Libya live blog | Libyan armoured cars convoy crosses into Niger carrying money and gold

Tuesday 6 September

17:36 Reuters reports how Gaddafi's regime was delivered by a caterer, on a memory stick.

The report tells the story of Abdel Majid Mlegta, the man who ran the companies that supplied meals to Libyan government departments including the interior ministry.

The job was "easy," he told Reuters. "I built good relations with officers. I wanted to serve my country."

But in the first few weeks of the uprising, he secretly began to work for the rebels. He recruited sympathizers at the nerve centre of the Gaddafi government, pinpointed its weak links and its command-and-control strength in Tripoli, and passed that information onto the rebel leadership on a series of flash memory cards.

17:29 CNN is reporting that an armoured car convoy is on its way to Niger's capital, Niamey, said a Nigerien military captain.

Niamey is in Niger's southwest corner, near Burkina Faso.

But Burkina Faso's government told CNN that it has not offered Gaddafi asylum, contrary to news reports.

If Gaddafi were to enter the country, Burkina Faso would "respect our obligation in the context of the International Criminal Court," said government spokesman Alain Edouard Traore.

Another convoy reached Niamey a day earlier, a Nigerien Interior Ministry official had confirmed, which carried six high-ranking Libyan officials close to Gaddafi, including Gen. Mansour Daw, the source said. 

17:22 Oksana Balinskaya's, 25, who served as one of Gadhafi's five Ukrainian nurses for nearly two years, spoke to the CNN about her experiences caring for the dictator and taking his temperature.

She even called him "Daddy." All the Ukrainian nurses did. It was a nickname they used to speak about him among themselves, without attracting attention, Balinskaya recounts.

16:47 Al Jazeera reports that China will recognise Libya's National Transitional Council as the legitimate government "when conditions are ripe", according to statements by the Foreign Ministry,

The Ministry however did not elaborate on what those conditions would be.

China has not joined Western powers in formally recognising the NTC as the legitimate authority in Libya, but has acknowledged its "important role" after Gaddafi's ousting as the rebels swept into Tripoli last month.

13:03 The convoy of 10 vehicles that crossed into Niger was carrying money taken from a branch of the Central Bank of Libya, a spokesman for the ruling National Transitional Council (NTC) said.

"They took the money from the central bank in Sirte," Abdel Hafiz Ghoga, an NTC spokesman told Reuters in Benghazi.

An NTC official earlier said a Libyan convoy of 10 vehicles carrying gold and cash crossed into Niger late on Monday, citing sources among the Tuareg people who live in the Sahara desert on both sides of the frontier.

12:07 A large convoy of Libyan armoured vehicles has crossed into Niger, according to the Reuters news agency. Gaddafi is rumoured abroad the convoy.

French and Niger military sources told the agency that the convoy, escorted by the Niger army, arrived in the northern desert town of Agadez on Monday.

The convoy contained between 200 and 250 military vehicles and included officers from Libya's southern army battalions, and likely crossed from Libya into Algeria before entering Niger, the sources said.

The Niger military source said many more Libyans, including pro-Gaddafi Tuareg fighters, had also crossed the border into the country seeking refuge.

The French military source said he had been told Muammar Gaddafi and his son Saif al-Islam might be considering joining the convoy en route to Burkina Faso, a landlocked West African state which has offered Gaddafi and his family asylum and has a border with Niger.

The head of Gaddafi's security brigades, Mansour Dhao, along with more than 10 other Libyans, crossed into Niger on Sunday, two Niger officials said earlier on Monday.

The French military source said he had been told the commander of Libya's southern forces, General Ali Khana, may also be in Niger, not far from the Libyan border.

He said he had been told that Gaddafi and his son Saif would join Khana and catch up with the convoy should they choose to accept Burkina Faso's offer of exile.

11:15 Al Jazeera reports that Libyan opposition fighters have reached an agreement with tribal leaders in Bani Walid to enter the town peacefully. 

They have also agreed with some tribes in Sirte, the Gaddafi hometown, to lay down arms.

08:45 Libyan rebels have reportedly agreed a deal to enter the pro-Gaddafi town of Bani Walid without fighting, according to an Arabic television station.

