Libyan tribes united against Gaddafi

In Libya’s conflict-scarred cities and rural regions, tribes have remained united against forces loyal to embattled ruler Muammar Gaddafi.

As Gaddafi’s hold on Libya crumbles, he has called upon the country’s Bedouin tribes to defend the regime. But the tribes have told Press TV that there can be no peace as long as Gaddafi remains in power.

Gaddafi has claimed that only his iron fist can prevent Libya from descending into tribal civil war and has threatened to send tribal warriors to recapture the besieged city of Misratah, a Press TV correspondent in Benghazi reported.

While the Libyan regime boasted about support from important tribes in defending Gaddafi, fighters from Bedouin tribes flooded the streets of Benghazi on Thursday to show their hatred of his regime.

The lush hills of Cyrenaica stand as the heartland of Libya’s tribal Bedouin system. This region was the center of resistance to Italian colonial rule and the birthplace of the revolution against Gaddafi.

Many tribal elders dispute Gaddafi’s claims that Libya’s tribes will dive the country into chaos.

“The tribes are social institutions, not political groupings,” one tribal elder told Press TV.

“It’s simply a matter of kinship, of family relationships and of shared ancestry. They have no political function.”

Another tribal leader said, “How was Libya before Gaddafi? It was a very fertile land with people with fine morals. There was no civil war, no tribal conflict. We had a very stable, independent country with a democratic government.”