Skip to main content

Updates from Libyan cities

By the CNN Wire Staff

(CNN) -- Here's the latest on where things stand in various Libyan cities, based on CNN reporting, witnesses and government claims:

BENGHAZI

Long a stronghold of the opposition, Benghazi appears to remain under opposition control. The National Transitional Council, a group with 31 opposition representatives for most of the regions in Libya, met in the eastern port city over the weekend.

On Sunday, a group of British special forces who were briefly detained in Benghazi were let go and they returned to Europe, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said in a statement. They had been sent there to "initiate contacts with the opposition."

BIN JAWAD

Pro-government forces appeared to be in control of Bin Jawad on Monday. On Sunday, heavy fighting broke out for control of the city, and medical sources told CNN that at least five people had been killed.

MISRATA

A witness said the opposition managed to repel government forces Sunday after they converged on a courthouse the opposition was using as a base of operations in the city. The witness described jubilation afterward as people celebrated success over the heavily armed forces. The witness spoke to CNN even as pro-Gadhafi demonstrators in Tripoli declared that the government had taken back Misrata.

A doctor at Central Misrata Hospital said 42 people were killed -- 17 from the opposition and 25 from pro-Gadhafi forces -- and 85 were wounded, most of them in civilian clothing, in the fighting Sunday. The youngest victim, 3 years old, was killed by direct fire, the doctor said.

U.N. emergency relief coordinator Valerie Amos, in a statement, urged Libyan authorities to "provide access without delay to aid workers to save lives," describing conditions there as dire.

RAS LANUF

An airstrike targeted the main road heading into the opposition-controlled town of Ras Lanuf on Monday. Earlier, an airstrike hit about five kilometers southeast of the Libyan oil town of Ras Lanuf on Monday. Planes flew over the area, and opposition forces fired anti-aircraft guns in their direction. Some families fled the eastern Libyan town to get away from the situation.

Ras Lanuf appeared to be in the control of rebel forces in recent days.

TOBRUK

Libyan state TV claimed that the government had gained control of the eastern port city on Sunday. "Morning victory, oh people of Libya. Victory city of Tobruk from terrorist gangs," the station said.

However, witnesses there said the city remained under opposition control.

TRIPOLI

The scene in Tripoli appeared relatively calm Monday -- a stark contrast from boisterous pro-Gadhafi demonstrations in the Libyan capital on Sunday.

Several hundred expatriates from Mali gathered outside Mali's embassy in Tripoli, seeking assistance in getting out of the Libya. Many were migrant workers who said they no longer had work. Some migrant workers tried to cross into Algeria -- which shares a border with Mali -- but were refused by Algerian officials.

ZAWIYA

A Libyan government official proclaimed Sunday that the government has taken back Zawiya. CNN was not allowed into the city to verify that independently. CNN also was unable to call people in Zawiya on Sunday; reports said communications had been cut off. On Saturday, the opposition announced that it had prevented pro-government forces from taking Zawiya.

ZAWIYA

A Libyan government official proclaimed Sunday that the government has taken back Zawiya. CNN was not allowed into the city to verify that independently. CNN also was unable to call people in Zawiya on Sunday; reports said communications had been cut off. On Saturday, the opposition announced that it had prevented pro-government forces from taking Zawiya.

Part of complete coverage on
'Sons of Mubarak' in plea for respect
Pro-Mubarak supporters believe Egypt's former president is innocent of charges of corruption and killing protesters.
Timeline of the conflict in Libya
Fighting in Libya started with anti-government demonstrations in February and escalated into a nationwide civil war.
Who are these rebels?
After months of seeming stalemate, Libyan rebels declared they were moving in on Tripoli. But who are they?
Why NATO's Libya mission has shifted
Six months and more than 17,000 air sorties after it began, NATO's Operation Unified Protector in the skies over Libya grinds on.
Interactive map: Arab unrest
Click on countries in CNN's interactive map to see the roots of their unrest and where things stand today.
Send your videos, stories
Are you in the Middle East or North Africa? Send iReport your images. Don't do anything that could put you at risk.
Libya through Gadhafi's keyhole
Behind the official smiles for the cameras some people in Libya's capital are waiting for the rebels, reports CNN's Ivan Watson.
How Arab youth found its voice
Tunisia's Mohamed Bouazizi not only ignited a series of revolts but heralded the first appearance of Arab youth on the stage of modern history.