The life and death of the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is still shrouded in secret. Someone considers him a dictator, for others he is still a model of humanism and justice. With all the ambiguity of the image of the leader of the Jamahiriya, his murder caused shock and awe in the international arena.
Muammar Gaddafi was killed on October 20, 2011, with the direct participation of the countries of the international coalition. As a result of his assassination, in Libya the struggle for power began, which has not still subsided. Former supporters of the Libyan leader were either forced to adapt to the new political reality, or to emigrate from the country, not agreeing to admit their defeat.
A loyal supporter of Muammar Gaddafi was Yusuf Shakeir, one of Libya’s best-known commentators, long time Libyan Jamahiriya TV presenter. He lives now outside of Libya. Yusuf Shakeir agreed to answer our questions, specifically for World Geostrategic Insights.
1) Mr. Shakeir, you were a close loyal of Muammar Gaddafi. Can you tell us about the last days of the life of the Libyan leader: what plans did he have, which international forces did he expect to restore his power in Libya, did he have a chance to suppress the uprising?
– During the crisis, I was not near him. There were only phone calls. We talked to each other by phone 4 times. Muammar Gaddafi was carefully assessing the situation in the television show “Asham Al Watan”, in which I mobilized the Libyans against NATO and its agents, explaining the plot against Libya.
Gaddafi did not call me by satellite. At that time I was in Syria. However, I spoke directly with Meshan al-Jaburi. Al-Jaburi, the owner of the channel “Al Ray”, through which Muamar Gaddafi addressed the Libyan people and the world, after the bombing of our local television channels. In the last days of his life. Gaddafi talked with some people who accompanied him in the District 2, in Sirte, and survived to the air strikes. All his plans were for resistance and martyrdom in his hometown of Jaref, where he did not arrive because his convoy was blown up. Gaddafi was disappointed by all the friendly forces. I do not think that there were forces that wanted to restore Gaddafi’s rule, and this was evident in the UN Security Council vote. Gaddafi did not intend to suppress the uprising. He believed that this was a temporary flash and would end soon. Mustafa Abdul Jalil’s remarks about this are a proof that Gaddafi did not want to use excessive force against the sons of his people.
2) According to the statement of Ramy El-Obeidi, the former head of foreign intelligence of the Moammar Gaddafi movement, it was France that sent the Libyan opposition to the ambush site, where they were able to intercept the Libyan leader’s convoy. According to a number of informed sources, the head of the French Republic organized a military operation to destroy Muammar Gaddafi, only because he intended to hide the fact that the leader of the Jamahiriya financed the election campaign of Nicolas Sarkozy, and thus helped him to become the President of France. I think this argument is unconvincing, since the heads of state, according to an established tradition, can take part in financing the election campaigns of their colleagues in the international arena, and almost no president could have a desire to kill their sponsors to hide their help. Why did Nicolas Sarkozy decide to kill Muammar Gaddafi, when he could just made an agreement with him? Perhaps the reason for the assassination of the Libyan leader was some other circumstances besides financing the election campaign of the French President?
– France began its raids on the column of Muammar Gaddafi and used gas bombs, ordering its agents to shoot Gaddafi in the head and disfigure his body to hide many secrets. There are secrets that Nicolas Sarkozy wanted to hide: for example, the financing of his presidential campaign or a deal in which Qatar and the ex-wife of Sarkozy agreed for the liberation of the Bulgarian nurses.
3) A convoy of Libyan government forces, in which Muammar Gaddafi was stationed, was attacked by French aircraft on the road from Sirte on October 20, 2011. After the airstrike, the coordinates of Muammar Gaddafi were reported to the militants of the Libyan opposition. As a result, the ousted head of Libya was killed en route to the city of Misrata. However, if the satellite phone number of Muammar Gaddafi was not flagged and the convoy in which he moved, would not have been subjected to an air strike, how could the fate of the Libyan leader be different: would he be able to organize a resistance?
– The convoy was subjected to a French raid, and orders to execute Gaddafi were issued in the same place. He did not arrive in Misrata alive. All that the local rebels did was to disfigure his body and tu burn it in a secret place known only to a small number of people. Muammar Gaddafi did not want to leave Libya. He kept his promise to the people. His promise was martyrdom in the land of his home, not escape. There were no remaining forces loyal to him. The army was completely destroyed. More than 50,000 soldiers, officers and civilians from the Libyan armed forces were killed.
4) Sources in Libya claim that the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi was accelerated by Syrian President Bashar Assad. According to a report in the British newspaper “Daily Telegraph”, in an effort to save his own regime, Bashar Assad provided the French authorities with information aboutthe whereabouts of Gaddafi. Such a situation could raise a scandal inside the NATO, since France, a member of this alliance, actually shared intelligence with a country which was opposed to the North Atlantic Alliance. What do you think about this? Could France establish the exact location of Muammar Gaddafi without Syria?
– I do not think that the morality and personality of President Bashar Assad would have done what the Daily Telegraph claims. The information about the participation of Syria in the murder of Muammar Gaddafi was a lie, aimed to raise a rebellion. France and NATO were able to locate Muammar Gaddafi on their own. And it really happened.
5) Mr. Shakeir, during the NATO countries bombing of Benghazi, in the west of the city it was acting an armed detachment called by your name, the “Shakeir brigade”.On July 31, 2011, as a result of an assault organized by the militants of the Libyan opposition, 11 members of this brigade were killed and the others were arrested. What do you think was the main cause of the defeat in the western part of Benghazi?
– In the period from February 19 to August 30, 2011, I was in Tripoli, on the stage of my television show “Asham Al Watan”, where every day for 3 hours I went on the television broadcast. Then I left Libya. Accordingly, I could not be in Benghazi during the storm of the city. As for the brigade called by my name, it was formed by leaders of the local tribe of the Werfell, who greatly respected me. Therefore, they named their brigade in honor of me. Muammar Gaddafi and the Libyan people fought an epic that generations will remember. Meanwhile, those who replaced them will remain in the shadows.