Around 20 French war planes have begun enforcing the no-fly zone over Libya authorised by the United Nations to stop Muammar Gaddafi's forces killing civilians, the French defence ministry says. French jets have also attacked a number of ground targets.
The news comes just hours after Western and Arab leaders met in Paris to discuss how to impose the no-fly zone agreed by the United Nations Security Council on Friday, when Libya announced a cease-fire in response to the UN resolution.
On Saturday morning, however, a message by Gaddafi said the UN was not authorized to intervene in Libya's internal affairs and forces loyal to the Libyan leader launched a massive assault on the main rebel stronghold of Benghazi in the east of the country. Scores of frightened civilians are fleeing the besieged city towards the Egyptian border.
The prosecutor at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Luis Moreno Ocampo said on Friday that he would request arrest warrants against commanders of "any indiscriminate attack against civilians" that could constitute crimes against humanity.
Source: RNW
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