A shocking video that appears to show Libyan rebels torturing a group of sub-Saharan African detainees has appeared on YouTube

The footage shows a dozen or so men - presumably captured mercenaries suspected of fighting for the toppled government of Muammur Gaddafi - held in what looks like a caged zoo enclosure. They each have their hands tied behind their back and are sat on the cage's dirty floor. Each has the old Libyan flag stuffed into his mouth. While a crowd of men gather round the enclosure jeering, their prisoners are made to hop on the spot. The man filming the scene, who remains off-camera, can be heard shouting: "Eat the flag, you dog. Patience you dog, patience. God is great."