Oops -Malians cheer Gaddafi as they host Libya football team

[malaise]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12891407
<snip>
Thousands of Malians turned out to cheer on Libya's football team in an African Cup of Nations qualifier in Mali's capital.

The match was held in Bamako because of security concerns in Libya.

About 20,000 Malians turned out to watch the game, many carrying posters protesting against the Western-led military intervention in Libya.

"We were very touched by the Malian crowd," captain Tariq Ibrahim al-Tayib told the BBC after beating Comoros 3-0.

Bamako-based journalist Martin Vogl says Mali's government has a close relationship with Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and he enjoys a lot of support in the country.

After each goal at the game on Monday evening, the crowd shouted: "Gaddafi! Gaddafi," he said.
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Watch out Malians!! Some humanitarians bombs from the West may be on the way

[Catherina]

1. Oops indeed. We're being fed a line of bull about the majority opposing Gaddafi

If they were, this would have been over 2 weeks ago.

Where's Chalabi and his garlands of roses when you need him?

[malaise]

2. Ding ding

We have a winner

[RZM]

5. You do realize this cheering was in Mali and not Libya, right?

Of course Mali likes Ghaddafi. He's been trying to make common cause with African countries further south for years now. Why would you think this is related to his domestic support?

[Catherina]

6. The line of bull is for all of North Africa

Artificial boundaries and divisions imposed by the colonial powers are failing miserably.

[RZM]

7. I still don't see what this has to do with Ghaddafi's level of support within Libya

Unless you're trying to point out that he's not popular in the East for tribal reasons, which is certainly true. Still, I don't see what Mali has to do with that.

[Catherina]

13. I'm sorry. No offense but I'll leave it to time will explain it n/t

[RZM]

14. Somehow I don't think time will be able to pull that off n/t

[tabatha]

3. Gaddafi has influence in Africa from North to South.

“If Africa’s leaders held their peers to account there would be no need for the people of Libya to suffer human rights violations,” said founder of the Desmond Tutu Peace Centre, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu. “And there would be no need for United Nations sanctioned military interventions in Libya.

“Instead, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi has for more than 40 years honed his skills in the art of resource management to win friends and influence people. And as a result, Africa seems powerless to stop him.

“The scenes of brutality being meted out with sophisticated weaponry by Libyan security forces against their own civilian population make God weep. With every blow they strike, each human rights abuse they perpetrate, they bring shame on Africa,” Archbishop Tutu said.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201103210790.html

If the school kids knew what Gaddafi is doing and has done to his own citizens they would be horrified. My guess is that the kids were told to do that with some big payoff to the school. Sorry, I would rather go with Tutu than the Lockerbie bomber.

[Romulox]

4. More evil doers! Let's BOMB THEM (lest they take flight!)

"No Fly Zone" donchaknow. 100% legal! :shrug:

[xchrom]

8. recommend

[14thColony]

9. I just left Bamako last Friday

There have been a few other large pro-Gadhaffi marches targting the US and French embassies; not sure if they were in the news in the US or not.

One caveat though, which might help better evaluate these manifestations of support from the citizens of Bamako: it is not overly hyperbolic to say that Gadhaffi owns half the city. Between the numerous 4 and 5 star hotels, the oil/gas import and other business enterprises (Malibya Corp), the public infrastructure he's built, and the amount of money he's spent getting powerful imams on his side (plenty of very modern mosques in an otherwise fairly run-down city), it may be possible that these outpourings of popular support may not be 100 percent genuine in every case.

Gadhaffi has spread a lot of money around sub-Saharan Africa for decades in his quest to become The King of Kings of Africa (yes, that is a title he has adopted for himself), and it certainly appears he's calling in a whole lot of markers right now.

An interesting comparison would be the level of popular support in countries in the region that haven't benefitted so much from Gadhaffi's largesse, or have no reason to want/need it.

[tabatha]

10. Exactly.

Desmond Tutu got it right in the quote above.

[EC]

11. I'm sure all those pro-Gaddafi folks

weren't put there by Gaddafi himself or paid...I'm sure they all just love him.

[K8-EEE]

12. WELL and who couldn't love him, right?

Oh please....they can have him.

[Vattel]

15. The key questions remain:

What is Gaddafi's level of support in Libya? And what does that mean for the rebellion and its aftermath?