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Six days of protest in the Northern African nation of Libya have left hundreds dead and many more wounded. The demands of Libyan protesters echo those made by their counterparts in Tunisia and Egypt. The New York Times reports that Libyans are calling for an end to Gaddafi’s rule and for an interim secular government composed of the Army and leaders of Libya’s tribes. The government’s response to protesters has been brutally violent. Despite a ban on foreign media and only sporadic phone and internet service, some news and video clips from the ground have been available. Journalists have also been reporting from the Egyptian boarder with Libya, however it is nearly impossible to confirm sources and events as they unfold. Yesterday it was widely reported that helicopters and military planes were firing on protesters in the capital Tripoli. Al Jazeera said it confirmed reports that two Libyan air force fighter pilots defected to the island of Malta after refusing carry out orders to bomb protesters. There have been ongoing reports of soldiers and members of government resigning in protest of the government’s violent actions. Libyan ambassadors in various countries including the U.S. have resigned. There have also been widespread reports that much of the killing is being carried out by foreign mercenaries recruited by the Libyan government from neighboring countries, and some think this is evidence of Gaddafi’s weakening control over the nation. Yesterday evening Gaddafi briefly appeared in public, ending speculation that he had left Libya for Venezuela. However it is being reported that Libyan protesters have taken control of the city of Benghazi and are still fighting for control of Tripoli to force an end to Gaddafi’s regime. International support for Gaddafi is also waning. The U.S.’s relationship with Libya was hostile after the U.S. severed diplomatic ties to the country in 1980, calling Gaddafi a sponsor of terrorism. President Ronald Regan ordered a bombing of Tripoli in 1986, killing hundreds of civilians. However relations warmed throughout the 1990s, and in 2002 the two nations began to improve ties with the U.S. resuming full diplomatic relations with the regime. In recent days the U.S. response to possible regime change has been measured, but open to dealing with a new Libyan government. Yesterday Admiral Mike Mullen said creating change was up to the Libyan people, but, “The US… would look to how to engage to see how we can support this kind of change in a way that is meaningful.”

GUESTS: Asma’a Aghliw is an elementary school teacher currently living in Ottawa. She immigrated to Canada in 1987 from Libya. She began the website freelibya together.com as a place for people to share news during the uprising. Her parents, siblings, in laws and extended family are all currently living in Libya, Khaled M, Activist and artist living in Chicago, part of the Enough Gaddafi group in the US. His father was improsoned and tortured in Libya in the late 70’s for protesting the Qaddafi regime.

Find out more at www.freelibyatogether.com, www.feb17.info, http://twitter.com/feb17voices, and on Facebook.com, keywords “Libya’s Revolution Feb 17 2011”