Black History Month 85th Anniversary

State security building torched in Cairo - sources, Posted by Meosha Eaton

CAIRO, March 5 (Reuters) - A state security building on the outskirts of the Egyptian capital was set alight on Sunday, a security source said, one day after some 200 protesters stormed state security headquarters in the coastal city of Alexandria.

It was not immediately clear who had set fire to the building in Egypt's Sixth of October city near Cairo.

Some witnesses said they had seen police burning documents in the building, which had one floor burned out. Police said the property was set alight by citizens. At least seven people, including police and civilians, were injured, witnesses said.

The state security police Egyptians say tried to violently put down protests that led to toppling of Hosni Mubarak on Feb 11. More than 300 people died during the demonstrations.

The Interior Ministry is studying a plan to restructure the security apparatus but denied a report that the work of part of the service was being temporarily suspended, the state news agency reported citing a high ranking security official.

On Friday, around 200 protesters stormed state security headquarters in Alexandria, gaining control of its lower floors and driving police officers to hide further up.

MENA said on Saturday the army had evacuated everyone in the building in Alexandria. It cited a top security official as saying 21 policemen had been injured during the attack.

(Writing by Shaimaa Fayed; Editing by Jon Hemming)

Gaddafi forces launch new attack on Zawiyah-resident, Posted by Meosha Eaton

ZAWIYAH, Libya, March 5 (Reuters) - Forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi launched a new attack on the western town of Zawiyah on Saturday, with tanks shelling the central square, residents said.

"The attack has started. I see more than 20 tanks," one resident in the square told Reuters by telephone. Gunfire could be heard in the background.

A second resident confirmed the fighting, saying Gaddafi's forces were using "tanks and mortars". (Reporting by Mariam Karouny; Editing by Jon Hemming)

Gaddafi forces try to retake rebel town near capital, Posted by Meosha Eaton

* Residents say gunfight raging since morning
* Rebels pushed back to central square
* "We will fight to the end" - rebel spokesman


By Maria Golovnina

TRIPOLI, March 4 (Reuters) - Security forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi launched an offensive on Friday to retake a town near the capital that has for days been defying his rule, residents said by telephone.

An improvised force of rebels has been pushed back to the central square in Zawiyah, 50 km (30 miles) west of Tripoli, where about 2,000 of them are getting ready to make a last stand, a rebel spokesman said.

"We are on the square, all of our forces are here," said Youssef Shagan. "The square is safe but they (government forces) are attacking from east and west. We will fight until the end."

"They have now started trying to go into the city to try to retake it," he said.
He said three rebel soldiers had been killed and 40 people had been wounded. His account could not be independently verified because reporters' movements in Libya are restricted.

The rebellion in Zawiyah -- the closest rebel-held territory to the capital and also the site of an oil refinery -- has been an embarassment to the Libyan authorities who are trying to show they control at least the west of the country.

MACTV History: The Battle of ADWA, Posted by MACTV

Emperor Menelik II

The Battle of Adwa and the Victory of Adwa Centenary Medal The Battle of Adwa, in which Ethiopian forces under Emperor Menelik II united to defeat an invading force of Italian troops, was one of the most significant turning points in the history of modern Africa. It occurred, in 1896, when the “colonial era” was well advanced on the African continent, and it served notice that Africa was not just there “for the taking” by European powers. More than this, it marked the entry of Ethiopia into the modern community of nations: Menelik’s victory over the Italians caused the other major European states, and Italy itself, to recognise Ethiopia as a sovereign, independent state in the context of modern statecraft. The actual battle which took place on March 1 and 2, 1896, at Adwa, the principal market town of the North of Ethiopia, had been precipitated by the great rush of the European powers to colonise Africa. Italy and Germany had lagged behind other European powers — most notably France and Britain — in seizing large parcels of the Continent to colonise. Thus, the Conference of Berlin was convened in 1884-85 to “divide up” the remainder of Africa among the other European powers, anxious to obtain their own African colonies to satisfy the urge for imperial expansion and economic gain.

