Watching Libya March 19, 2011

Misratah, Libya's third largest city after Tripoli and Benghazi, is situated around 210 km east of Tripoli and 825 west of Benghazi. It is the administrative capital of Misratah District. The district's population is estimated at around 650,000. A coastal landmark, it was already noted by the geographer Strabo in the 1st century BC. Its reputation as a commercial centre linking the African interior and the northern shores of the Mediterranean goes back to the Phoenicians, Romans and early Islamic period.

Misratah, prior to the violent suppression of its citizens'uprising against what many of them considered to be a regime unable to satisfy their aspiration for greater democracy, better governance and more scope for private initiative and enterprise, was considered to be one of Libya's most promising towns. Foreigners with close contacts with Misratah's business and professional community will certainly have heard complaints about the frustrations caused by Libya's crony capitalism with its tendency to reward the better connected and to stifle competitiveness. Misratah is often referred to as Libya's 'business capital'.

Considered to be one of Libya's more modern and prosperous cities, it has overcome all others in terms of average per capita income. Its light industries (carpets, textiles and dairy products among others) as well as its metallurgical industry (iron and steel) benefits from Misratah being a sought after destination for internal migration. Its uninhabited hinterland characterised by flat expanses of available land provides room for practically unlimited expansion. Misratah is well endowed with educated human resources. Misratah is home to the 7 October University, several institutes of higher education as well as to branches of Sirt's Al-Tahadi University and Al Fateh University of Tripoli.

The port at nearby Qasr Ahmad, one of North Africa's most significant commercial maritime hubs - a mere 15 km from Aljama' Ala'li, the city center - is Misratah's gateway to the world and Libya's major port. Actually, Qasr Ahmad has two harbours, Misurata Port and LISCO Port wholly owned and operated by the Libyan Iron and Steel Company. Also located at Qasr Ahmad is the Misratah Free Zone, offering investors tax, duty and other exemptions. With a footprint of over 3,500 hectares it is capable of expanding by a further 2,000 hectares.

Misratah has a small airport (IATA code: MRA) with a runway believed to be under 11,000 ft / 3,350 m long. It was the scene of a fierce battle between Gheddafi forces and the rebels on February 24, marking the beginning of almost continuous fighting in around Misratah up to and including this morning (March 19). Although the regime yesterday declared a ceasefire and committed itself to cease hostilities against the rebels, as we upload this note reports from Misratah claim that the ceasefire has already been broken.

Gheddafi's forces struck the outskirts of Benghazi earlier this morning (Saturday, March 19). An opposition plane monitoring the advance of Gheddafi's forces was downed earlier this morning. As we upload this update (12:00 CET) observers in the city are reporting artillery and possibly mortar fire hitting various areas in the south and west of Benghazi. Meawhile towns and villages in far away western Libya, such as Zintan, 120 km south west of Tripoli, have also come under renewed attack by loyalist troops.  Meanwhile in Tripoli deputy foreign minister Khaled Ka'aim insisted yesterday that although loyalist troops are outside Benghazi, they "have no intention of entering" it. Gheddafi's regime has called for foreign observers to come to Libya to monitor the ceasefire it has itself declared soon after the UN Security Council's adoption of Resolution 1973 (2011). He specifically mentioned China, Malta, Turkey and Germany but added that the door is open for any other countries to send observers. The German foreign ministry has already dismissed the request  pointing out that it is  "the job of the U.N. and nobody else to observe the ceasefire or to decide how it should be observed."

Update 17:45

French Dassault Rafale twin-engined delta-wing multi-role jet fighters  originating from the Saint-Dizier air base in eastern France have been in have been overflying Libyan air space for several hours on what is so far a reconnaissaince mission.

The Rafale can carry any one of these air-to-ground armaments: the MBDA Apache anti-runway missile, the SCALP EG cruise missile (referred to as Storm Shadow in UK service), the AASM precision guided munition, the AM 39 Exocet anti-ship missile and the GBU-12 PAVEWAY II laser-guided bomb and the ASMP medium-range air to surface nuclear missile.

President Sarkozy, speaking to the press at the end of the Libya crisis summit of US, European and Arab leaders in Paris today."As of now", he said, "our planes are preventing air attacks on the city of Benghazi."

He also said that military action supported by France, Britain, the United States and Canada and backed by Arab nations could be stopped if Gheddafi stopped his forces from further attacks. US State Secretary Clinton, speaking later, insisted that this was "a broad international effort".