His spokesman, Moussa Ibrahim, speaking on a satellite phone from an undisclosed location, told Reuters the 69-year-old leader was still in Libya, in good spirits and ready to fight.  

"The leader is in good health, in high morale ... of course he is in Libya," said Ibrahim, who declined to give his own location. "The fight is as far away from the end as the world can imagine. We are still very powerful, our army is still powerful, we have thousands upon thousands of volunteers."

The need for Sarkozy and Cameron to visit Benghazi as well as Tripoli is a sign of the obstacles Libya still faces in transforming itself into a peaceful, unified democracy. The NTC has not yet been able to safely establish a government in a capital still bristling with militiamen from disparate groups.

The country is deeply divided. Many of its new rulers hail from Benghazi in the east, while the fighters who won the battle for Tripoli mostly come from towns in the west. The NTC has promised to name a more inclusive government lineup within days.

Ghoga, the NTC deputy chairman, told Reuters in Benghazi that Abdel Jalil and the NTC would remain based there at least until the "liberation" of cities in Gadhafi's supporters' hands.

Fierce fighting

NTC Chairman Mustafa Abdel Jalil called for equipment to fight what he predicted would be hard battles against Gadhafi loyalists near the city of Sabha deep in the Sahara desert.

"There will be a lot of fierce fighting in this area," he told BBC TV. "We ask for support to get the right equipment in order to conquer these troops and to proceed further south to try and capture colonel Gadhafi and his family."

He said Gadhafi would be planning attacks on oil fields, cities or power plants.

Towns held by Gadhafi loyalists have proven tenacious despite weeks of siege. After a week of fighting, NTC forces at Bani Walid 150 km (95 miles) southeast of Tripoli have been urging people to leave before they try to storm the town.

Scores of cars packed with families left Bani Walid on Wednesday as NTC forces broadcast messages telling them to go and handed out free petrol to help them escape.  

"There is a lot of random shooting. It is much safer for my children to leave. Gadhafi militia men do not want to negotiate," Fathalla al-Hammali, 42, said, driving away from the town with his three young children.  

Daw Saleheen, who is heading regional forces battling for control of Bani Walid, said he was ready to use heavy weapons against an estimated 1,200 loyalists, who had placed rockets and mortars on civilian homes as well as dozens of snipers.  

"We know all their positions," Saleheen told reporters on the northern outskirts of his home town. "We have sent a message to all civilians that if they can they must leave now."