NIGER: Residents of Agadez fear possibilty that former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi may have crossed into northern Niger bringing instability to their region

Record ID: 235283

  • Title: NIGER: Residents of Agadez fear possibilty that former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi may have crossed into northern Niger bringing instability to their region
  • Date: 8th September 2011
  • Summary: STREET SCENE
  • Embargoed: 23rd September 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Niger, Niger
  • Country: Niger
  • Topics: Conflict,International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA17N1BZ2V0YKF1CV3OPB6EO5GH
  • Story Text: Despite a formal denial by the Nigerien government on Wednesday (September 7) that Gaddafi is not on its territory, ordinary people in Agadez are still worried that the Libyan crisis can destabilise and bring insecurity into their lives.
    Libya's new leaders sent envoys to neighbouring Niger on Wednesday to try to prevent Muammar Gaddafi and his entourage evading justice by fleeing across a desert frontier toward friendly African states.
    "These people will bring instability, if they ever give Agadez to Gaddafi and his companions we don't know what would become of it afterwards," said Amano Baragaza, a man from Agadez, worried about reports of a large convoy of Gaddafi loyalists around their home town.
    But reports on Gaddafi's whereabouts remain decidedly sketchy.
    A senior NTC official said Gaddafi had been tracked this week to an area in the empty Sahara of Libya's south.
    Niger has officially denied receiving a convoy of scores of Libyan army vehicles. French and Niger military sources told Reuters the convoy had arrived near the northern city of Agadez late on Monday via Algeria, which last week welcomed Gaddafi's wife, daughter and two of his sons.
    People in Agadez say they haven't seen it either.
    "I can formally deny it because Agadez is a little town, we are all from Agadez, and we know the place well. A 200 vehicle convoy cannot cross Agadez in 24 hours without people knowing. I haven't heard anyone who can confirm that they saw one of Gaddafi's vehicles or Gaddafi's guys going past," said Mohamed Boubou, who lives in the little desert town.
    Boubou says people are not necesarily against Gaddafi, as the fallen leader was well known of being very generous to the impoverished African states.
    Even the runway at the international airport in the dusty desert town of Agadez is built with Libyan help.
    "I can't tell you that I agree with all my heart with the rebels (NTC). Because the interests of Agadez are at stake today. There. I don't know what they (NTC) will suggest to us but for the moment we don't really know what their agenda is, we don't know what the future holds," Boubou said.
    NTC officials said some vehicles that arrived in Niger were laden with looted Libyan gold and banknotes. The United States said on Tuesday the convoy included senior aides to Gaddafi, and urged authorities in Niger to hold any war crimes suspects.
    The French military source said Gaddafi and his son Saif al-Islam may have planned to meet the convoy in Niger, a poor and landlocked former French colony, before heading to Burkina Faso.
    Niger's desert north is now an escape route for many Gaddafi supporters, including Africans he hired as mercenaries to bolster his forces this year.
    "I'm very afraid, I'm very afraid. We are all afraid, all the countries bordering Libya are afraid because it's something that will stagnate development in this region here," said Hadija Bibi, a woman from Agadez.
    The vast area, the size of France, is awash with bandits, rebellious nomads and a growing number of al Qaeda-linked gunmen blamed for deadly kidnappings. Gaddafi is no stranger to the area, having used his oil wealth to fund development projects and dabble in politics by backing and seeking to mediate an end to various rebellions.
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