The leaders of South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe have condemned airstrikes carried out on Libya by the United States and its European allies.
South Africa's President Jacob Zuma, whose country supported UN resolution 1973, said the West has sought a "regime-change doctrine" under the pretext of the no-fly zone, state-run BBC reported on Tuesday.
Zuma rejected "any foreign intervention, whatever its form," calling for an immediate ceasefire in Libya.
Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni, who was supposed to conduct a mediation task in Libya on behalf of the African Union before the strikes, accused the West of having double standards when he compared their stance on Libya with Bahrain.
Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe also lashed out at Western countries taking part in the Libya war, saying these “vampires” are seeking to drain the North African country's oil.
The comments come on the heels of the recent airstrikes by Western forces, which are claimed to be aimed at crippling Libya's air defenses and preventing the Libyan army from attacking civilians in a month-old revolution against Gaddafi's 42-year rule.
Earlier on Tuesday, a US F15 fighter jet crashed in Libya but its two crew members were rescued, the US military announced.
Meanwhile, forces loyal to Gaddafi launched a deadly offensive in the town of Yafran, southwest of the capital, Tripoli on Tuesday and tightened their siege on the western town of Zintan and the strategically important city of Misratah.
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Wednesday, March 23rd 2011 at 3:41PM
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