World Briefing: Libya: Benghazi March Protests Militias

Residents of the eastern city of Benghazi marched Wednesday in protest against Islamist militias, the city’s dominant force for years, in a burst of public fury a day after the Islamist fighters seized a local special forces base. Residents marched to a hospital, temporarily routing fighters from the extremist militia Ansar al-Shariah, who had been providing security for the hospital. But the militiamen fired on the civilians when they tried to approach the special forces base, scattering the demonstrations. Protesters said they were especially angered after the leader of Ansar al-Shariah declared Wednesday on the radio that Benghazi was an “Islamic emirate.” Violence in Libya has sharply escalated in recent weeks, in Benghazi and in the capital, Tripoli, where rival militias have been fighting for control of the international airport. Several countries have closed their diplomatic missions, and thousands of Libyans have fled to neighboring Tunisia in recent days.