Zimbabwe has expelled Libya's ambassador who last week abandoned Col Muammar Gaddafi and backed the rebels.

津巴布韦政府下令驱逐利比亚大使，该大使上周放弃支持卡扎菲改投反对派阵营。

The Libyan embassy in Harare was stormed on 24 August
Taher Elmagrahi joined protesters who stormed the embassy and raised the pre-Gaddafi flag.

Zimbabwe's foreign minister said it did not recognise the rebel National Transitional Council.

President Robert Mugabe is a close ally of Col Gaddafi, who bankrolled（提供资金） the African Union. Only a few African countries have recognised the NTC.

Last week South Africa blocked moves at the UN to give the NTC access to Libyan government funds.

Zimbabwe's Foreign Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, from Mr Mugabe's Zanu-PF party, said Mr Elmagrahi and all his staff now had 72 hours to leave the country.

"Once you renounce¹ the authority that gave you the letter of credence²（国书） and then proceed to pledge allegiance to another authority... it means that act deprives（剥夺） you of your diplomatic standing," he said.

When he switched sides last week, Mr Elmagrahi said: "I am not Gaddafi's ambassador. I represent the Libyan people."

Correspondents say Mr Mugabe and his allies are wary³ of the revolutions which have toppled three long-serving North African leaders this year.

More than 40 activists⁴ were arrested in February after watching videos about the Egypt uprising.

Mr Mugabe has condemned⁵ Nato's intervention⁶ in Libya and says the conflict is really about oil.