Gaddafi troops appear in control of the key town of Ajdabiyah and celebrating fresh success.

Tribal and cultural divisions could still prove crucial to the struggle for Libya. While pro-Gaddafi tribes around Tripoli have vowed to resist any foreign intervention, some voices are calling for talks.

A Libyan army deadline for inhabitants to leave rebel-held locations in the opposition capital will do nothing to calm fears of an imminent bloodbath.

With hopes of a no-fly zone to protect them still unfulfilled, Libyans fleeing the advance of Gaddafi’s troops on Benghazi are leaving in growing numbers.

Colonel Gaddafi’s forces could strike east through the desert to Tobruk. the correspondent of Euronews, Jamal Ezzedini, predicts turbulent hours ahead for Libya, with bullets the only language between the two sides.