Clinton: Libya must stop bloodshed now

The United States told Libya on Monday to stop shedding the blood of protesters seeking to end Muammar Gaddafi's 41-year rule and announced plans to evacuate some US diplomats from the oil-exporting nation.

Gaddafi fought an increasingly bloody battle to hang on to power when protests spread to the capital, Tripoli, after days of violence in the east of the country. Libya is the latest Arab nation to see mass demonstrations against an authoritarian ruler.

Forces loyal to Gaddafi had killed dozens of people across the country, human rights groups and witnesses said, prompting widespread condemnation from foreign governments.

Al Jazeera news channel reported on Monday that a group of Libyan army officers had issued a statement urging fellow soldiers to "join the people" and help remove Gaddafi.

"Now is the time to stop this unacceptable bloodshed," US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a written statement in which she stressed Libya had a responsibility to protect its citizens' rights, including freedom of speech and assembly.

No independent verification of the reports of violence was available and communications with Libya were difficult. But a picture emerged of a leader who has loomed large on the world stage for decades and controls vast reserves of oil fighting for survival. Brent crude prices hit $108 a barrel on fears the violence could disrupt supplies from Libya.

The United States said earlier on Monday it was ordering nonessential US diplomats as well as all embassy family members to leave Libya, a country with which it only recently restored diplomatic relations after years of estrangement.

In a brief written statement, Clinton minced no words. "The world is watching the situation in Libya with alarm," she said. "We join the international community in strongly condemning the violence in Libya."

"The government of Libya has a responsibility to respect the universal rights of the people, including the right to free expression and assembly, she added. "We are working urgently with friends and partners around the world to convey this message to the Libyan government."