Libyan rebel forces under the Transitional National Council (TNC) have advanced to within 30 miles of Muammar Gaddafi's base in Tripoli, and seem to have held off a counter attack in Zawiya where they control the country's oil refineries, the sole supply of fuel to Tripoli.
This major advance has raised hopes that there may be some kind of end to the fighting in Libya. The US special envoy to Libya has met representatives from both sides although he admitted that no direct contact between the two has started. Another indication of Gaddafi's increasing desperation is the launching for the first time of an unguided Scud missile by government forces on the city of Brega.
But it is not all going the rebels' way. No one has been held responsible for the murder of rebel General Abdul Fattah Younus, and deep divisions between the rebels have led to alarm amongst their Nato allies. They now foresee a possible collapse of the Gaddafi government, but also a TNC incapable of taking over power.
The miserable phrase ‘catastrophic success' is being used within Nato planners to describe a possible outcome of government collapse followed by anarchy. Libya deserves more than this, and the rebels need help to achieve a much better outcome.
