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BENGHAZI: A bomb exploded at a courthouse in the Libyan city of Benghazi on Friday, wounding one person and damaging surrounding buildings in a fresh challenge to the post-Gaddafi government's struggle to restore stability.
A security official said three packages of explosives were planted by unknown suspects at a wall of the court. The blasts shattered windows of a nearby hospital, injuring one person inside.
The eastern city of Benghazi, the cradle of the county's revolution, has simmered with dissatisfaction since Muammar Gaddafi was ousted last August. Residents complain they have been all but forgotten by the new leadership in Tripoli.
In late January, protesters stormed the local headquarters of the ruling National Transitional Council (NTC), smashing its windows with stones and metal bars. On April 10, a home-made bomb was thrown at a convoy carrying the head of the United Nations mission to Libya but no one was hurt.
Hampered by the lack of an effective national army or internal security force, the NTC is grappling to disband dozens of powerful militias that effectively control various parts of the country.
Militia chiefs have resisted attempts to integrate their personnel into the official military and police police forces.
