The rebels, who have been under siege by loyalists for some two months, promptly rejected it.

“We will not surrender. We win or we die,” said the rebels’ top commander, Ibrahim Bet-Almal, whose son was killed in fighting on April 9.

With the airport in government hands, the rebels are entirely dependent on supply by sea, and with the port repeated shelled by Gaddafi troops, few vessels are docking, resulting in a worsening food shortage.

Customers queueing outside a Misurata bakery on Tuesday put on a brave face about the looming expiry of the regime’s ultimatum.

“I’m not worried. Gaddafi won’t do anything,” said Abd al-Bari, a 20-year-old student. “He’s lying as usual. God willing, he will do nothing.”

But Bari expressed serious concern about the port.

“If it’s blocked off, the boats that have been providing us with aid won’t come any more and then we will have really big problems,” he said.

The threat to Misurata’s maritime life line comes not only from Col Gaddafi’s rockets.

Nato forces were searching for a stray anti-ship mine laid last week, the alliance said. Four small boats were caught dropping three mines off the port, but only two were found and disarmed.

However, Nato said the port is still open.

“Thanks to the continuous military action which has been undertaken vis-à-vis the port of Misurata and the city, the port is still quite safe,” Italian Vice Admiral Rinaldo Veri said, adding that rebels had expanded the city perimeter under their control.

“Besides the mine issue, for the moment there is clear access into the port of Misrata,” said Vice Admiral Veri, adding that Nato had opened a sea corridor and that the port remained open.

Mr Veri denied that the conflict had reached a stalemate and rejected regime claims that NATO was trying to assassinate Col Gaddafi.

“Let’s say that we are going slowly but steadily and after attacking the frontline forces now we are trying to get hold of everything that (Col Gaddafi) can use to supply his frontline forces,” he said.

Medical sources said only one person had been killed and 22 wounded by late afternoon.

In Benghazi, the rebels said they were in no position to resume significant oil exports as their current priority was limited to securing the production facilities under their control.

Their plea for an emergency credit line from the United States and the two European governments to recognise their administration – France and Italy – came ahead of a meeting of the International Contact Group on Libya.

“The liquidity that we have domestically most likely will carry us through three weeks, at the most four weeks,” said Ali Tarhoni, who holds the economy and oil portfolio in the rebel administration.

“I think if we get lines of credit from our friends in France, Italy and the United States we will be fine,” he said, adding that “we need two to three billion dollars.”

That would enable his administration to get through the next three to four months, he said.