Italy was “awarded” Ethiopia; all that remained was for Italian troops to take possession. Significantly, until this time, Ethiopia had been left alone by the European powers. Its coastal littoral was well-known to traders, but the heartland in the highlands was peopled by nations notoriously unwilling to accept and embrace external contact and influence. But the Ethiopian nations had been known in the past to be fractious and divided, and from all accounts, Italy’s leaders expected a rapid conquest of the individual national leaders. Britain had, in 1868, waged a successful war against Emperor Téwodros II (Theodore), leading to his death. The Italians, however, failed to recognise that Emperor Menelik II had re-shaped Ethiopia since he came to power in 1889, uniting its various kings and leaders, and creating in the process a substantial army, outnumbering and outperforming the invading Italian professional army of 17,000 to 20,000 men. The modern parallel to the situation came with the Israeli-Egyptian confrontations of 1967 and 1973. The Israeli victory in 1967 (the Six-Day War) left Israel complacent and confident in the superiority of its forces over those of the Egyptians.

Apart from this, the Israelis had put in place the Bar-Lev Line of fortifications, which were expected to hold against any conceivable Egyptian attack. But the Israeli leadership and intelligence services failed to note that the crushing defeat inflicted on Egypt so quickly in 1967 had brought about a dramatic transformation in the psyche of the Egyptian leadership. President Anwar as-Sadat totally transformed the education, training, equipment and doctrine of the Egyptian Armed Forces, without Soviet help (Soviet advisors had been expelled in 1972), within six years of the defeat. When Egypt initiated the October 1973 war, the transformed situation took Israel by complete surprise. Despite the massive logistical re-supply of Israel by the US — which effectively saved Israel from complete humiliation — and the recovery of initiative by Israeli commanders, Egypt achieved its strategic objectives. The Suez Canal was re-opened, the Sinai returned to Egypt, and peace achieved. That the Battle of Adwa is still fresh in the minds of Ethiopians became apparent when, on July 5, 1998, Ethiopian volunteers were cheered off to battle against invading Eritrean forces.

As a Reuters report noted: “Residents from the city’s [Addis Ababa’s] 265 neighbourhood associations danced and sang songs recalling the Battle of Adwa where Ethiopia defeated the invading Italian army in 1896.” With even less intelligence on which to base its actions, Italy could only draw on the British victory at Magdàla and the commonly held European belief that no African forces were a match for disciplined and well-equipped European military formations. But much had happened since Magdàla, and Emperor Téwodros’ defeat. Indeed, the British victory had even at that time obscured from General Robert Napier and his officers the sophistication of the system which they had just defeated. Victory often breeds contempt in the victors against the vanquished; at best it breeds an unwillingness to learn from the enemy so recently crushed. Apart from the overall political and social aspects of Ethiopia in 1868, Emperor Téwodros had based his defence against the British on the Rist-Gult system of recruitment, military structure and logistical support.

This logistical structure was entrenched in what was commonly called Mesfint Hagr: namely, the present day highlands of Eritrea, the region of Tigré, Gonder, Gojjam, and Wello. The rest of Ethiopia was under a second type of resource system known as the Geber Madriya system, which formed the basis of the fiscal and military organisation of Emperor Menelik’s Government. The Rist-Gult system was used not only at Magdàla, but also against Egypt at Gundet (1875), Gura (1876), Italy at Dogali (1887), and against the Mahdist Sudan at Metemma (1889). [It was in this battle, at Metemma, that Emperor Yohannes IV had died.] The Battle of Adwa was based mostly on the Geber Madriya system. Ethiopian historian Tsegaye Tegenu noted that in all of these large battles, the background composition of the troops were similar. “All were drawn from the various ethnic groups and constituted the class of military nobility, regional aristocracy and peasantry.

However, there was a difference in the manner of administration and the use of human and material resources [at Adwa]. The troops of Adwa were recruited basically through the Geber Madriya system, which had qualitatively different methods of remuneration, revenue administration and provisioning, which was in harmony with the form of economy.” One of the major failings of the Italian planners of Savoyard Italy was that they failed to notice the fundamental change in Ethiopia under Menelik. Emperor Menelik II had transformed the administration of the economy and had greatly improved the tax base of the country. This in turn improved dramatically his capability to raise armies and to equip them. The complex tax base meant that the battles fought during the era of the Rist-Gult system were precariously-managed affairs. As Tsegaye Tegenu noted: “It is not difficult to see the desperate effort of the kings to overcome the fiscal limits of the system to fight against external aggression.” And Menelik managed this transformation to a new economic base in such a way as to prepare Ethiopia for the most decisive battle. Emperor Menelik took immediate steps upon hearing of Italy’s plans to annexe Ethiopia.

