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VIOLENCE EXPLODES AS INSURGENTS GAIN GROUND-MILITARY FORCED TO RETREAT-AIR FORCE BOMBS REBEL-HELD AREAS

Violence and bloodshed has broken out across the nation as insurgent groups make advances, forcing the military to withdraw from some areas. In Benghazi, Tobruk, Tunis, Ouargla, and many other cities, clashes between protestors and soldiers escalated as rebel groups carried out bombings, sniper attacks, and sabotage against security forces, alongside widespread looting and arson. In response, soldiers began indiscriminately firing on demonstrators, killing at least 200. As the conflict progressed, rebels armed with stolen weapons stormed government buildings and managed to overrun army positions. The military was forced to pull back its forces, ceding control of large swaths of the country to the insurgents.

So far, two major rebel groups have emerged as the dominant opposition forces in the conflict. The first is the Democratic Alliance, a secular, politically left-leaning group primarily formed from grassroots movements in major cities. Making heavy use of social media for organization and propaganda purposes, the Democratic Alliance has published a list of its demands, which includes free elections, the release of political prisoners, and an end to human rights abuses. The second is the National Islamic Salvation Council(NISC), an Algerian-based Salafi jihadist group. Formed out of the remnants of the old FIS party, the NISC follows a fundamentalist interpretation of Islam and has declared its intent to overthrow the government and establish a caliphate based on Sharia law. In addition to these two forces, in some areas local warlords have taken advantage of the chaos to stake out their own turf.

The government has said that it will crush the insurgency by any means necessary, calling the rebels “criminals and terrorists” and refusing to conduct any negotiations with them. In the wake of the shocking victories made by opposition groups, the Air Force has been ordered to conduct strikes on rebel positions to prevent them from making further advances. Groups of Su-22s, Mirages, and L-39s bombed and strafed rebel-held areas, reportedly killing 47 and wounding over a hundred. The Army is currently focusing on containing the insurgency while it works to regroup its land forces. In addition, the government has also attempted to shut down internet access nationwide in order to make it harder for opposition groups to communicate, with varying degrees of success.