The Libyan deputy prime minister has handed in his resignation to the government, saying he is not given sufficient powers to perform his duties.

"I cannot work in a dysfunctional government where my powers are lost," Awad al-Barasi said during a news conference in the eastern city of Benghazi on Saturday, Reuters reported.

Barasi denounced Prime Minister Ali Zeidan's Cabinet ministers for not dealing with problems “in a real manner”.

Last week, the Libyan prime minister announced he would make changes in the Cabinet and reorganize the government to deal with security problems in Benghazi.

Barasi is a member of the Justice and Construction Party, which is a political wing of Libya’s Muslim Brotherhood.

The Muslim Brotherhood issued a statement on Friday in which it censured a recent wave of violent attacks in Benghazi.

Libyans rose up against Muammar Gaddafi’s four-decade rule in February 2011 and deposed him in August 2011. He was slain on October 20 of the same year.

Benghazi was the birthplace of the 2011 uprising. It is largely governed by militias in the absence of unified Libyan security and military forces.

The former rebels refuse to lay down their arms, despite efforts by the central government to impose law and order.

Benghazi has been the scene of numerous attacks and assassinations over the past year as the power struggles between militiamen have intensified.