Egypt heating up again, Gaddafi calls in mercenaries

Egypt heating up again, Gaddafi calls in mercenaries

Monday, March 07, 2011 | Ryan Jones

The revolution in Egypt is far from over, and in fact appears to be starting all over again. But you won’t hear much of that from the mainstream media, which is determined to portray Egypt as a “successful revolution,” in contrast to the mistakes made by the West during Iran’s revolution in 1979.

In reality, average Egyptians are no closer to true freedom than they were under deposed dictator Hosni Mubarak, and they are none too happy about it.

Over the past week, demonstrators have been making the same demands they placed on Mubarak, only now their target is the military-controlled provisional government that had previously been so commended by Western leaders and the press.

According to protestors who were briefly quoted by the BBC, the provisional government’s security forces are responded to the renewed demonstrations with deadly sword and firebomb attacks. Plain-clothes secret police are said to be entering the demonstrations and slashing protestors with swords, or hurling homemade firebombs.

Demonstrators who broke into several government buildings at the weekend said they found evidence of torture.

Meanwhile, embattled Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has reportedly been calling in foreign mercenaries to help beat back pro-democracy rebels in his country.

Al Jazeera reported that Libyan rebels shot down two Syrian military planes over the weekend, and that gunmen from Syria, Serbia, Ukraine and Romania are taking part in the fighting.

Gaddafi’s forces have managed to recapture a number of towns in eastern Libya previously held by the rebels, as the situation threatens to descend into full-blown civil war.