in African Union affairs and North African countries with the
exception of Morocco are all members of the African Union it's
surprising that what's happening in North Africa is not getting the
attention that one would expect in this forum. ( The Ivory Coast post -
election stalemate seems to have been receiving 99% of the Forum's
attention. Sad. There must be some imbalance in our brains as to how
we apportion significance to these momentous events taking place in
these historical times, right in front of our eyes.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12516156
Libyan troops have opened fire with machine-guns and large-calibre
weapons on anti-government protesters in the second city Benghazi,
witnesses say.
An unknown number of people, including children, are said to have been
killed.
Witnesses described scenes of chaos as snipers shot from the roofs of
buildings and demonstrators fought back against troops on the ground.
A doctor at a local hospital said he and his colleagues were treating
hundreds of injured protesters.
Correspondents say Benghazi and another eastern city, al-Bayda, appear
to be out of government control.
The Libyan leader, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, is the Arab world's
longest-serving leader, having ruled the oil-rich state since a coup
in 1969.
Libya is one of several Arab countries to have experienced pro-
democracy demonstrations since the fall of long-time Tunisian
President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in January. Egypt's Hosni Mubarak
was forced from power on 11 February.
'Dozens killed' on Saturday
Benghazi, about 1,000 km (600 miles) from Tripoli, has been the main
focus of the demonstrations against Col Gaddafi's 42-year rule.
Troops opened fire on people attending a funeral there on Saturday,
killing 15, both the Associated Press news agency and al-Jazeera
television said.
But an eyewitness told Reuters news agency that many more had actually
died.
Continue reading the main story
"Dozens were killed... not 15, dozens," the unnamed eyewitness said,
adding that he had helped take victims to a local hospital.
The latest deaths take the toll over the past three days of protests
in Libya to at least 100 dead. Some reports put it significantly
higher.
A Benghazi resident told the BBC that security forces inside a
government compound had fired on protesters with mortars and 14.5mm
machine guns - a heavy machine gun typically produced in the former
USSR.
They were, he said, machine-gunning cars and people indiscriminately.
"A lot [of people] have fallen down today," he added.
Other witnesses spoke of snipers firing at protesters from rooftops
and there were widespread reports of foreign mercenaries from sub-
Saharan Africa being brought in to attack protesters.
A doctor told the BBC that situation in the city was "like hell",
saying he had been seeing people with gunshot wounds being carried
into his hospital all day.
'Liberated' city
Another witness who spoke to Reuters said that the government compound
was the only part of Benghazi still under military control.
"The rest of the city is liberated," he said.
He said that local government offices and police stations in the city
had been burnt down and thousands of protesters were organising around
the courthouse, equipped with makeshift clinics, ambulances, speakers
and electricity.
His account could not be verified independently, and Libyan state
media have ignored the unrest, focusing instead on pro-Gaddafi rallies
in Tripoli.
Human Rights Watch put the death toll since Wednesday, when protests
erupted, at 84, not counting those killed on Saturday.
Similar casualty figures have been reported by foreign broadcasters
for the same period.
UK Foreign Secretary William Hague said reports of heavy weapons and
sniper fire being used on protesters were unacceptable.
"This is clearly unacceptable and horrifying," Mr Hague said, adding:
"The absence of TV cameras does not mean the attention of the world
should not be focused on the actions of the Libyan government."
The British Foreign Office is now advising UK citizens against all but
essential travel to Benghazi, Ajdabiya, al-Bayda, al-Marj, Darnah,
Ajdabiya, Tobruk and areas bordering Sudan, Chad, Niger and Algeria.
Are you in Libya? Have you witnessed the protests? Send us your
comments and experiences using the form below.
Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to
61124 (UK) or +44 7725 100 100 (International). If you have a large
file you can upload here.
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