By Wikipedia Libyan Interior Minister Abdel Fattah Younes al Abidi announced his defection and support for the "February 17 revolution," Al Jazeera reported…
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Benghazi or Bengasi is the second largest city in Libya and the main city (or capital) of the Cyrenaica region (or ex-Province). It is also a district of Libya of the wider city area. During the Kingdom era of Libya's history, Benghazi enjoyed a sort of joint-capital status, possibly because the King used to reside in the nearby city of Al Bayda' and the Senussis (royal family) in general were associated with Cyrenaica rather than Tripolitania. Benghazi continues to hold institutions and organizations normally associated with a national capital city. This creates a constant atmosphere of rivalry and sensitivities between Benghazi and Tripoli and by extension between the two regions (Cyrenaica and Tripolitania). The population was 500,120 in 1995 (census) and has increased to 660,147 in the 2004 census (another 2004 estimate puts the number at 950,000, possibly due to the inclusion of a larger area of outskirts around the city).
