A LIBYAN student living in Colchester has urged Britain and other Western powers not to intervene militarily in the affairs of his home country.

Abdoo Irhema, 26, is one of 38 Libyan students at Essex University and anxiously watching TV for news of the popular uprising against leader Colonel Gaddafi.

He said: “It’s quite complicated with the UK and the USA. They discussed military intervention, which we don’t need.

“If they come in, it will be like another Iraq.”

Mr Irhema returned to Colchester to study last autumn and said he was not surprised at the fervour of the opposition to Colonel Gaddafi.

He explained: “People are fighting for their freedom, their education, and their health.

“Colonel Gaddafi is saying they have their freedom, they have their power. He said he’s just a leader, he doesn’t have any power. Unfortunately, this is not the truth. I know what the people think about him.

“People couldn’t speak up at that time, but when the uprisings happened in Tunisia and Egypt, the people started to speak and realised they could change things.”

Harwich and North Essex Tory MP Bernard Jenkin has also criticised the Government’s response, challenging Prime Minister David Cameron’s decision to publicly suggest a no-fly zone over Libya.

The PM’s call received a lukewarm response in the United States, France and other countries.

Mr Jenkin said: “I think David Cameron’s right to float the idea. Whether he was right to float it as publicly as he did on Monday is another matter.

“Clearly the rug’s slightly been pulled from under his feet.”

Mr Irhema said while he was not in favour of military intervention, he felt a no-fly zone might be a good idea.

However, he suggested it should have been imposed already, so as to prevent African mercenaries hired by Colonel Gaddafi entering Libya. He added: “The no-fly zone should have happened ten days ago.”

Mr Irhema is studying for a Master’s degree in accounting. He grew up in a small town to the west of Tripoli, where his parents still live. He said the town had so far remained quiet during the uprising.