He called, on September 17, 1895, for national mobilisation, and within two months more than 100,000 troops were assembled in the specified areas: Addis Ababa, Were Illu, Ashenge, and Mekele. About two-thirds of these troops were raised through the Geber Madriya system. The Emperor himself mobilised some 35,000 troops, commanded by his court officials. His Queen — Empress Taitu — also mobilised her own force of some 6,000 men. The Imperial Army also included troops raised by governors-general, such as Ras Makonnen (the father of Ras Tafari Makonnen, later Emperor Haile Selassie I) who commanded some 12,000 troops. Dejazmatch Tesema commanded some 5,000 soldiers; Ras Welde Giorgis about 5,000; Ras Bitwoded Mengesha Atakim, about 6,000; and so on. Troops of the regional princes numbered about 35,000, and of these, Ras Mengesha of Tigré commanded about 8,000; King (Negus) Tekle Haimanot of Gojjam about 6,000; Ras Welle of Begémder another 6,000; Wagshum Guangul of Wag a further 5,000. In all, Menelik (shown at left) was able to mobilise some 70,000 to 100,000 modern rifles for Adwa.

By 1895, he had obtained at least 5,000,000 cartridges. He had spent more than $1-million (in 1895 currency), a sum which would have been unthinkable to Emperor Téwodros, or even Emperor Yohannes IV. And this sum did not even include the artillery which Emperor Menelik had secured. This component of the force — the Corps of Gunpowder and Shell — was commanded by a Bejirond: a treasurer in charge of finance and the storehouse of the Palace, and by the Lij Mekuas, who was also commander of the Royal cavalry. The logistical tail of the Adwa campaign, from the Ethiopian side, was no less impressive than the logistical effort put forth to carry and support the invading force of some 17,000 Italian troops from Europe, supplemented by local recruits. Italy had already occupied the highlands of Eritrea, and therefore was well-placed with forward support for the battle. Moreover, it was aware of the problems which had been challenging Ethiopia and Menelik. Famine and internecine squabbling were preoccupying the country, and Menelik was initially unable to mobilise forces to resist Italy’s occupation of Eritrea and its expansion into the hinterland.

An emboldened Italy pushed further into Ethiopia, crossing the Mereb River and chasing out Ras Mengesha, the ruler of Tigré; full control of the region seemed at hand, and Italian forces settled in for a permanent occupation. Italian General Baraterie, commander of the occupation force and governor of the Eritrean colony, sought and obtained an additional budget of four-million lira and 10,000 more trained troops. But Gen. Baraterie seemed unaware of Menelik’s main strategic imperative, which was to wait for the opportunity to confront — with infantry and artillery — the main Italian force and its supplies, rather than engage in piecemeal battles at the enemy’s choosing. To this end, Menelik focused his efforts on building a large coalition force, capable of the mission. This entailed a process of diplomacy with the regional princes and rulers, not only to secure the participation of their individual armies, but also to be able to access their logistical support base. The strategy and tactics employed by Menelik were not only due to the Emperor’s diplomatic and military skills, but also to the unique doctrines developed by Ethiopia literally over several millennia.

These doctrines were also created in virtual isolation from the military lessons learned by the rest of the world, and reflected Ethiopia’s own history and topography. In this sense, then, the Ethiopian forces under Menelik did not conform to the expectations of the Italians. As a result, the Battle of Adwa was to become a significant case study for military schools for the next century, and almost certainly well into the future. It would not be fair to say that the Italians had failed to study Ethiopian military history. But by basing their perspectives on the very different strategies of the Rist-Gult system used by Téwodros and Yohannes, they could not comprehend the vastly superior mobilisation capabilities of Menelik’s Geber Madriya system. Thus, when the Italians expected to meet a force of about 30,000 Ethiopians, they met instead some 100,000. Having said that, the Geber Madriya system was based on a form of recompense to the soldiers which involved grants of land and the payment of food, drink and honey, etc., to the soldiers from tenants working the land.

In other words, it was a non-monetarised system which provided for the welfare of the troops. As a result, it was not a system which could be projected far beyond the supporting geography. The Battle of Adwa came in such a way that — because Emperor Menelik had lured the Italian main force into his own territory — it fitted perfectly the criteria of the Geber Madriya system. But Menelik, after the stupendous victory at Adwa, could not use the same structure to pursue the Italians into Eritrea and throw them entirely into the Red Sea. The result was that, although Ethiopia was, as an Empire, saved by the Battle of Adwa, the Italians remained lodged on the periphery. More importantly, the concept of seizing Ethiopia remained in the Italian psyche, so that when fascist Italy once more dreamed of empire in the 1930s, it again embarked upon an attempt to conquer Ethiopia. And, in that campaign, even though they met with initial success, it was once again an overreaching of Italian resources and Italy was thrown not only out of the Ethiopian heartland but also out of Eritrea. Thus, less than 50 years after Adwa, Eritrea, too, was restored to Ethiopia.

