On 9th Anniversary of his Death, Gaddafi Supporters Demand Location of his Grave

Gaddafi arrives for a parade in Tripoli's Green Square to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the military coup that brought him to power, September 2009. (AP)
Gaddafi arrives for a parade in Tripoli's Green Square to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the military coup that brought him to power, September 2009. (AP)
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On 9th Anniversary of his Death, Gaddafi Supporters Demand Location of his Grave

Gaddafi arrives for a parade in Tripoli's Green Square to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the military coup that brought him to power, September 2009. (AP)
Gaddafi arrives for a parade in Tripoli's Green Square to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the military coup that brought him to power, September 2009. (AP)

Supporters of slain Libyan leader Moammar al-Gaddafi marked on Tuesday nine years since his killing in a NATO-backed uprising in 2011.

Supporters recalled the last days of Gaddafi’s life and that of his followers as they came under NATO bombardment on their remaining forces in Sirte and Bani Waled, demanding that the location of the leader’s grave be disclosed.

The last spokesman of the former regime, Moussa Ibrahim, recalled the months they remained in hiding from drones before they received word of Gaddafi’s killing.

“It was the night of October 20, 2011. We were fortified in a neighborhood in Bani Waled. With our hands on our rifles, we had only a few bullets left, but a lot of perseverance. We were following Gaddafi’s orders to hold the front after the fall of the capital Tripoli,” he said.

Bani Waled resisted NATO strikes and the “brutality of its gangs,” he added, while lamenting the loss of several Libyan youths inside the city, including Khamis, Gaddafi’s youngest son.

In contrast, an official in the Misrata military council boasted to Asharq Al-Awsat of its role in “ridding” the country of the “dictator” Gaddafi.

“If time were to go back, we would do it all over again,” he declared, while urging Gaddafi supporters to “accept the new reality and overcome the past.”

The military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Gaddafi’s supporters are keen on turning back the hands of time and are grooming his son, Seif al-Islam, to become the country’s new leader.

“We won’t allow it,” he vowed, while refusing to disclose details about how Gaddafi was killed or where he and his other slain son, Mutassim, are buried.

Back to those nights in October 2011, Ibrahim said: “Bani Waled fell when our ammunition almost ran out and the drone strikes intensified.”

The defenders of the city scattered to various fronts, but Ibrahim and other supporters remained in the city.

“This was no act of bravery or military genius, but we knew that we were at the end of the road in this blessed city,” he said.

“Three days after Bani Waled fell, we received the harrowing news of Gaddafi’s martyrdom in Sirte and the national battle came to an end,” he added. “Grown men wept in Bani Waled and we then performed the prayers of the dead for him.”

“I have never seen them weep so violently, not even when the bombs tore apart their relatives,” he continued.

“After that, we remained fortified in Bani Waled until November. We realized that we had no choice but to confront the NATO gangs with what little ammunition we had left or wait for our death on the outskirts of our beloved city,” Ibrahim said.

“Dozens of our members were killed during the pullout operations from the city. We left behind a glittering history. Our president said he would die here and indeed he died in Sirte,” he continued.

Even though nine years have passed, some Libyan cities, especially those in the South, still mourn Gaddafi’s death. Many supporters are demanding that the location of his grave be revealed.

Gaddafi and Mutassim were killed in Sirte, but people from Misrata moved their bodies to their city before burying them in an unknown location. Since then, their supporters have been demanding to know the location and have filed legal suits, but to no avail.

While Gaddafi’s supporters continue to mourn, other Libyans find reason to rejoice his passing. They see in his death anniversary a reason to celebrate the “liberation” of the country. One MP said that October 20 marks the declaration of Libya’s liberation.



Crops Wither in Sudan as Power Cuts Cripple Irrigation

FILED - 27 August 2024, Sudan, Omdurman: Young people walk along a street marked by destruction in Sudan. Photo: Mudathir Hameed/dpa
FILED - 27 August 2024, Sudan, Omdurman: Young people walk along a street marked by destruction in Sudan. Photo: Mudathir Hameed/dpa
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Crops Wither in Sudan as Power Cuts Cripple Irrigation

FILED - 27 August 2024, Sudan, Omdurman: Young people walk along a street marked by destruction in Sudan. Photo: Mudathir Hameed/dpa
FILED - 27 August 2024, Sudan, Omdurman: Young people walk along a street marked by destruction in Sudan. Photo: Mudathir Hameed/dpa

Hatem Abdelhamid stands amid his once-thriving date palms in northern Sudan, helpless as a prolonged war-driven power outage cripples irrigation, causing devastating crop losses and deepening the country's food crisis.

"I've lost 70 to 75 percent of my crops this year," he said, surveying the dying palms in Tanqasi, a village on the Nile in Sudan's Northern State.

"I'm trying really hard to keep the rest of the crops alive," he told AFP.

Sudan's agricultural sector -- already battered by a two-year conflict and economic crisis -- is now facing another crushing blow from the nationwide power outages.

Since the war between the regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces began in April 2023, state-run power plants have been repeatedly targeted, suffering severe damage and ultimately leaving farms without water.

Like most Sudanese farms, Abdelhamid's depends on electric-powered irrigation -- but the system has been down "for over two months" due to the blackouts.

Sudan had barely recovered from the devastating 1985 drought and famine when war erupted again in 2023, delivering a fresh blow to the country's agriculture.

Agriculture remains the main source of food and income for 80 percent of the population, according to the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Now in its third year, the conflict has plunged more than half the population into acute food insecurity, with famine already taking hold in at least five areas and millions more at risk across conflict-hit regions in the west, center and south.

The war has also devastated infrastructure, killed tens of thousands of people, and displaced 13 million.

A 2024 joint study by the United Nations Development Programme and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) found that nearly a third of rural households have lost irrigation and water access since the war began.

Without electricity to power his irrigation system, Abdelhamid -- like thousands of farmers across the country -- was forced to rely on diesel-powered pumps.

But with fuel scarce and prices now more than 20 times higher than before the war, even that option is out of reach for many.

"I used to spend 10,000 Sudanese pounds (about four euros according to the black market rate) for irrigation each time," said another farmer, Abdelhalim Ahmed.

"Now it costs me 150,000 pounds (around 60 euros) because there is no electricity," he told AFP.

Ahmed said he has lost three consecutive harvests -- including crops like oranges, onions, tomatoes and dates.

With seeds, fertilizers and fuel now barely available, many farmers say they won't be able to replant for the next cycle.

In April, the FAO warned that "below average rainfall" and ongoing instability were closing the window to prevent further deterioration.

A June study by IFPRI also projected Sudan's overall economic output could shrink by as much as 42 percent if the war continues, with the agricultural sector contracting by more than a third.

"Our analysis shows massive income losses across all households and a sharp rise in poverty, especially in rural areas and among women," said Khalid Siddig, a senior research fellow at IFPRI.