World leaders were quick to condemn Qaddafi’s actions. On February 26, the United Nations Security Council voted unanimously to impose an arms embargo on Libya, urge member nations to freeze assets owned by Qaddafi and his family, and refer the regime’s violence to the International Criminal Court for possible prosecution of those responsible.
卡扎菲上校动用军队对付反对统治的示威者，屠杀了数以百计（也可能上千）手无寸铁的人民，让却世界惊得目瞪口呆。不少手下拒绝向同胞开火，有的倒戈加入示威，有的将飞机开到了临近的马耳他。于是卡扎菲招徕了邻国雇佣兵，这些人比他自己的士兵更听话。