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Eighth Year Marking Gaddafi’s Killing Sparks Libyan Controversy

Former Libyan ruler Colonel Muammar Gaddafi | Reuters
Former Libyan ruler Colonel Muammar Gaddafi | Reuters
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Eighth Year Marking Gaddafi’s Killing Sparks Libyan Controversy

Former Libyan ruler Colonel Muammar Gaddafi | Reuters
Former Libyan ruler Colonel Muammar Gaddafi | Reuters

Amidst a widening rift among Libyans supportive of the toppled Colonel Muammar Gaddafi regime and dissidents, Gaddafi loyalists are rallying masses to commemorate the eighth memorial on the former regime ruler’s passing next Saturday.

All the more Gaddafi loyalists in cities around the world have been demonstrating in an appeal to the international committee to push for the release of Al-Saadi Gaddafi, the late Gaddafi’s son, from aTripoli prison. It is worth noting that Tripoli is currently under the internationally-recognized Presidential Council headed by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj.

Both Colonel Gaddafi and his son, Moatassem-Billah Gaddafi, were captured and killed after NATO raided Sirte, the former president's hometown on October 20, 2011. Gaddafi’s death ended a 43-year-old one-man rule.

Pro-Gaddafi members of the Libyan community residing in Paris demonstrated on the anniversary of Gaddafi’s death to denounce NATO raids on Libya.

“We will work this year to voice our opinions before the international community, and we will demand an investigation into the killing of Col.Gaddafi and his son, Moatassem-Billah,” Mohammed Egith, a Libyan engineer working in France, told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“Some European countries aren’t really concerned about the fate of my country, but seek to secure personal gains and oil interests,”Egith added.

On the other hand, anti-Gaddafi revolutionaries believe that Libya’s strife today is “a reflection of the policies Gaddafi instated and the dismantling of state institutions.”

An ex-leader in the deposed regime, Dr. Mustafa al Zaidi, told Asharq Al-Awsat that turmoil bereaving Libya today eight years after toppling the Libyan regime makes the Gaddafi era a longed-for time of prosperity.

Living in exile in Egypt, Zaidi believes that the assassination of Gaddafi and his comrades was “carried out with the direct involvement of military forces and French and Qatari intelligence services based in Libyan territory.”

“We will certainly commemorate Gaddafi’s assassination in Egypt,” Zaidi said.

“It will be a ceremony in which the Holy Qur'an is read and a memorial service held,” he added.

Gaddafi supporters in Cairo have been holding meetings to arrange for the ceremony.

“We will continue to commemorate the assassination of the man we miss, and will not pay attention to his haters,” a local official from Libyan Bani Walid town told Asharq al-Awsat.

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Arab World

Muted Responses to Deadly Houthi Escalation and Rising Insurance Costs

The Greek ship Magic Seas sank in the Red Sea as a result of Houthi attacks (Reuters). 
The Greek ship Magic Seas sank in the Red Sea as a result of Houthi attacks (Reuters). 
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Muted Responses to Deadly Houthi Escalation and Rising Insurance Costs

The Greek ship Magic Seas sank in the Red Sea as a result of Houthi attacks (Reuters). 
The Greek ship Magic Seas sank in the Red Sea as a result of Houthi attacks (Reuters). 

As the Houthi threat to international shipping grows ever more serious - most recently with the sinking of two Greek vessels, killing three sailors and leaving twelve missing - there has been little substantial reaction from major world powers. The United States, Germany’s foreign minister, and the UN envoy to Yemen were among the few to voice concern and call for de-escalation.

While Houthi attacks intensify across the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, insurance premiums for commercial ships in these waters have surged to as much as 1% of a vessel’s value, according to leading global insurers. This underscores the scale of the risk and the declining confidence in protecting this vital maritime corridor.

The two assaults targeted the cargo ships Magic Seas and True Confidence between Sunday and Tuesday last week. According to the EU naval mission Aspides, tasked with safeguarding Red Sea navigation, the attacks killed at least three sailors, wounded others, and left a dozen unaccounted for.

The strike on the Liberian-flagged Greek-operated True Confidence marked a dangerous escalation. The Houthis claimed responsibility, saying they used an explosive-laden drone boat and six ballistic and cruise missiles. They alleged the ship was heading to Israel’s port of Eilat, though independent verification was lacking.

Despite the scale of the violence, most global capitals limited their responses to brief statements. Only the US ambassador to the UN issued a pointed condemnation, along with remarks from a State Department spokesperson and a statement by UN envoy Hans Grundberg.

The US denounced the attacks as “terrorist and unjustified,” describing them as evidence of the “ongoing threat posed by Iranian-backed Houthis to regional maritime security and commerce.” The US ambassador stressed Washington’s commitment to denying the Houthis resources to fund such operations and called on the UN Security Council to remove obstacles blocking its expert monitoring teams in Yemen.

The State Department likewise condemned the attacks as a threat to the freedom of navigation and economic stability. “We will continue to take necessary steps to protect commercial shipping,” the statement warned, urging the broader international community to condemn the Houthis’ actions.

Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Iran must use its influence to halt Houthi attacks. Speaking in Vienna alongside his Israeli and Austrian counterparts, he declared: “We strongly condemn these attacks and expect Iran to act to stop them.”

UN envoy Grundberg expressed deep concern about the sinking of True Confidence, warning of the humanitarian and environmental consequences of such operations, which violate international law and Security Council Resolution 2722. He urged the Houthis to provide sustainable guarantees to end attacks and build on prior understandings with the United States.

Oman had brokered a limited agreement last May under which the Houthis pledged to stop targeting American ships in return for a suspension of broad US-led military action - though the deal excluded Israel.

A Dangerous Precedent

Yemeni officials say the tepid reactions from much of the world send the Houthis the wrong message, reinforcing their sense of impunity. On Thursday, Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi boasted in his weekly address about sinking the vessels, calling it a “clear lesson” to any shipping company doing business with Israel.

Since November 2023, the Houthis have carried out over 150 attacks, disrupting global trade flows through the Red Sea. Their operations have sunk British and Greek ships and damaged many more, including hijacking the Galaxy Leader and holding its crew for over a year.