Egypt new PM visits Tahrir Square, seeks legitimacy, Posted by Meosha Eaton

CAIRO, March 4 (Reuters) - Egypt's new Prime Minister-designate Essam Sharaf told thousands of protesters in Tahrir Square on Friday that he would work to meet their demands and saluted the "martyrs" of the country's revolution.

He told the crowd he had come "to draw legitimacy" from them. He was cheered by the crowd and carried away from the podium on the shoulders of protesters and escorted by military police.

Sharaf, a former transport minister, was appointed by Egypt's military rulers on Thursday to replace Ahmed Shafiq, the former air force officer who had been appointed by Hosni Mubarak before he was toppled from the presidency on Feb. 11.

(Reporting by Tom Perry; Editing by Jon Boyle)

Britian has decided to Gradually release UFO reports to the public, Posted by Meosha Eaton

By Michelle Martin

LONDON, March 3 (Reuters Life!) - Britain on Thursday released 35 previously classified files documenting sightings of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) by the military and members of the public dating back to the 1950s.

The files contain around 8,500 pages which mainly cover the period from 1997 to 2005 and include photographs, drawings and descriptions of flying saucer sightings, as well as letters the Ministry of Defence (MoD) sent eyewitnesses in response to their accounts.

Policemen, a soldier, a Royal Air Force (RAF) officer and members of the public report sightings of objects including a "chewy mint shaped solid craft" and aerial objects resembling a "ring", a "jellyfish" and a "silver voile spin top".

In one account a man said he believed he had been "abducted" by aliens in October 1998 after seeing an unidentified craft hover over his London home and finding he had gained an hour of time in the process. "It was a large cigar-shaped vehicle with big projectiles on each side like wings," he told the MoD.

"It seemed to have two very bright lights at the front and a white light flashing round and round underneath... As you can imagine, I felt quite shaken." The MoD wrote to the man informing him that the object was probably an airship, adding that the time he had gained was probably the result of the clocks being put back one hour on the night of his close encounter.

Another file released by the National Archives reveals how the RAF was inundated with calls one morning in 1967 after residents of southern England awoke to find six small beeping UFOs lying in a perfect line from the Isle of Sheppey to the Bristol Channel.
A bomb disposal unit blew up one of the UFOs, another was airlifted to the southeastern village of Aldermaston and both the army and the MoD's intelligence unit were mobilised for what was considered a real "alien invasion".

It was later discovered that engineering students at Farnborough Technical College had constructed and positioned the UFOs in a bid to raise money for charity. "It does raise some questions about what really would happen if at any time in the future there was some kind of instant -- would we be prepared?" said David Clarke, author of "The UFO Files" and consultant to the National Archives' UFO project.

One of the files documents the experiences of a retired RAF officer who said he saw a UFO while on holiday in Sri Lanka in April 2004 and sent the MoD supporting photographs. "I noticed a partial aura in the sky, a minute or so later there was a clap of thunder, then a short while later a ring like a doughnut appeared," he told the MoD, adding that he thought it was an "air burst".

In its reply the MoD suggested he contact the Sri Lankan government. Other highlights include a UFO policy file from 1997 which reveals how the Ministry of Defence handled UFO reports and a file detailing the only full debate about UFOs ever to be held in Britain's House of Lords -- in January 1979.

The MoD said it investigated every UFO sighting report it received to determine "whether there is any evidence that the United Kingdom's airspace might have been compromised by hostile or unauthorised air activity." The files are available to download free of charge for one month at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ufos.

(Editing by Paul Casciato)

MACTV News: Libyan rebels, Gaddafi forces battle for oil sites, Posted by Menelik Zeleke

March 4, 2011 3:23:20 AM

* Rebels say prepared for more attacks

* Warn medical supplies, baby milk running out

* Gaddafi's govt takes reporters on tour of west


By Mohammed Abbas
AL-UQAYLA, Libya, March 4 (Reuters) - Libyan rebels prepared for further attacks by forces loyal to leader Muammar Gaddafi on Friday as both sides struggled for control of a strategic coast road and oil industry facilities.

Rebels holding the port city of Zawiyah, 50 km (30 miles) west of the capital, Tripoli, said they had been launching counter-attacks against Gaddafi's forces massing in the area and warned supplies of medicines and baby milk were running low.

