— A senior Libyan official says he is resigning his post, the second high-profile defection from Muammar Gaddafi’s regime in as many days.
Ali Abdel-Salam al-Treki is a former foreign minister and had been named to represent Libya at the U.N. after a wave of defections early in the uprising. But he says in a statement posted Thursday on several opposition websites that he’s decided to resign that post.
The announcement comes a day after ex-Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa flew to England and told the British government he was resigning as well.
The defections are a sign the regime is cracking at the highest levels and give a boost to Libyan rebels after a string of military setbacks in the east.
“We believe that the regime is crumbling from within,” opposition spokesman Mustafa Gheriani said in Benghazi, the rebels’ de facto capital.
He also said Gaddafi is “an injured wolf and an injured wolf is much more dangerous than a healthy wolf. But we hope the defections continue and I think he’ll find himself with no one around him.”
Libyan officials, who initially denied Koussa’s defection, said he had resigned because he was sick with diabetes and high blood pressure. Government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim said Koussa was given permission to go to Tunisia, but the regime was surprised to learn he had flown to London.
“I talked to many people and this is not a happy piece of news, but people are saying, ‘So what? If someone wants to step down that’s his decision,'” Ibrahim said.
Nations behind the campaign of international airstrikes that have hobbled Libya’s military hailed Koussa’s resignation as a sign of weakness in Gaddafi’s more-than-41-year reign.
Koussa “can help provide critical intelligence about Gaddafi’s current state of mind and military plans,” said Tommy Vietor, U.S. National Security Council spokesman. He added that his defection “demonstrates that the people around Gaddafi understand his regime is in disarray.”
In another blow to the regime, U.S. officials revealed Wednesday that the CIA has sent small teams of operatives into rebel-held eastern Libya while the White House debates whether to arm the opposition.
Despite the setbacks and ongoing airstrikes — now led by NATO — Gaddafi loyalists have retaken much of the territory the rebels had captured since airstrikes began March 19.
Rebels had advanced overnight to the west gate of Brega, a town important to Libya’s oil industry that has gone back and forth between rebel and loyalist hands. They were in Brega at dawn, but they soon pulled out under heavy shelling from Gaddafi’s forces. Black smoke billowed in the air over Brega as mortars exploded.
“There were loads of wounded at the front lines this morning,” said rebel fighter Fathi Muktar, 41.
Rebels fired back from sand dunes, chanting “Allahu akbar!” or “God is great!” with each rocket fired. Spotters with binoculars watched where they landed and ordered adjustments.
