Gaddafi or his sons not spotted as armoured convoy, with unknown final destination, crosses into neighbouring country.
A large convoy containing between 200 and 250 Libyan armoured vehicles has crossed into Niger as Libya's transitional authorities held talks with local tribes for peaceful takeover of Bani Walid, a known stronghold of Muammar Gaddafi.
Military sources from France and Niger said the convoy, escorted by the Niger army, arrived in the northern desert town of Agadez on Monday.
The convoy included officers from Libya's southern army battalions and pro-Gaddafi Tuareg fighters, and likely crossed from Libya into Algeria before entering Niger, the sources said.
Al Jazeera's James Bays, reporting from Tripoli, said information about the specifics of the convy were contradictory, but it was certain that a convoy had crossed.
"What is significant is that none of the reports we have heard so far says anything about sighting of Gaddafi and his sons in the convoy."
Exile in Burkina Faso?
Niger's harbouring of wanted Gaddafi-regime officials is "a breach of the United Nations travel [restrictions] for most of these people", Aly Abuzaakouk, executive director of Libya Human and Political Development Forum, told Al Jazeera.
He said Niger should "not side with the enemy of the Libyan people".
The French military source said he had been told the commander of Libya's southern forces, General Ali Khana, may also be in Niger, not far from the Libyan border.
He said he had been told that Gaddafi and his son Saif would join Khana and catch up with the convoy should they choose to accept Burkina Faso's offer of exile.
Reports suggest Burkina Faso is the final destination of the convoy.
Burkina Faso, a former recipient of large amounts of Libyan aid, offered Gaddafi exile about two weeks ago but has also recognised the NTC as Libya's government.
Yipene Djibril Bassolet, the country's foreign minister, said that Gaddafi could go into exile in his country even though it is a signatory of the International Criminal Court, which has charged him with crimes against humanity.
Mansour El Kikhia, chair of the political science department at the University of Texas, told Al Jazeera: "What is bothersome to me more than anything else is that Gaddafi is aided by some of Tuareg supporters."
"Gaddafi is going to cause mischief, and it is now imperative that the council [NTC] prepares for these contingencies."
Gaddafi has said he is ready to fight to the death on Libyan soil, although there have been a number of reports that he might seek refuge in an African nation.
Talks over Bani Walid
Amid the uncertainty over the convoy, transitional authorities pushed for a peaceful resolution to the standoff in Bani Walid.
Libyan fighters have surrounded the town and given remnants of Gaddafi forces two deadlines to surrender. Both the deadlines have passed.
"This is a very very slow, lenghty, carefully executed process," Al Jazeera's Anit McnNaught, who was at the talks, reported on Tuesday.
"They were trying to persuade the people of Bani Walid that there is a new era ahead of them that does not involve retributions or collective punishments. They were giving gentle assurances."
Thousands of National Transititional Council (NTC) fighters have been camping outside Bani Walid, about 150km southeast of the Libyan capital, Tripoli.
NTC forces have also built a field hospital and deployed 10 volunteer doctors to prepare for the possibility of a fight, in case Gaddafi loyalists did not give up without a fight.
Source: Al Jazeera and agencies
No comments:
Post a Comment