"Women and children are at home while the men are armed and roam the streets and city limits in anticipation of a major attack by pro-Gaddafi forces tonight," resident Ibrahim told Reuters by telephone.

In eastern Libya, witnesses said a warplane bombed Brega, an oil terminal town 800 km (500 miles) east of Tripoli, for the second day on Thursday. Warplanes also launched two raids against the nearby rebel-held town of Ajbadiya, witnesses said.

The popular uprising against Gaddafi's 41-year rule, the bloodiest yet against a long-serving ruler in the Middle East or North Africa, has knocked out nearly 50 percent of the OPEC-member's 1.6 million barrels of oil per day output, the bedrock of its economy.

Gaddafi's government took foreign journalists on a tour of western Libya as part of efforts to show he remained in control.

Towns and villages erupted in jubilation as the convoy passed through. Crowds of supporters shouted "God, Muammar, Libya, together" and children kissed portraits of Gaddafi.

Yet signs of resistance were apparent. In several towns, buildings had been torched and many house fronts were covered with anti-government slogans, a Reuters reporters said.

The roads were heavily fortified with Gaddafi's army tanks, anti-aircraft guns and truck-mounted rocket launchers.


In Zawiyah, residents said Gaddafi's forces had deployed in large numbers over the past days. "We estimate there are 2,000 on the southern side of town and have gathered 80 armoured vehicles from the east," resident Ibrahim said, adding a battalion had also come from the west side.

"But our youths are not sitting idle. We killed two of their men last night and operations like these allow us to build up our arsenal. We have already seized 10 to 15 of the army's tanks and a large number of Kalashnikovs," he said.

His account could not immediately be verified.
The government says it is not using military force to retake rebel-held cities although one official did not rule it out if all other options were exhausted.

"Workers at Zawiyah's public hospital went today (Thursday) to Tripoli to get some (medical supplies) for the civilians wounded during clashes ... but the administration there that supplies public hospitals refused to hand them any simply because it was destined for Zawiyah," Ibrahim said.

Another resident, Ali, told Reuters by telephone: "We are starting to have problems with supplies for some medicines as well as getting baby formula ... Libya needs help from the international community. We only want our freedom."


MEDIATION PLAN?
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said reports indicated two Libyan Red Crescent ambulances were shot at on Thursday in Misrata, west of Benghazi, and two volunteers were wounded. The ICRC has 12 staff in Benghazi including a medical team visiting areas outside the city in cooperation with the Libyan Red Crescent.

On Thursday, Venezuela said Gaddafi had agreed to its proposal for an international commission to negotiate an end to the turmoil in the world's 12th largest oil exporting nation.

But Gaddafi's son Saif al Islam said there was no need for foreign mediation in the crisis, a leader of the uprising rejected talks with the veteran leader and the Arab League said cautiously the plan was "under consideration".

In Paris, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said France and Britain would support the idea of setting up a no-fly zone over Libya if Gaddafi's forces continued to attack civilians.

U.S. President Barack Obama said the United States and the international community must be ready to act rapidly to stop violence against civilians. He expressed outrage at the bloodshed, called on Gaddafi to step down and emphasised the importance of humanitarian efforts.

But Juma Amer, secretary for African affairs at the Libyan Foreign Ministry, told journalists: "Media reports that civilian areas were bombed are false."

Saif said Brega was bombed to scare off militia fighters and to gain control of oil installations. "The bombs (were) just to frighten them to go away," he told Britain's Sky News.

On the ground, rebels leading the unprecedented popular revolt pushed their front line west of Brega. They said they had driven back troops loyal to Gaddafi to Ras Lanuf, site of another major oil terminal, 600 km (400 miles) east of Tripoli.

In The Hague, International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said Gaddafi and members of his inner circle could be investigated for possible war crimes committed since the uprising broke out in mid-February.

Libyan government spokesman Musa Ibrahim told BBC radio: "No fact-finding mission has been sent to Libya. No diplomats, no ministers, no NGOs or organisations of any type were sent to Libya to check the facts ... No one can be sent to prison based on media reports."

An aide to Mustafa Abdel Jalil, head of the rebels' National Libyan Council, called for foreign help to set up a no-fly zone to protect civilians and help rebels topple Gaddafi.

Save The Children and Medecins Sans Frontieres said they were struggling to get medicine and care to Libya's needy, with gunmen blocking roads and civilians too scared to seek help.

