LIBYA’S DEPOSED leader Muammar Gadafy remains elusive, with the government of neighbouring Niger yesterday insisting he had not crossed into the country or asked to do so.
Speculation that Gadafy had fled to Niger rose following reports that a Libyan army convoy of up to 250 vehicles had moved across the border from Libya earlier this week.
Niger’s foreign minister Mohammed Bazoum told the BBC yesterday the country was unable to close its border with Libya to prevent Gadafy fleeing south.
“We have no means to close the border . . . It is too big and we have very, very small means for that,” he said.
Mr Bazoum added that Gadafy loyalists who have arrived in Niger’s capital, Niamey, would be free to stay or move on.
Libya’s interim government, the National Transitional Council, has said it is seeking Niger’s assistance to stop Gadafy from fleeing. Its political affairs representative, Fathi Baja, said the council had sent a delegation to Niger to discuss “securing our borders to stop any kind of infiltration of Gadafy troops to Niger, to stop any attempt by Gadafy or his family to escape to Niger”.
Mr Bazoum said he hoped that Gadafy would not try to cross the border, but added that Niger had not yet decided on whether it would accept him or whether it would hand him over to the International Criminal Court if he tried to enter Niger. The country recognises the court, which has issued arrest warrants for Gadafy, his son Saiful Islam, and his former intelligence chief Abdullah Sanussi.
Niger officials have said Gadafy’s personal security chief, Mansour Dhao, was among those who entered the country in convoys in recent days.
Burkina Faso – which borders Niger to the southwest – has denied reports that it had offered refuge to Gadafy and his entourage. Gadafy’s wife, two of his sons and his daughter fled to Algeria last week.
Gadafy’s fugitive former spokesman Moussa Ibrahim told a TV channel earlier this week that the former leader was in Libya. Many within the interim government forces believe this to be the case.
A military commander in Tripoli yesterday claimed that they have Gadafy cornered, and he predicted it was only a matter of days before he is captured or killed. The commander claimed fighters had taken up positions on all sides of Gadafy’s presumed location at a distance of no more than 60km. Others believe he may be in the vicinity of the town of Bani Walid, 140km south of Tripoli, which remains in the hands of Gadafy loyalists despite ongoing talks aimed at a peaceful surrender. Another official was quoted as saying he believed Gadafy could still be hiding in underground tunnels in Tripoli.