Libya turmoil- Thousands flee desert state

Inspired by popular revolts in Tunisia and Egypt, Libyan protesters seized parts of Libya in February 2011 in an attempt to end Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's 41-year rule.
In a bid to quell the uprising, government and pro-Gaddafi forces gunned down hundreds of protesters in the capital Tripoli, Libya's second city Benghazi and other areas in the north African desert state.
But the protests continued, and fighting between the two sides broke out in east and west Libya. In the ensuing violence, the country has struggled with shortages of food, fuel and medical supplies.
Some of Gaddafi's armed forces defected to the rebel side, as did several prominent members of his regime including the justice minister, Mustafa Abdul Jalil, and interior minister, General Abdul Fatah Younis.
INTERNATIONAL BOMBARDMENT
As Gaddafi's forces closed in on the eastern rebel stronghold of Benghazi, the international community decided to step in.
On March 18, the U.N. Security Council passed Resolution 1973 creating a Libyan no-fly zone to protect civilian areas from attack, while excluding the possibility of invasion and occupation.
The military bombardment that followed was the largest against an Arab country since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. It was carried out by the United States in a coalition with Britain, France, Italy, Canada and Qatar among others.
The Arab League supported the U.N. resolution.
NATO was initially divided over involvement in enforcing the no-fly zone, and instead approved on March 20 a plan to help enforce a U.N. arms embargo on Libya.
NATO members Turkey and Germany spoke out against the no-fly zone, and diplomats said France had argued against involvement by NATO, whose reputation in the Arab world had been tainted by its involvement in the war in Afghanistan.
But on March 27, NATO took full control of the military operation.
FLEEING THE VIOLENCE
Tens of thousands of migrant workers and a growing number of Libyans have fled the country since the crisis began. The majority have fled to Tunisia and Egypt, and increasingly to Algeria and Niger.
Aid agencies have appealed to Libya's neighbours to keep borders open as they brace for an exodus of refugees from Libya following intensified fighting and the declaration of the no-fly zone.
Some third country nationals were flown home by the U.N. Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and International Organization for Migration (IOM). They included many Bangladeshis, Ghanaians and Sudanese.
"This is one of the biggest humanitarian evacuations in history," IOM director-general William Lacy Swing said on March 18, when appealing for further international funding.
Expat nurses are among the many who have fled the country. Medical students have volunteered to fill their places, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said on March 17.
The escalating violence also forced staff from MSF, the International Committee of the Red Cross, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch to temporarily pull out of Benghazi.

The Carter Center Notes Concerns With Security in South Kordofan, Progress in Polling Preparations

The Carter Center is concerned by recent deteriorations in South Kordofan's security environment and calls on all sides to promote a genuine and credible polling process for the state. Although the recently concluded candidate nomination period was largely conducted transparently, efficiently, and peacefully, there have been worrying developments during the campaign period. In particular, The Carter Center is concerned about the armed conflict that broke out in El Faid and reportedly resulted in dozens of casualties. Continuing tensions between rival candidates in certain areas could negatively affect voter turnout, impact the results, and therefore reduce the credibility of the electoral process.

With the conclusion of the campaign period fast approaching, it is critical that the Government of Sudan, Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS), state authorities, political parties, and other stakeholders work together to diminish tensions in South Kordofan refrain from negative campaign rhetoric, and promote peaceful participation in the electoral process. To this end, the Center also encourages the GoSS to release gubernatorial candidate Telefon Kuku to campaign in accordance with his political rights prescribed under the National Elections Act or announce formal charges that justify his continued detention. Despite flaws noted in regard to candidate nominations and campaigns, there remains an important window before the start of polling for all sides to commit to ensuring a genuine, credible election that reflects the will of the people of South Kordofan.

The Center commends the National Elections Commission and State High Election Committee on progress with electoral preparations and the institution of improved complaints measures. The Center appeals to all political contestants to raise concerns or complaints regarding the process to the election authorities so that they may be dealt with in accordance with the law.

Deployment
The Carter Center will deploy 24 observers to monitor the South Kordofan gubernatorial and state legislative elections starting on May 2. These include a core team of analysts as well as long-term observers who have been in South Kordofan observing the voter registration and campaign periods. They will be joined by short-term observers to observe the last day of the campaign, polling, counting, and tabulation processes. Observers will be deployed in teams of two in seven localities around the state. They will travel to a number of different polling centers and constituencies over the course of the election. The observation mission represents 14 different nations including Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Kenya, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Uganda, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Zimbabwe.

The Center has maintained a presence in South Kordofan since November 2009, initially observing voter registration for the April 2010 elections. The Carter Center released a statement on the voter registration process for the South Kordofan elections on March 24, 2011, based on observations in 19 of the state's 32 constituencies. The full report, available at www.cartercenter.org, covers the nomination and campaign periods. The Carter Center plans to release a report on the electoral process after results have been tabulated.

The Carter Center assesses electoral processes in Sudan based on Sudan's obligations in the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement, Sudan's Interim National Constitution, the National Elections Act, the Political Parties Act, as well as Sudan's international treaty obligations. The objectives of the Center's observation mission in South Kordofan are to provide an impartial assessment of the overall quality of the electoral process, promote an inclusive process for all in South Kordofan, and demonstrate international interest in the electoral process.

The Center's observation mission is conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation and Code of Conduct that was adopted at the United Nations in 2005 and has been endorsed by 35 election observation groups. The Center will release periodic public statements on referendum findings, available on its website. what do you think about these elections?