The upheaval is causing a humanitarian crisis, especially on the Tunisian border where tens of thousands of foreign workers have fled to safety. But an organized international airlift started to relieve the human flood from Libya as word spread to refugees that planes were taking them home. (Additional reporting by Maria Golovnina, Yvonne Bell and Chris Helgren in Tripoli, Tom Pfeiffer and Alexander Dziadosz in Benghazi, Souhail Karam and Marie-Louise Gumuchian in Rabat, Yannis Behrakis and Douglas Hamilton on Tunisia border; Christian Lowe and Hamid Ould Ahmed in Algiers,; Writing by Janet Lawrence; Editing by Robert Birsel)

UN News: Security Council Meeting: The situation in Liberia, Posted by Menelik Zeleke

03 March 2011 Letter dated 11 February 2011 from the Secretary-General addressed to the President of the Security Council.

UN News: SC President Li Baodong on Sudan - Security Council Media Stakeout , Posted by Menelik Zeleke

March 03, 2011 Informal comments to the media by H.E. Mr. Li Baodong, Permanent Representative of China and President of the Security Council on the situation in Sudan.

UN News: International Criminal Court acts on UN referral to probe Libya violence , Posted by Menelik Zeleke

ICC Prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, announces the opening of an investigation in Libya: 3 March 2011 – The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) said today he is investigating alleged crimes against humanity committed in Libya, including by President Muammar Al-Qadhafi and members of his inner circle, following a request from the United Nations Security Council to probe the violent crackdown on protesters. “There will be no impunity in Libya,” Luis Moreno-Ocampo told a news briefing in The Hague, where the Court is based. “No one has authority to attack and massacre civilians.” The announcement comes just days after the Security Council asked the Court to look into the violent repression of protesters, in which more than 1,000 people are reported to have been killed and many more injured as Mr. Qadhafi’s loyalists opened fire on peaceful civilians demanding his ouster. It also comes amid efforts to address the growing humanitarian situation in Libya and on its borders. The UN humanitarian office estimates that some 180,000 people have fled the fighting in Libya so far. At UN Headquarters in New York, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon convened a video and telephone conference call this morning with regional organizations and UN agencies to discuss the humanitarian situation. “The Secretary-General urgently appeals to the Libyan authorities to allow immediate and unimpeded access into Libya to determine humanitarian needs and provide assistance inside the country should it be required, including in the west,” UN spokesperson Martin Nesirky told reporters, adding that Mr. Ban intends to name a special envoy shortly. On the ICC investigation, Mr. Moreno-Ocampo said the probe will look into several incidents that have occurred since 15 February in various towns and cities across Libya. “During the coming weeks, the Office [of the Prosecutor] will investigate who are the most responsible for the most serious crimes committed in Libya,” he stated. The Office has identified some individuals with de facto or formal authority on the security forces who allegedly committed the crimes, such as Mr. Qadhafi and his inner circle, including some of his sons. The Prosecutor also noted that there are people with formal authority who should pay attention to the crimes committed by their people because if they are not preventing, stopping and punishing these crimes, they could be responsible. They include the minister of foreign affairs and the head of the regime’s security and military intelligence, among others. “We’d like to use this opportunity to put them on notice. If forces under their command and control commit crimes, they could be criminally responsible,” he stated. The Office of the Prosecutor will present its evidence to the Court’s judges, who will then decide whether or not to issue arrest warrants. During this morning’s conference call, Mr. Ban and the other participants cited a strong need for urgent relief – food, water, sanitation and shelter – for the thousands on both sides of the Tunisian and Egyptian borders due to significant population movements, as well as the need to prepare for a further possible escalation of humanitarian needs should conditions deteriorate inside Libya. The UN and its partners are working closely with authorities in Egypt, Tunisia and also Niger to meet the basic needs of those who have fled from Libya, the vast majority of whom are migrant workers. But as the situation escalates, it is evident that a much larger response is required, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stressed. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) reported today that a ship chartered by the agency and carrying more than 1,000 metric tons of wheat flour to the Libyan port of Benghazi has returned to port in Malta without unloading its cargo due to security concerns. “We urgently call for safe humanitarian access to Libya,” said WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran. “This shows the scale of the challenge we face, especially if there is a need to ramp up food and other assistance in Libya.” The agency said that aerial bombardments have been reported outside Benghazi, and owners of cargo vessels are reluctant to send their ships into areas where crew members could be endangered or assets damaged. “We are exploring every possible humanitarian corridor to be prepared in case needs escalate,” Ms. Sheeran added.