Benghazi protests: 25 killed in clashes outside militia HQ

Zee Media Bureau Benghazi: Protests outside the headquarters of a pro-government militia brigade in Libya`s Benghazi turned violent and claimed at least 25 lives and injured others. Protesters were demonstrating outside Libya Shield Brigade HQ in Benghazi, demanding the militia to lay down their weapons. The demonstrators were also demanding the brigade leave its premises, the BBC quoted the Army as saying. Libya Shield, is a group of pro-government militias tasked to maintain security and they it was instrumental in ousting of dictator Co Muammar Gaddadfi in 2011. Libya is going through a rocky transition after its bloody 2011 civil war. The central government remains weak and has been challenged by powerful militia groups, initially formed of ex-rebels who fought dictator Moammar Gadhafi`s forces during the war. Successive governments have relied on them to maintain security, but they have also been blamed for ongoing violence and the government has struggled to enforce its authority over them. Security remains elusive in the country, still awash with weapons from the war and prone to violent escalations over private and political affairs. Benghazi was also the site of an attack last September that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans. With Agency Inputs