As well as being a Gaddafi stronghold, Euronews reports that the city is also home to the biggest and most powerful Libyan tribe, the Warfalia.

Monday 5 September

18:21 Quoting the head of NATO, Reuters report that NATO “may have managed to do its job in Libya but the operation there has exposed weaknesses in capabilities of non-US allies that need to be addressed.”

NATO leader Anders Fogh Rasmussen was reported as saying that even thought the mission was lead by European NATO allies and Canada, rather than the US, it still could not have been carried out without US support.

"This mission could not have been done without capabilities which only the United States can offer," the NATO secretary general told a news conference. "For example: drones, intelligence and refuelling aircraft. More allies should be willing to obtain them. That is a real challenge."

16:05 Emergency landing of French and UK fighter jes in Malta.

14:56  Rebel reinforcements reach revolutionaries in Bani Walid, a desert town some 90 miles southeast of Tripoli. Reuters reports rebels have given the town a chance to surrender and avoid a fight.

The rebels’ commander in the area told the reporter that the anti-Gaddafi forces will not enter Bani Walid unless the main tribe invites them in: “The Warfala [tribe] have lead us into Bani Walid. Hopefully no one will be shot. We don’t want to use our weapons. But if the Gaddafi loyalists shoot at us, we will return fire."

12:36 The BBC is reporting that the commander of anti-government forces in Tripoli is demanding an apology from Britain and America for his transfer to a prison in Libya in 2004.

Abdel Hakim Belhaj, then a terror suspect, claimed to have been tortured after being arrested in Bangkok, and that he was taken to Libya by a CIA and MI6 operation, allegedly confirmed by documents sent to Gaddafi's regime.

12:31 Al Jazeera is reporting that the Chinese government has confirmed that it has held talks with Gaddafi representatives over weapon sales to the besieged regime – behind the government’s back.

The ministry confirmed reports in the Globe and Mail and the New York Times that documents found in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, indicated that Chinese companies offered to sell rocket launchers, anti-tank missiles and other arms with a total of some $200m to Gaddafi's forces, despite a UN ban on such sales.

A ministry spokeswoman, Jiang Yu, said members of Gaddafi's government had come to China and held talks with a "handful" of Chinese arms company officials without the knowledge of the government.

08:48 The BBC reports that Libyan interim government forces who have surrounded the Gaddafi-held desert town of Bani Walid say their talks with the loyalist side have failed.

One key anti-Gaddafi negotiator was reported as saying that civilians in town could not move, expressing fears that they may be shot in revenge or used as human shields, and that pro-Gaddafi forces had demanded his fighters enter the town unarmed.

He added he had now handed over the matter to military commanders.

In the meantime, the interim government has been claiming that it is now sure Col Gaddafi's son, Khamis, has been killed.

The National Transitional Council (NTC) said he had died in fighting close to Tripoli and was buried near Bani Walid. Muhammad, the son of former spy chief Abdullah Senussi, was also killed, it said.

No further details of the deaths were provided and Khamis's death has been reported on at least two other occasions during the uprising.

Saturday 3 September 2011

13:29 China has called upon Libya’s NTC to guarantee Chinese business interests in Libya, whilst being the only permanent member of the UN Security Council yet to formally recognise the interim government.

China had also opposed NATO’s use of force in support of the revolutionaries.

10:07 Thousands of women and girls went out in the centre of Tripoli to celebrate the end of Col Muammar Gaddafi’s 42-year rule, Sky News reports.

Whilst Gaddafi had declared himself as an “advocate’ for women’s rights and had placed women as his bodyguards, in reality, women in Libya had little space in which to lead a public role.

With the birth of a new Libya, now women are hoping that they can go out and do and say what they want and like without anyone stopping them. Libyan women are eyeing this revolution as a chance to gain their own rights.

Friday 2 September

18:00 David Cameron dismissed "armchair generals" who criticised the government's strategy in Libya had been proved wrong as he hailed Britain's role in the intervention as "very significant", the Guardian reported.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Cameron insisted Britain would remain a "full-spectrum player" in the future despite defence cuts, and signalled further interventions may lie ahead as he revealed that some members of the Arab League were "toughening their stance" over the situation in Syria.

