Libya ruler speaks out against militia power

Mon Mar 19th 2012

The head of Libya's interim government says the country's many militias must be disarmed.

Mustafa Abdul-Jalil says his government doesn't want them in control of state facilities. This comes on a day when clashes between a powerful militia and Tripoli residents left at least one person dead.

His remarks weren't backed up by any action. Since the death of longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in October and the collapse of the central authority, militias and tribes have been acting on their own. They enforce security in their own areas without any accountability to the government.

The government estimates that more than 200,000 people in Libya are armed.