Violence has escalated in Libyan on the ninth day of unrest which has now spread to the capital Tripoli, with reports of heavily armed mercenaries and fighter jets firing on protesters.

There have been further resignations from government officials. Ali al-Essawi and Ahmad Eliman, former ambassadors to India and Bangladesh resigned from their posts on 21 February.

Al-Essawi, confirmed to Qatar’s Al-Jazeera news channel that the government had used fighter aircraft on civilian protesters, as well as foreign mercenaries.

More than 80 people in Tripoli and 230 in Benghazi are now reported to have been killed (MEED 21:2:11).

On 22 February, the green flag representing the Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya was reportedly taken down from Libya’s consulate in Dubai where some 80 protesters had gathered in the morning.