Muammar Gaddafi blamed Al-Qaeda yesterday for an insurrection wracking Libya as he addressed his divided nation for the second time this week to galvanise support for his crumbling regime.
Speaking on state television, the embattled Gaddafi insisted the uprising against his 41-year rule was not a people’s revolt but driven by “trigger-happy” youths “stoned with drugs” inspired by Osama bin Laden.
“These are the ones who are under Bin Laden’s influence and authority, under the influence of drugs.”
US President Barack Obama and his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy blamed Colonel Gaddafi for “the continuing brutal and bloody repression” of his people, as they reiterated a demand “for an immediate halt to the use of force against the civilian population.”
Hundreds of people have been killed amid a brutal crackdown by Col Gaddafi’s forces since the uprising started in the eastern city of Benghazi on February 15, according to human rights groups, while some politicians say the toll could be as high as 1,000.
Foreigners told yesterday of hellish scenes in Tripoli as they fled the chaos, with countries worldwide sending planes and warships in a desperate bid to evacuate their nationals.
Thousands of foreigners packed into Tripoli airport to try to escape the widening crisis, with those who managed to leave describing how food and water were running low.
“Libya is descending into hell,” Helena Sheehan, 66, said after she arrived in London aboard a specially chartered British rescue flight.
“The airport is like nothing I’ve ever seen in my whole life. It’s absolute chaos. There’s just thousands and thousands of people trying to get out.”
Other foreigners told of gunmen standing on roundabouts and getting on buses looking for mercenaries.
Egyptians fleeing Libya said they had been beaten and tortured after Gaddafi’s son accused Egyptians of being behind the uprising.
“Armed men broke into the homes of Egyptians, beat them up and ordered them to leave,” said Yehya Islam as he returned to Egypt.
“We had to bribe Libyan security, who controlled certain streets of Tripoli, in order to make it to the airport,” added Maged Ahmed, from Cairo, who described seeing dead bodies lining the streets on the way.
Italy, the nearest major European country, warned of a looming “catastrophic humanitarian crisis” as people flee North Africa.
Interior Minister Roberto Maroni said they faced a potential “invasion of 1.5 million people” while Asian states boosted massive air, sea and land operations to evacuate tens of thousands of their citizens.
As fighting continued, swathes of eastern Libya have fallen to opposition control and others into lawlessness, residents and reporters said.
World crude prices soared close to $120 a barrel before eventually dropping back to around $114 on positive US economic data.