Buildings at the entrance to a security forces compound are seen burning in Benghazi on Feb 21 2011
Dozens of people are reported to have been killed in Tripoli Monday as anti-government protests that began in eastern Libya spread to the capital.
The fighting is believed to be the first serious violence in Tripoli since the unrest began. Amateur video and witness accounts tell of gunfire, looting - allegedly by security forces - and general fear in the city.
The fighting is believed to be the first serious violence in Tripoli since the unrest began. Amateur video and witness accounts tell of gunfire, looting - allegedly by security forces - and general fear in the city.
Information is severely restricted by the Libyan government. The Internet is largely shut down and mobile phone systems are working intermittently, making reports difficult to verify independently.
In Benghazi, the eastern Libyan city where the protests started, witnesses say some in the security services have switched sides and are now taking up the anti-government banner of the protesters.
Amateur video show people described as demonstrators in control of what appears to be military-style weaponry, indicating that they either have been given, or seized part of the government's arsenal.
The protest movement is also said to have spread to several other cities across the country.
One of the sons of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi addressed the nation early Monday. Saif al-Islam Gadhafi warned of civil war and a fight to the last man if the unrest continues. The younger Gadhafi blamed Islamic extremists, foreign elements, and criminals of being behind the unrest. He also warned that continued protests jeopardize revenue from the nation's oil reserves - the largest in Africa.
But Saif al-Islam Gadhafi, considered a moderating influence among his father's advisers, also spoke about the possibility of reforms, including dialogue and changes to the constitution.
As uprisings have spread across North Africa and the Middle East against long-serving rulers, this has become a familiar step, with the timing of such concessions appearing critical to the ability of leaders to withstand popular protests.
In Tunisia and Egypt, anti-government forces rejected offers of reform as too little too late, and their presidents stepped down. In Bahrain, Yemen and Jordan, rulers have tried to meet some of the protesters' demands but it remains unclear what effect they will have.
Moammar Gadhafi has ruled Libya since 1969 and his alleged links to terror groups made Libya for decades a pariah state. In the past eight years, he has sought to repair his international reputation, but the heavy internal hand of the security apparatus has remained intact.
In the past day, new voices have been added to the uprising. The influential Warfallah tribe is said to have joined the anti-government movement. And the nation's representative to the Arab League, Abdel Moneim el Houni, has thrown in his lot with the protesters.
In Benghazi, the eastern Libyan city where the protests started, witnesses say some in the security services have switched sides and are now taking up the anti-government banner of the protesters.
Amateur video show people described as demonstrators in control of what appears to be military-style weaponry, indicating that they either have been given, or seized part of the government's arsenal.
The protest movement is also said to have spread to several other cities across the country.
One of the sons of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi addressed the nation early Monday. Saif al-Islam Gadhafi warned of civil war and a fight to the last man if the unrest continues. The younger Gadhafi blamed Islamic extremists, foreign elements, and criminals of being behind the unrest. He also warned that continued protests jeopardize revenue from the nation's oil reserves - the largest in Africa.
But Saif al-Islam Gadhafi, considered a moderating influence among his father's advisers, also spoke about the possibility of reforms, including dialogue and changes to the constitution.
As uprisings have spread across North Africa and the Middle East against long-serving rulers, this has become a familiar step, with the timing of such concessions appearing critical to the ability of leaders to withstand popular protests.
In Tunisia and Egypt, anti-government forces rejected offers of reform as too little too late, and their presidents stepped down. In Bahrain, Yemen and Jordan, rulers have tried to meet some of the protesters' demands but it remains unclear what effect they will have.
Moammar Gadhafi has ruled Libya since 1969 and his alleged links to terror groups made Libya for decades a pariah state. In the past eight years, he has sought to repair his international reputation, but the heavy internal hand of the security apparatus has remained intact.
In the past day, new voices have been added to the uprising. The influential Warfallah tribe is said to have joined the anti-government movement. And the nation's representative to the Arab League, Abdel Moneim el Houni, has thrown in his lot with the protesters.