Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi despatched forces to a western border area yesterday in defiance of Western military and economic pressure, stirring fears that the bloodiest Arab revolt may grow more violent.
As the West weighed military options, suspicions grew that the veteran leader, in power for 41 years, did not grasp the strength of the forces now gathering against him.
In Moscow, a Kremlin source suggested Qaddafi should step down, calling him a “living political corpse who has no place in the modern civilized world,” Interfax news agency reported.
Qaddafi appeared oblivious to outside pressure.
“All my people love me. They would die to protect me,” he told the BBC and US ABC network on Monday, dismissing the significance of a rebellion against his 41-year rule that has ended his control over much of eastern Libya.
Barely 12 hours after the US said it was moving warships and air forces closer to the country, Libyan forces re-asserted their presence at the remote Dehiba southern border crossing yesterday, decorating the border post with green Libyan flags.
Reporters on the Tunisian side saw Libyan army vehicles, and soldiers armed with Kalashnikov rifles. The previous day, there was no Libyan security presence at the border crossing.
In another part of the west, residents said pro-Qaddafi forces deployed to reassert control of Nalut, about 60km from the Tunisian border, to ensure it did not fall into the hands of anti-Qaddafi protesters.
Around Tripoli there were lines outside bread shops yesterday morning. Some residents said many bread shops were limiting the number of loaves customers could buy, forcing people to visit several to get needed supplies.
“The situation is nervous,” said Salah, a 35-year-old doctor at one bread shop where about 15 people were lining up outside. “Of course I am worried. My family is afraid. They are waiting at home. We have been hearing gunfire.”
The US said on Monday it was moving warships and planes closer to the country and British Prime Minister David Cameron said his government would work to prepare a “no-fly” zone to protect the Libyan people.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called on world powers to fully implement the UN Security Council resolution on Libya.
Meanwhile, France said humanitarian aid must be the priority in Libya rather than military action to oust Qaddafi.
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