Obama under fire, slapped with hypocrisy over aid calls for Libya

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
16 Sep 2023 23:41
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The former US President comes under fire having advocated for the military invasion of Libya in 2011, which destroyed much of the nation.

Former US President Barack Obama gestures as he speaks during the COP26 UN Climate Summit in Glasgow, Scotland, on November 8, 2021. (AP)

Following the tragic floods in Libya that killed over 11,000 people, former US President Barack Obama is urging people to donate to his nonprofit, The Obama Foundation. Thousands of X (previously Twitter) users, however, attacked him having advocated for the military invasion of Libya in 2011, which destroyed much of the nation.

International aid is slowly starting to reach the port city of Derna after Storm Daniel hit the northern coast of Libya on Saturday night.

On September 10, Libya experienced heavy rainfall due to Storm Daniel, resulting in severe flooding in the eastern part of the country.

"If you're looking to help people impacted by the floods in Libya, check out these organizations providing relief," Obama quoted his Foundation's tweet.

🧵Emergency and relief workers are on the ground providing urgent aid in the aftermath of the catastrophic flash floods in northeast Libya.

The toll of this natural disaster is unimaginable, and support is desperately needed. pic.twitter.com/dclAj6kJPd
— The Obama Foundation (@ObamaFoundation) September 15, 2023

https://t.co/GypcdW4ULK pic.twitter.com/JKHiBNPe8t
— Siddharth (@DearthOfSid) September 15, 2023

You bombed this great country into oblivion.

You have ZERO right to speak on this.
— UNN (@UnityNewsNet) September 15, 2023

Journalist Tom Elliott responded by asserting Obama had "a lot of audacity" talking about helping the Libyans.

You have a lot of audacity talking about helping Libyans
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) September 15, 2023

The New Hampshire Libertarian Party account responded by saying that Libya has "literal slavery again" because of Obama. The party added that Obama would "burn in hell" for his actions.

Libya has literal slavery again because of you.

You're going to burn in hell for what you did to that country.
— Libertarian Party NH (@LPNH) September 15, 2023

Dr. Simon Goddek expressed that the funds Obama is asking for would not be needed if his administration "hadn't bombed Libya, setting it back to the Stone Age, just to remove someone who opposed your agenda."

These funds wouldn’t have been needed if you hadn’t bombed Libya, setting it back to the Stone Age, just to remove someone who opposed your agenda and wanted to introduce a gold-backed currency in Africa. You’re a hypocrite, Barry.
— Dr. Simon Goddek (@goddeketal) September 15, 2023

Ben Norton, an independent US journalist focused on geopolitics and US foreign policy, accused Obama of overseeing "the neocolonial 2011 NATO war that destroyed Libya's state."

https://t.co/852JZ7DF2j
— Ben Norton (@BenjaminNorton) September 16, 2023

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) agreed to act in Libya in the spring of 2011 to overthrow Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to make way for looting the country's resources, on top of which is oil.

What else are they impacted by? https://t.co/CFTHC1Rsc0
— Joe Catron (@jncatron) September 15, 2023

Both the United States and the United Kingdom bombarded Libyan territories and institutions under the pretext of "saving civilians". The operation lasted for months and resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of people, both military and civilians.