Libyan rebels have overrun a post on the Tunisian border in a rare advance against government troops in the west of the country, reports say.<\/p>\n
The reported capture of the Wazin crossing follows intense fighting in the area.<\/p>\n
Witnesses said dozens of Libyan soldiers had turned themselves over to the Tunisian military at the border.<\/p>\n
The rebels control much of eastern Libya. Fighting is continuing in the besieged western city of Misrata.<\/p>\n
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called on the Libyan authorities to “stop fighting and stop killing people”.<\/p>\n
Speaking during a visit to Moscow, he said the UN’s priority was to bring about “a verifiable and effective ceasefire” to enable the expansion of humanitarian assistance and political dialogue.<\/p>\n
The BBC has seen evidence that suggests Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi is using cluster bombs against his own people – a charge the Libyan government has so far denied.<\/p>\n
Rebels in Misrata claim to have found remnants of the bombs, which can kill and maim indiscriminately over a large area.<\/p>\n
The BBC’s Orla Guerin in Misrata says she has seen the bombs herself and it is clear they are being used.<\/p>\n
Doctors told our correspondent the bombs were leading to increasingly horrific injuries, with innocent civilians losing limbs.<\/p>\n
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said she is disturbed by reports of cluster bombs and has condemned the government’s “vicious attacks” on civilians.<\/p>\n
Later, the US said President Barack Obama had approved the use of armed Predator drone aircraft over Libya.<\/p>\n
Defence secretary Robert Gates said the drones would be a “modest contribution” to the international efforts.<\/p>\n
‘Defections’<\/strong><\/p>\n The Wazin border post lies on the main road linking the Libyan town of Nalut to Dehiba, in Tunisia.<\/p>\n Reports say the rebels seized the post on Thursday after up to 100 pro-Gaddafi soldiers fled to Tunisia.<\/p>\n Tunisia’s state-run TAP news agency said an entire brigade had defected, including a brigadier-general and two majors.<\/p>\n Restrictions on journalists in remote areas of Libya mean it is hard to independently verify such reports.<\/p>\n “We see rebels who control the border crossing,” one witness in Dehiba told Reuters news agency by phone.<\/p>\n Rebel leader Shaban Abu Sitta told the Associated Press the crossing had been taken after three days of intense battles with government soldiers outside Nalut.<\/p>\n Little information has emerged so far of the fighting in the mountainous western region of Libya – the area is home to Berber tribes who have long opposed Col Gaddafi.<\/p>\n The reported capture of the border post could open up a new supply route for the rebel fighters.<\/p>\n But a doctor with Tunisia’s Red Crescent said there was concern among officials it could also lead to a new wave of refugees into Tunisia.<\/p>\n Please turn on JavaScript.<\/strong> Media requires JavaScript to play.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n “The main worry now is an influx of families fleeing the fighting,” Dr Mongi Slim told AP.<\/p>\n “Before, when the post was under the control of the pro-Gaddafi forces, people had been crossing on little paths. But now it will be much easier.”<\/p>\n Tens of thousands of people fled into Tunisia in the early stages of the fighting, creating a humanitarian crisis on the border.<\/p>\n Exhausted doctors<\/span><\/p>\n Thursday morning also saw further fighting in Misrata. An opposition spokesman said mortar fire had killed three rebels there.<\/p>\n On Wednesday, two journalists died in a mortar attack in the city – Tim Hetherington, a British-American filmmaker and Chris Hondros, an American photographer.<\/p>\n Government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim said he was “very sad” about the deaths,<\/a> but that warfare always involved casualties.<\/p>\n A Ukrainian doctor was also killed in a separate artillery blast in Misrata on Wednesday. The doctor’s wife was reported to have been seriously injured in the incident.<\/p>\n Doctors in Misrata’s hospital told the BBC they received more than 100 casualties on Wednesday, the vast majority of them civilians. The hospital said five civilians had been killed.<\/p>\n One doctor said he and his colleagues were exhausted and asked where the international community was.<\/p>\n The International Organization for Migration said a ship carrying 1,000 evacuated migrant workers and several injured Libyans – and the bodies of the two journalists – was due to arrive in Benghazi on Thursday evening.<\/p>\n Inspired by uprisings in neighbouring Tunisia and Egypt, Libyan rebels have been fighting Col Gaddafi’s forces since February.<\/p>\n The rebels, based in Benghazi, hold much of the east, while Col Gaddafi remains in control of Tripoli and most of the west.<\/p>\n The rebel Transitional National Council rejected the government’s latest offer of a ceasefire on Wednesday.<\/p>\n A spokesman for the council, Abdul Hafeez Ghoga, said Col Gaddafi wanted a ceasefire because his forces were being destroyed by Nato air strikes.<\/p>\n But government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim told the BBC on Thursday that Nato should trust its statements.<\/p>\n “Why don’t they send us negotiators and decide upon a timeframe, a starting date for the ceasefire, and observe whether we keep our promise or not?” he said.<\/p>\n The foreign ministry has also warned of “consequences” to announcements by France, Italy and the UK that they are sending military advisers to Benghazi.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Libya’s Jana state TV has reported that Nato forces have captured a Libyan oil tanker, in what it described as “a barbaric piracy operation”.<\/p>\n It gave no details on where or when the alleged incident took place.<\/p>\n Nato is enforcing a naval blockade of Libya, as part of the international effort to prevent arms and mercenaries from entering the country.<\/p>\n Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk<\/strong> or text them to 61124<\/strong> (UK) or +44 7725 100 100<\/strong> (International). If you have a large file you can<\/em> upload here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n![\"Tim](\"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/73cc52285718_52285717.jpg\")
<\/p>\n