Anti-government protesters in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi have reportedly seized army vehicles and weapons amid worsening turmoil in the African nation.
A local witness said that a section of the troops had joined the protesters on Sunday as chaos swept the streets of the city, worst hit by the uprising against Muammar Gaddafi's 42-year old rule.
Local residents told Al Jazeera that at least 200 people had died in Benghazi alone. The New York-based Human Rights Watch on Sunday put the countrywide death toll at 173. The rights group said its figure was "conservative".
News of the death toll came as residents of Benghazi reported renewed gunfire from security forces in the city. Witnesses also told Al Jazeera that a police academy in the city had been set ablaze.
Meanwhile in the capital, Tripoli, supporters of the government took to the streets in large numbers, as security forces prevented others from mounting large demonstrations against Gaddafi.
This came as witnesses told Al Jazeera that anti-government protesters were heading to Gaddafi's compound in the city of Al-Zawia near Tripoli, with the intention of burning the building down. Benghazi 'a war zone' >>> Source: Al Jazeera and agencies | Sunday, February 20, 2011
