Radio New Zealand

Gaddafi believed to have left Libyan capital

Updated 10 minutes ago

Quoting a reliable source in Libya, the BBC is reporting that Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has left the capital, Tripoli, amid unprecedented protests against his regime.

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi at a military ceremony last June.

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi at a military ceremony last June.

PHOTO: AFP

The source says that Colonel Gaddafi may have gone to his home town or to a desert stronghold in the south of Libya, and that the pro-regime forces left in Tripoli are essentially leaderless.

The British Foreign Secretary, William Hague, says there are suggestions Colonel Gaddafi is on his way to Venezuela.

Dozens of protesters were reported killed in the capital as they came under fire from security forces, and there are reports of government buildings being set on fire.
Largest tribe backs protesters

The cities of Benghazi and al-Bayda now appear to be largely under the control of protesters, and two tribes, including the country's largest, have backed them.

Two senior diplomats have defected to the protesters' side, and the Justice Minister has also quit, objecting to the "excessive use of violence" against demonstrators.

Some international firms, including BP, are preparing to pull their staff out of Libya.

Britain has announced it is flying home the families of its diplomats, though its embassy in Tripoli remains open for the moment.

The US-based monitoring group Human Rights Watch says more than 230 people have been killed in Libya since the unrest began last week.

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