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Protests intensify in Libya, spread to Morocco

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The grass roots protests against autocratic rulers in the Middle East intensified in Libya and spread to Morocco in the last few days. The BBC reported last night that in Libya, Moammar Gaddafi was rapidly losing control of the country, with some army units, diplomats and tribes defecting. There are reported to have been over 200 deaths in clashes between protestors and security forces which have spread from the eastern city of Benghazi to the capital Tripoli. Seif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of Moammar, appeared on Libyan state television last night  and declared that the army would fight ‘until the last man, the last woman, the last bullet’ to protect his father’s rule, in a speech described by reporters as rambling and sometimes confused. Ghadafi has run the country with an authoritarian and repressive regime since taking power in a military coup in 1969.

Protests also spread to Morocco on Sunday, with thousands of protestors coming to the streets in the cities of Rabat, Casablanca, Tangier and Marrakech. Whilst the Moroccan monarchy under King Mohammad VI has allowed a limited degree of political liberalisation in recent years, protestors are demanding more substantial change including a new constitution.