Gadhafi's Son Warns of Civil War as Libyan Protests Spread

A violent, anti-government uprising in Libya has spread to the capital, Tripoli, as leader Moammar Gadhafi's son told Libyans in a televised speech the country would fall into a vicious civil war if they threw off his father's 40-year-long rule.

In a rambling address early Monday, Saif al-Islam Gadhafi warned that "rivers of blood" would consume the country's oil wealth and even see the return of colonial powers if the situation slipped further out of control.

Accusing Libyan exiles, Islamists, foreign media, drug abusers and criminals of fomenting the violence, he repeatedly said Libya was "not Egypt or Tunisia" - neighboring countries whose strongmen were swept from power in recent weeks. He described Libya as a tribal society awash in weapons that would quickly descend into civil war.

Gadhafi offered a vague package of reforms, including dialogue on the constitution and a new confederate power structure. But his main message was threatening Libyans with the prospect of chaos.

As he spoke, witnesses in Tripoli contacted by foreign news organizations said hundreds of protesters had gathered at multiple spots in the capital and were clashing with heavily armed riot police. Bursts of gunfire were heard as armed protesters set dumpsters and vehicles on fire, blocking roads in some neighborhoods.

The U.S.-based Human Rights Watch says at least 233 people have died in four days of unrest in Libya.

Witnesses in the North African country's second-largest city, Benghazi, said Sunday special military forces called in as reinforcements had instead helped protesters take over the local army barracks. Hospital officials in Benghazi, where security forces have reportedly shot and killed scores of protesters over the past few days, said the crackdown in that city alone has killed at least 200 people and wounded hundreds of others.

Benghazi - hub of the country’s eastern province and the starting point of the revolt - has long been a center of opposition to the Gadhafi government, which is centered in the western city of Tripoli. The protests sweeping Libya were set off when police arrested a human rights lawyer representing the families of up to 1,200 detainees massacred in 1996 at the notorious Abu Salim prison in Tripoli. Relatives of the victims took to streets last week, joined by scores of supporters.

In another key blow to Mr. Gadhafi, the powerful Warfla tribe - which has long harbored animosity toward the Libyan leader - has reportedly announced it is joining the protests. Also Sunday, Libya's representative to the Arab League quit to protest the regime's harsh crackdown. Libya currently holds the rotating presidency of the 22-nation group.

There was no independent confirmation of Libyan witnesses' accounts of the violence, as the government has barred local and foreign journalists from covering the unrest. In addition, the Arab satellite channel AlJazeera says the Libyan government has blocked its television signal in the country. The channel's coverage has played a large role in protests across the region.

Libyan authorities have almost totally cut off Internet services, although some protesters appear to be using satellite connections or phoning information to services outside the country.

Mr. Gadhafi has tried to defuse the protests by doubling the salaries of state employees and releasing 110 suspected Islamic militants. He took power in a 1969 coup and has built his rule on a cult of personality and a network of family and tribal alliances.