25 dead in Benghazi protests

Clashes outside a militia headquarters I Benghazi have claimed the lives of at least 25 people and dozens reported wounded in the ensuing violence.

Demonstrators outside the Libya Shield Brigade Headquarters asked for the disbanding of militias. Around 200 protesters from east of Benghazi arrived on the scene. Most were unarmed but a few had rifles.

The Libya Shield Brigade held that they are working with the blessing of the ministry of defence but so far refused to lay down its weapons. Chief of staff Ali al-Sheikhi explained that the Libya Shield brigade was a reserve force under the Libyan army. "An attack on the Brigade is considered an attack against a legal entity", he said.

The new Libyan government has indeed given the Brigade permits to intervene in tribal conflicts as the country struggles to put together its own army and police force. But resident are considering the militia as another armed group.