South African mercenaries aiding Gaddafi escape 'fled for lives' to Malta

Reports appearing today in the South African media say that three groups of South African former military and police officers were contracted by a company “close to Gaddafi” to assist in the ousted dictator’s family flight to safety.

According to South Africa’s News24 website and Beeld newspaper, the three groups of mercenaries were recruited to provide armed security to Gaddafi’s son Seif al-Islam, who is currently seeking a deal to hand himself over to the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

The South Africa media claims that when the mercenaries arrived “late” in Tripoli when the rebel forces took control of the capital earlier than expected, they had to flee for their lives and bribed a boat operator to take them to Malta.

Afrikaans-language newspaper Rapport said South African and Libyan officials were investigating reports that at least 19 mercenaries, and as many as 50, had been contracted to provide an armed escort for Gaddafi, in an operation that one alleged mercenary described as a “huge failure”. 

The plan was to transport Gaddafi to Niger, according to Rapport. But NATO launched air strikes on the convoy as it left Sirte, followed by attacks on the ground by National Transitional Council fighters. Gaddafi fled to the water drain were he was soon found.

Rapport spoke to one of the South Africans who was apparently working for a security company, hired on contract to extract Gaddafi from Libya.

Deon Odendaal, described as “a spy”, said he met Gaddafi on Monday when the mercenaries arrived in Libya, and left on Tuesday for Niger.

When Nato forces struck the convoy, the mercenaries fled in all directions. “It was a gruesome, gruesome orgy,” said Odendaal.

Rapport said that mobile phone video indicated that Gaddafi was tortured severely before he died. “The poor thing screamed like a pig,” said Odendaal.

The media in Johannesburg say that elements of the group of South Africans allegedly involved in Gaddafi’s failed escape are apparently still taking care of Seif al-Islam.

Seif and his brother Motassim were at their father’s side all the time as he moved first from Tripoli and then between various hiding places in his home town of Sirte. Motassim died on the same day as Col. Gaddafi.

South African media suggest that planes are at the ready at Lanseria airport, as well as in Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, to go and help fly the South Africans and presumably also Seif al-Islam, out of Libya when it becomes possible to do so.

Gaddafis on the run

The Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC) said this week that they believe Seif al-Islam is on his way to Niger, where other members of the family and their inner circle fled some weeks ago. It said the party was believed to be travelling through the desert.

Among other things, the recruiting company for the mercenaries is believed to have trained Gaddafi’s presidential guard and handled various offshore financial transactions. The same company was allegedly involved in various contracts in Iraq at the time, but later moved its headquarters overseas, presumably to escape any possible prosecution in South Africa, media reports said.

Previous reports of South Africans associated with the Gaddafis include that of a group allegedly involved in moving Gaddafi’s gold and foreign currency to a bank in Niamey, Niger; and another group that helped Gaddafi’s wife Safia, his daughter Aisha, and sons Hannibal and Mohammed, flee when opposition forces attacked Tripoli.