The Libyan consul in Cairo on Wednesday announced he would resign from his post and join the Libyan rebels fighting against the forces of Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi.
Farag Saeed al-Oreiby, the Libyan consul, told Al-Arabiya news channel that he resigned in response to the killing of those he called the "17 February revolution martyrs."
Qadhafi faces the most violent rebellion in the history of his 42-year reign. Rebels stationed in the country's eastern city of Benghazi succeded in forming a transitional national assembly to speak on their behalf.
Many Libyan officials and diplomats have joined the rebels, including Libyan former Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa, who called for imposing a no-fly zone on his country to prevent Qadhafi's forces from attacking civilians.
NATO, which has implemented the UN-mandated no-fly zone, has so far succeeded in reducing attacks on civilians.
Meanwhile, Qadhafi's forces continue to use heavy artillery, tanks and armored vehicles to put cities under siege.
