Saturday, September 22, 2012

Protesters rout Benghazi militia

Protesters hold a sign reading "people don't want militias" in Libya's eastern town of Benghazi 21 September 2012Tens of thousands of Libyans marched against the presence of Islamist militias

Some 30,000 Libyans have marched through the city of Benghazi in a pro-democracy protest against Islamist militias that stormed the US consulate.

There are reports that the crowd marched on the base of the extremist Islamist group Ansar al-Sharia, trying to evict members from the site.

Some protesters set fire to a vehicle inside the compound, Reuters reported.

Several militias bases have been taken over by security forces, eyewitnesses said.

Last week's consulate attack, which killed the US ambassador, has sparked a backlash against extremist Islamists in Benghazi where many fear militias are out of control.

Friday's march is the largest seen in Benghazi, considered the heartland of Libya's uprising, since Colonel Gaddafi was deposed last year.

The Associated Press reported that several thousand supporters of Ansar al-Sharia lined up outside its headquarters, before the crowd, waving black and white banners.

Armed militia groups, which have remained in force in many parts of Libya, are a legacy of last year's fighting which helped overthrow Gaddafi.

They are better armed and more numerous than Libya's real army, and there have been reports of militias intimidating and carrying out killings against rivals.

Many Libyans are angry that the interim government has not been able to control them.

Earlier this week authorities in Libya arrested around 50 people in connection with the attack on the US consulate in Benghazi.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-19680785#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

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