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Where In The World Is Moammer Gadhafi?
By
John Del Signore
Published Aug 23, 2011
Modified Aug 23, 2011
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Reuters/Paul Hackett
By
John Del Signore
Published Aug 23, 2011
Modified Aug 23, 2011
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The European Union is preparing for a "post-Gadhafi" era; the United Nations Secretary General is working to facilitate Libya's transition; and Egypt, Oman and Bahrain have formally recognized the rebel authorities. There's just one problem (okay, myriad problems): That rascally Moammer Gadhafi remains at large! And yesterday his son—who was supposedly in the hands of the rebels—strolled into the luxury hotel where many reporters are staying/trapped and took several of them on a drive through parts of Tripoli still under the regime’s control. "We have broken the backbone of the rebels," he told BBC, adding that the rebels had fallen into a trap.
It remains to be seen who is winning the battle for Tripoli. There have been reports of gunfire around the Rixos Hotel, and Gadhafi's son "seemed confident and full of adrenalin," according to the BBC. He escorted reporters through streets full of armed Gadhafi backers, and pointed out a line of over a hundred loyalist volunteers waiting for weapons. The rebels say they've withdrawn from key points of the city to focus on hammering Gadjafi's heavily fortified Bab al-Aziziya compound, which NATO has been bombarding. The also say they had Saif al-Islam Gadhafi in their clutches, but he escaped.
Nobody has any idea if Gadhafi is in the compound, in some other part of Tripoli, or even still in the country. "I am in Tripoli," he told Libyan TV via phone link. "Go out, I am with you until the end." Gadhafi has not been seen in public since May, and there are rumors he's hiding out in his birthplace of Sirte, his ancestral home of Sabha in the south, or maybe even South Africa. But whatever, a rebel spokesman says, "To be honest, having him or not having him, catching him or not catching him, it's neither here nor there. It think it's more important that we get on with our lives."
Tagged
gadhafi
libya
moammer gadhafi
tripoli
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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