Tanzania will not recognise Libyan rebels | The London Evening Post

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Tanzania will not recognise Libyan rebels

Posted on August 29, 2011 by Editorial Team

By Staff Writer and Agency Reports

Tanzania has joined other East African countries in refusing to bark the new Libyan regime led by the National Transition Committee (NTC). Announcing the decision the countrys Foreign Minister Bernard Membe said: We in Tanzania will not recognise the transitional government led by the rebels, until we are sure of the participation of Libyans in its formation and the officials leading it. Addressing the press in Dar es Salaam, the countrys capital, Mr Membe gave the same reasons that South African gave for not recognising the rebels. He said the Tanzanian authorities had been unable to ascertain who exactly the rebels were and what they represented. TNC has not been able to convince Tanzania to recognise the government. We are not ready to make hasty decisions over something we hardly know, the Foreign Minister said He added: We do not know who the members of the rebel movement are, how many they are and whether they are Libyans or foreigners. Tanzania joins Uganda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as one of the countries in the Great Lakes Region that have refused so far to offer recognition to the Libyan rebels that captured Tripoli over the weekend. Kenya and Rwanda have already recognised the rebels. The two East African countries joined 12 others in the names of Tunisia, Senegal, Nigeria, Djibouti, Gabon, Burkina Faso, Botswana and Ethiopia who have since recognised the NTC as the true representatives of Libya after the fall of Qadhafi. Zimbabwe over the weekend ordered the Libyan ambassador and his staff to leave the country after they had defected to the NTC. Zimbabwe has been and continues to be a strong supporter of Col Qadhafi. Membe said Tanzania wants to find out first who are the true architects behind the Libyan rebels and satisfy herself that ordinary Libyans would be full involved in the formation of a new government. He explained that although Tanzania and the AU agree that the Qadhafi regime has come to an end, it is important now that all is done to ensure the country returns to normalcy as soon as is practicable. On his part, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni who was one of the three leaders who met in Addis Ababa last week to deny the NTC recognition used a meeting with members of the Muslim community in the country to attack
"We don't know who you are." Bernard Membe, Tanzania's Foreign Minister tells Libyan rebels.

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31/08/2011

Tanzania will not recognise Libyan rebels | The London Evening Post

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Western leaders over what he called double-standards. Mr Museveni who himself is facing continued opposition over his style of his 25-year leadership, accused the West of treating Africa as if it was still under colonisation. Acknowledging the mistakes the Libyan leader has made during his 42 years in power, Mr Museveni said: Europeans have more mistakes and problems. They think the rest of us are fools except themselves. When there are riots in Africa, they call them pro-democracy and in London, they call them, criminals. The Ugandan leader has not hesitated to use the armed forces to quell demonstrations and has gone as far as ordering them on national radio to shoot to kill those taking part. Even a simple walk to work demonstration has had to be violently stopped by heavily armed security forces in the country. Contrast this with recent demonstrations in British cities where, despite the violent demonstrations that included the looting of shops and damaging of police cars and ambulances, British police hardly beat up anybody involved in the demonstrations. Not even water cannons spewing coloured dye were used when arresting those involved.
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31/08/2011