19:53 The Guardian reports that Libya must urgently secure weapons hoarded by the Gaddafi regime amid growing fears that smugglers are exploiting the chaos there to loot hundreds of portable missiles and other small arms, western officials have warned.

The US and NATO are pressing the National Transitional Council to make the issue a priority because of concerns that the trade has already begun, with reports that some African mercenaries who fought for Gaddafi are returning home laden with weapons, the report adds.

17:39 CNN reprots how Elamin Belhaj, a member of Libya's National Transitional Council, said elections are planned for eight months away to choose members of a national congress who will replace the transitional council.

That congress will form a committee to craft a new constitution within three months, which would then be put to the Libyan people for a vote within a month, Belhaj said.

That would be followed by the formation of a political system, with parliamentary and presidential elections to follow within six months. It would probably take three to six months more to form a government, he said.

17:36 Mamadou Saidou Jaliow, a 25-year-old Gambian, explains to Al Jazeera how he and at least 19 other sub-Saharan migrants came to be imprisoned in the the Ain Zara police station in Tropoli. 

16:45 Al Jazeera reports how the European Union lifts sanctions on Libyan ports, oil firms and banks as foreign ministers met to discuss how to help the country's transition from four decades of Muammar Gaddafi's rule.

The EU's Official Journal listed 28 Libyan entities freed from restrictions, including the ports of Tripoli, Al Khoms, Brega, Ras Lanuf, Zawiya and Zuara. 

Also listed were Libyan Arab Airlines and energy firms including the Ras Lanuf Oil and Gas Processing Co. and the Sirte and Waha oil companies.

Banks listed were the National Commercial Bank, Gumhouria Bank, Sahara Bank and First Gulf Libyan Bank.

10:13 The Guardian is reporting that the starting pistol has been fired on bids by Britain and other western powers to secure a slice of the oil prize in Libya.

France has said it was "fair and logical" for its companies to benefit.

Alain Juppé, the French foreign minister, planted his flag in the sand as the Guardian was told that BP was already holding private talks with members of Libya's interim government.

09:05 UK’s The Independent tells the story of a rebel military chief who claims to have been tortured by the CIA.

Abdulhakim Belhaj, the military commander of all rebel military forces in Tripoli, and Nato, who led an Islamist guerrilla organisation fighting the Gaddafi regime in the 1990s, says he was directly "tortured by CIA agents" in Thailand after being first arrested in Malaysia.

09:01 Al Jazeera reports that the feeling among the rebel forces in the wake of Col. Muammar Gaddafi’s broadcast speech last night is one of irrelevance and dismissal.

“They just don't see anything that the Gaddafi family says any more, has anything to do with what's going on the ground, apart from the fact that the fight will continue,” Al Jazeera reports.

Additionally, the Arabic news station is also reporting how a brigade of the Warfalla tribe is preparing to move against Bani Walid, a Gaddafi stronghold which is also made up of the same tribe.

When asked how they feel about engaging what amount to their own people in battle, the brigadesmen were pragmatic:

“During Gaddafi's time, tribes were important but now tribalism is dead in Libya. It is no longer relevant because Libya is all one tribe,” Al Jazeera reports.

Thursday 1 September 2011

22:28 Col. Gaddafi has in a new audio message accused international forces of seeking to occupy Libya for its oil and other resources. Earlier, the deposed Libyan leader urged his supporters to keep up their resistance to the uprising in Libya that has forced him into hiding, the Syria-based Al-Rai television channel said. The toppled leader asked his supporters to continue what he called "struggle against foreign aggression" and said those against him were divided, he was quoted as saying in a message. He vowed again not to surrender, saying he would carry on fighting, the pro-Gaddafi television channel said. "Even if you cannot hear my voice, continue the resistance," Gaddafi said.

16:10 Two unexploded car bombs have been found in Tripoli, amid reports the former Libyan leader is in the desert town of Bani Walid. The news was made known as world leaders gather in Paris to discuss Libya's future. The summit is being hosted by French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister David Cameron this afternoon. But meanwhile, there is a power vacuum in Tripoli and the people are asking when the leadership of the interim government - the NTC - will arrive.

16:05 Ousted Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is believed to be in the desert town of Bani Walid, approximately 150km southeast of Tripoli, a top military commander of Libya's interim council said today. Abdel Majid, the coordinator of the Tripoli military operations room, told Reuters "someone we trust" had said Gaddafi had gone there with his son Saif al-Islam and intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senoussi three days after Tripoli fell last week week. 

