Libya’s unrest continues; opposition leadership remains unclear

Tripoli, Libya (CNN) — As Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi appears to retain control of the country’s capital and opposition forces show their might in other areas, the fate of some cities — and the country — remains up in the air.

On Wednesday morning, nerves were rattled as a series of explosions took place in Tripoli. But the incident appeared to be accidental, caused by an overturned truck with four fuel compartments.

Tripoli has remained under the control of leader Gadhafi’s regime, though opposition forces have taken control of the eastern city of Benghazi and other cities amid weeks-long protests.

Meanwhile, international efforts to persuade Gadhafi to step down have ratcheted up. World leaders moving against him on financial and political fronts strengthened their rhetoric and moved military might into the region.

The U.N. General Assembly adopted a resolution Tuesday to suspend Libya from its seat on the 47-member chamber Human Rights Council. It was the first time the assembly had suspended a member of the council.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the General Assembly that he welcomed the decision and urged the international community to investigate allegations of human rights violations in Libya. “The world has spoken with one voice,” he said. “We demand an immediate end to the violence toward civilians and full respect for their fundamental human rights, including those of peaceful assembly and free speech.”

He added that reports from the ground “are sobering,” with deaths and ongoing repression.

“Arms depots and arsenals have reportedly been opened to gangs who terrorize communities. There are reports that government forces have fired indiscriminately on peaceful protesters and bombed the military bases in the east of the country,” Ban said.

“The death toll from nearly two weeks of violence is unknown, but likely to exceed 1,000,” with thousands more wounded, he added, using the same fatality figure he had used Friday.

Libya’s ambassador to the United States estimated Monday that the death toll was about 2,000.

In western Libya, Ban said Tuesday, there were reports of ongoing clashes between government forces and armed opponents.

He noted “allegations of extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, detentions and torture.”

Though more members of the military have reportedly sided with the opposition, Gadhafi’s supporters “appear to be holding a tight grip on western parts of the country, chiefly Tripoli,” he said.

He warned of “serious indications” that the numbers of refugees and displaced persons were reaching crisis proportions and worried that the violence could disrupt distribution networks and lead to food shortages.

Saif al-Islam Gadhafi, the leader’s 38-year-old son who has spoken on behalf of the regime during the protests, told CNN his talks with the opposition are in “chaos” because the opposition is divided, with no clear leaders.

U.S. officials made similar comments about the opposition forces. A U.S. official who wished to remain anonymous because the official was not authorized to speak on the record said it’s “unclear who the leaders in the opposition are and that makes it difficult” for the U.S. to provide assistance.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told the House Foreign Affairs Committee that “Gadhafi must go.”

U.S. President Barack Obama’s administration is considering whether it should cut diplomatic ties with Libya, a senior U.S. official told CNN. “Whether to maintain relations or sever them is under review,” the official said.

The amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge and the amphibious transport dock USS Ponce were to be repositioned in the Mediterranean to “provide us a capability for both emergency evacuations and also for humanitarian relief,” U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates told reporters. But, he noted, the U.N. Security Council has not authorized the use of armed force.

The government of Canada has frozen $2.3 billion in assets tied to the Libyan government; the assets were frozen after Canada enacted sanctions over the weekend, Canadian Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Lynn Meahan said Tuesday. A number of other countries, including the United States, have ordered an asset freeze.

Though some witnesses have accused pro-Gadhafi forces of firing on civilians from the air, Gates and Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said they could not confirm the reports.

Clinton said imposition of a no-fly zone is under consideration, but Mullen said doing so would be “an extraordinarily complex operation.”

U.S. Central Command leader Gen. James Mattis told the Senate Armed Services committee Tuesday that any effort to establish a no-fly zone over Libya would include eliminating Libya’s air defenses.

The U.N. refugee agency reported that nearly 150,000 people had crossed Libya’s borders into Egypt and Tunisia, and thousands more were arriving hourly at the borders.

Ban called for immediate action by the international community.

“Time is of the essence,” he said. “Thousands of lives are at stake.”

CNN’s Arwa Damon, Ivan Watson, Anderson Cooper, Ben Wedeman, Eve Bower, Salma Abdelaziz, Jim Boulden, Frederik Pleitgen, Richard Roth, Jack Maddox, Whitney Hurst and Antonia Mortensen contributed to this report