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Libya: Mystery of Gaddafi and the gold-laden convoy crossing the desert to Niger adf.ly/2bKig #Gadaffi, #Libya
Libya: Mystery of Gaddafi and the gold-laden convoy crossing the desert to Niger
Loaded with gold, cash and weapons, the convoy of more than 200 military vehicles began making its way to Libya’s porous border with Niger at the weekend.
9:02PM BST 06 Sep 2011
While its final destination was unknown, the determined way in which the column moved through the barren landscape provided a clear indicator of the importance of the passengers on board.
Initial reports from intelligence officials in the region suggested that Col Muammar Gaddafi himself might have finally broken cover and was making a bolt for freedom.
But when the convoy finally arrived in the former French colony of Niger, there was no sign of the deposed dictator.
Despite that there was mounting speculation last night that the well-funded and armed convoy was part of an expeditionary unit paving the way for the 69-year-old dictator finally to leave Libya.
Those travelling with the convoy, including Gaddafi’s trusted security chief, Mansour Dao, appeared to be well prepared for their flight out of Libya.
Col Ahmed Omar Bani, spokesman for the anti-Gaddafi military, said they had robbed a bank in the city of Sitre before setting off for Niger.
“We believe the convoy was loaded with cash and gold from the banks in Sirte and Sabha, cash and gold that Gaddafi had transferred there ealier so he could pay the mercenaries,” he said. “It was an unbelievable amount.”
The convoy, which comprised military vehicles and armoured pick-up trucks, was escorted to the northern Niger city of Agadez – a stronghold of the Tuareg rebels, who have been enthusiastic supporters of the Gaddafi regime.
From there it continued its journey towards the Niger capital of Niamey and was rumoured last night to be heading towards Burkina Faso, where Gaddafi has already been offered asylum.
The convoy was guarded by columns of Tuareg separatists, who regard Gaddafi as something of a hero after he used oil money to help finance their rebellion.
When Nato backed Libya’s own rebel movement earlier this year, hundreds of Tuareg fighters volunteered to support Gaddafi in his efforts to repel the opposition. According to local reports, they were especially convinced when officials from his military arrived in Agadez with suitcases full of money to aid recruitment.
The military convoy is believed to have set off from Gaddafi’s tribal stronghold of Sabha in southern Libya, travelling more than 800 miles across the desert towards Agadez, at times weaving back and forth across the Algerian border.
The remote stretch of the Sahara that straddles the border has proved a notoriously difficult place to police and even the large, modern Algerian army has struggled to keep track of tribal smuggling and terrorist activities in the area.
While a number of countries, including Zimbabwe and Venezuela, have offered Gaddafi and his family exile, the problem of travel means he would always be more likely to seek refuge close to Libya.
Algeria recently allowed his wife and daughter acoss its border, but government sources in Algiers have said President Abdelaziz Boutleflika has barred anyone else with ties to the regime.
The government of Burkina Faso said last month it would welcome Gaddafi if he sought exile there.
Both Niger and Burkina Faso are signatories to the International Criminal Court, which issued an arrest warrant for the Libyan leader, his son and the country’s intelligence chief.
But both nations also belong to the African Union, which during a July summit called on member countries to disregard the warrant.
