Libya: Gaddafi troops 'force rebels out of Brega'
Rebels have continued to lose ground to the superior firepower of Col Gaddafi's forces
.
Libyan forces supporting Colonel Muammar Gaddafi have advanced on rebel-held strongholds, reportedly recapturing the eastern town of Brega.
Dozens of rebel fighters pulled out of the area amid heavy shelling.Libyan rebel forces have been losing ground for days, including the key oil port of Ras Lanuf on Saturday.
.
Meanwhile, the French government said it would speed up its efforts to persuade the international community to impose a no-fly zone over Libya.
Human Rights Watch said Libyan authorities had carried out a wave of "arbitrary arrests and forced disappearances" in the capital, Tripoli.
In other regional developments:
- In Bahrain, riot police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at anti-government protesters blocking the main road into the capital's business district, and encircled the protesters' main camp, eyewitnesses said
- In Yemen, dozens of people are wounded in clashes between Yemeni police, firing live bullets and tear gas, and anti-government protesters at the main opposition sit-in in the capital, witnesses said. The US said it was "deeply concerned" over continuing deaths and injuries among protesters in Yemen
- In Saudi Arabia, up to 200 people were reported to have gathered outside the interior ministry to demand the release of imprisoned relatives.
Click to play
The BBC's Wyre Davies reports from Bin Jawad, a town regained by pro-government forces
They said Col Gaddafi's forces had carried out air strikes, as well as shelling Brega.
.
"Brega has been cleansed of armed gangs," a military source told Libyan state television.
Rebels told the BBC they were heading towards Ajdabiya, 150km (93 miles) south of Benghazi.
Col Gaddafi's forces were on the chase, some 60km away from Ajdabiya.
In Benghazi itself the mood remains defiant, says the BBC's Pascale Harter, with many wounded fighters returning but other residents heading for the front line.
Reports from the last major rebel base in western Libya, Misrata, say that Col Gaddafi's troops are on the outskirts of the city and tank fire can be heard.
Human Rights Watch, reporting on the situation in Tripoli, said security forces had "arrested scores of anti-government protesters, suspected government critics, and those alleged to have provided information to international media and human rights organisations".
It said some of those detained had been tortured."Given Libya's record of torture and political killings, we worry deeply about the fate of those taken away," said Sarah Leah Whitson, the group's Middle East and North Africa director.
.
'Important step' International diplomatic pressure is growing for a no-fly zone over Libya.
The policy would be aimed at preventing Col Gaddafi's forces using warplanes to attack rebel positions, although no clear position has emerged on exactly how this would be achieved.
On Saturday, the Arab League agreed to ask the UN Security Council to enforce such a zone, a move the US called an "important step".
The UK and France have pushed for the idea, but have failed so far to win firm backing from the EU or Nato.
France said it would step up its efforts on Sunday, in conjunction with the EU, the Arab League, the UN Security Council and the rebel Libyan National Council.
It also said Libya would be discussed at a meeting of the Group of Eight (G8) foreign ministers beginning in Paris on Monday.
Nato has previously cited regional and international support for the idea as a key condition before it could possibly go ahead.
Russia and China, which wield vetoes on the UN Security Council, have expressed serious reservations on the issue.
No comments:
Post a Comment