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Benghazi under control of protesters, eyewitness tells RFI

The Libyan town of Benghazi is now under control of its citizens, a resident told  RFI Monday. Ahmed Bentar, a doctor at Jala Hospital in Benghazi, says the military has withdrawn and citizens have set up committees to run the city.

Reuters/Libya TV
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“The main city is now under control of the Benghazi citizens,” Bentar told RFI.

01:35

Witness in Benghazi: Dr ahmed Bentar

Alexandra Brangeon

He says a division broke off from the Libyan military Sunday night to join the protesters, who fought until 9pm.

Bentar says the protesters are not armed, but have taken many weapons that the military left behind when it withdrew.

People have already started organising themselves to run the city, he says.

“They made different committees with lawyers, judges, professors, doctors,” explains Bentar. “They have made a committee for the safety for the vital institutions … They are trying to reorganise the city, which is right now under the control of the Libyan citizens.”

The International Federation for Human Rights said Monday that several cities are under control of protesters, including Benghazi and Sirte, where leader Moamer Kadhafi often receives foreign visitors.

And the uprising has spread to Tripoli, according to reports.

At least one of the country’s mobile phone networks appears to be blocked, and Al-Jazeera television said its satellite transmissions from Qatar were being jammed in Libya.

The US and the European Union on Monday condemned the Libyan government’s use of lethal force, while UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called for "the non-use of force and respect for basic freedoms".

The head of the Arab League, Amr Mussa, expressed “deep concern” over the crackdown and called for an end to all forms of violence.

EU foreign ministers met Monday in Brussels. Libya is a trade partner of many of the member states and has cooperated in limiting illegal immigration to Europe.

Britain’s Foreign Secretary William Hague said he had called Moamer Kadhafi’s son, Saif al-Islam, who gave a hard-line speech Sunday evening, to express his “strong disapproval”.

The UK government summoned Libya’s ambassador to London and called for those responsible to be held to account.

But the Czech Republic's Foregin Minister Karel Schwarzenberg said Europeans should not get involved with the protest movement, while Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said Saturday he would not "bother" Kadhafi, a close friend.

Italy is a major foreign investor in Libya and Kadhafi’s family owns stakes in some of Italy’s biggest companies, including the country’s biggest bank, UniCredit, defence giant Finmeccanica as well as the Juventus football club.

UniCredit shares dropped 3.08 per cent on the Milan stock exchange in Monday afternoon trading. With a 7.5 stake in the bank, Libya is it’s biggest shareholder.

Meanwhile, oil prices soared Monday. Libya is an Opec member that exports 1.1 million barrels of crude oil day.

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