16:00 Col. Gaddafi's foreign minister Abdelati Al-Obeidi has told Al Jazeera that he had surrendered himself to the NTC and denied that he was captured as was suggested by the international media. Speaking to reporter James Bays from the safehouse where he is being held since yesterday, Obeidi said that he surrendered for his "own safety". He appealed to the Gaddafi loyalists to lay down their weapons as it is "now over." See interview

15:47 Libya’s National Transitional Council (NTC) has given one extra week Col.Gaddafi’s loyalists to lay down weapons. “The deadline for the surrender of Gaddafi's last bastion Sirte has been extended by one week,” NTC spokesman Mohammad Zawawi said. "That means there is progress in the negotiations," he added. The NTC has warned of an all-out military assault if Gaddafi loyalists do not capture the town, considered to be one of the last holdouts after fighters streamed into the capital, Tripoli, last week and ended Gaddafi's 42-year rule.

12:53 Russia recognised the National Transitional Council (NTC) as Libya's legitimate authorities, moving to increase its influence in post-war reconstruction and protect its economic interests in the oil-producing North African nation. "The Russian Federation recognises the National Transitional Council as the current authorities and takes note of its declared reform programme, which calls for the development of a new constitution, the holding of general elections and the formation of a government," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

12:48 Britain's Royal Air Force flew in crates of freshly printed bank notes worth US$227 million to Libya to help its new rulers pay public workers and banks to replenish cash machines. According to Reuters, the cash - 280 million Libyan dinars - is part of a consignment of new notes worth about US$1.5 billion ordered from British printing company De La Rue Plc by Col. Gaddafi which was blocked by Britain in March in one of the first moves to pressure the Libyan leader into easing the crackdown on protests.

11:38 El-Watan, An Algerian newspaper, has reported that Algeria’s government has so far refused to talk to Col. Gaddafi but that successful negotiations did take place over giving refuge to Gaddafi’s wife and three of his children earlier this week. Sources “close” to Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the Algerian President, said that he had refused to take telephone calls from Gaddafi pleading for a safe exile for himself and the rest of his family.

11:25 Algeria will recognise Libya's new leaders when they establish a representative government, Algeria's foreign minister said in an interview. "The National Transition Council has announced that it will soon be forming a government representative of all the regions of the country and once it does this we will recognise it," Mourad Medelci said in an interview with French broadcaster Europe 1.

11:12 Maltese Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi has departed for Paris to attend the 'Friends of Libya' conference, accompanied by senio NTC officials on board Eurojet flight.

11:10 Libya’s  NTC, has confirmed that Gaddafi’s foreign minister Abdulati al-Obeidi has been arrested at his farm in Janzour, a suburb west of Tripoli. Al-Obeidi was considered a key figure in the Gaddafi  regime, and served as an envoy to Malta seeking ‘help’ for Col. Gaddafi during the revolution. Al Obeidi became foreign minister following the defection of Mussa Kussa on March 31. 

10:52 Former Maltese Prime Minister Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici says that UN order for freeze on all Libya assets was 'scandalous'

10:50 Former US ambassador to Malta Douglas Kmiec writes in Chicago Tribune asking if NATO should  ‘offer Gaddafi way out to end Libyan bloodshed’

09:41 Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi will travel to Paris for the 'Friends of Libya' conference today hosted by French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister David Cameron. Gonzi is expected to travel on a jet together with Libya’s National Transitional Council’s Justice Minister, Mohammed al-Alagi, Information Minister Mahmoud El-Shamam and Anwar Fekmi who travelled to Malta last night en route to the Paris conference.The NTC invited Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi to join the delegation on the Maltese chartered jet as a sign of appreciation for Malta’s role in coordinating humanitarian aid to Libya during the revolution.

09:25 Despite its constant anti-American rhetoric – Gaddafi’s Libya maintained direct communications with influential figures in the US as documents found in Tripoli by Al Jazeera suggest.

08:55 Saif al-Islam promises to fight on in new message whilst the other Gaddafi son, Saadi, says his father’s government is ready to “legally negotiate”.