Hours after the son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi vowed to suppress anti-governmental unrest, protestors claimed control of Benghazi, the country's second city, the Al Jazeera TV channel reported.
Reports from Libya suggest that over 200 people have been killed by government forces since protests against the country's longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi began last week. Unrest started in the west of the country, but has now spread to the capital, Tripoli.
In a TV speech delivered on Sunday, Sayf al-Islam Gaddafi, the leader's son and heir-apparent, threatened that the country could descend into civil war - and even a new period of Western "colonization" - if anti-governmental protestors ousted his father.
"Libya is at a crossroads. If we do not agree today on reforms... rivers of blood will run through Libya," Saif al-Islam Gaddafi said.
He blamed Islamic extremists and foreigners for the unrest that has swept over Libya.
International organization Human Rights Watch has reported 233 people killed since the beginning of the Libyan unrest. The authorities say there are 84 dead.
CAIRO, February 21 (RIA Novosti)
