Libyan Troops Open Fire on Protesters

The unrest is part of protests across North Africa and the Middle East

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. The machine gun fire was random, mowing down women and children also. But so far there have been no reports of major protests in the capital Tripoli.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. 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 dozens according to an eye witness.

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 said 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  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.

In an appeal sent to Reuters news agency, a group of religious and clan leaders from across Libya urged "every Muslim, within the regime" or anyone helping it: "Do NOT kill your brothers and sisters, STOP the massacre NOW!" Another Benghazi resident claimed that the government compound was the only part of the town still under military control. "The rest of the city is liberated," he said. He added 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.

 Rebellion is spreading across the Middle east like a brush fire. People who have been oppressed and controlled by dictators for decades, even centuries, are taking courage from  the success of  rebels in other Arab countries and demanding a voice in their own government. If democracy takes hold in that part of the world, it may bring an end to organizations like the Taliban. Terrorism  may die a natural death as people decide their priorities and show their desire to live in peace and harmony with the rest of the world.