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Libya: Tribal Chiefs Call on Col Gaddafi to Go
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Chiefs or representatives of 61 Libyan tribes from across the country called for an end to Col Muammar Gaddafi's rule, in a joint statement released by French writer Bernard-Henri Levy.

"Faced with the threats weighing on the unity of our country, faced with the manoeuvres and propaganda of the dictator and his family, we solemnly declare: Nothing will divide us," said the text, drawn up in Benghazi on April 12.

"We share the same ideal of a free, democratic and united Libya," it said.

The African Union meanwhile urged an end to military actions targeting senior Libyan officials and key infrastructure, a statement said on Wednesday.

"Council urges all involved to refrain from actions, including military operations targeting Libyan senior officials and socio-economic infrastructure, that would further compound the situation and make it more difficult to achieve international consensus on the best way forward," the AU said.

The Pan-African body stressed the need for all the parties involved in the implementation of UN resolution 1973 on Libya "to act in a manner fully consistent with international legality and the resolution's provisions, whose objective is solely to ensure the protection of the civilian population." » | Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Tribal Allegiances
LA TIMES: Mideast's potent force survives alongside the Internet and cellphone.

SHIBAM-KAWKABAN, YEMEN — The slender, somber-faced 18-year-old wears two crucial tokens tucked against his belly, beneath the embroidered belt. The cellphone links him to the modern world. And the short, curved dagger binds him to the ancient system that is the only thing, he says, that he would die for — his tribe.

Fouad Hussein is one of a new generation of young Arabs, the vanguard of a massive baby boom. With synthesized Gulf pop in his ears and the Internet at his fingertips, he enjoys access to technology that his parents could probably never have imagined. But from the moment dawn sears the dusty hills until the last wash of sunlight fades over his mud and brick house, Hussein's life is ruled by the codes hammered out by his ancestors.

"I serve my tribe in everything they ask," Hussein said, blinking seriously in the brilliant morning sunlight. "If I'm alone, it means I'm weak. If I'm with the tribe, it means I have some power, I am strong." Modern Yemen embraces the tribe (more) By Megan K Stack

Mark Alexander