Thousands of people gathered Friday to attend the funeral of the assassinated son of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in a city that remains loyal to the former leader. Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, once considered by some to be Libya's heir apparent, was shot dead Tuesday at his home in the northwestern city of Zintan.
“We came here today to accompany our beloved, the son of our leader, the one in whom we saw hope, the future, life, dignity, pride, and greatness, to accompany him to his grave. We are neither broken, nor afraid, nor submissive. This assassination, if it has any effect, will only strengthen our determination to liberate Libya,” explained Waad Ibrahim, a resident of Sirte.
His burial in the town of Bani Walid, about 175 kilometers south of Tripoli, drew thousands of Gaddafi supporters, nearly 15 years after the leader was overthrown and killed in a NATO-backed uprising in 2011. Some came from other parts of the country.
Supporters have blamed rival powers in the east and west of the country for the death of Saif al-Islam.
“He [Saif al-Islam Gaddafi] was assassinated at that precise moment because they wanted to move towards elections. They wanted to remove him from the electoral race so they could win. They succeeded in excluding him from the political scene by assassinating him. He had a good chance and was a leader for us,” said Sabri Gassout, a resident of Tripoli.
Seif al-Islam announced in 2021 that he would run for president, but elections aimed at unifying the country under a UN agreement have been postponed indefinitely.
Libya remains divided between the UN-backed, Tripoli-based government of Prime Minister Abdelhamid Dbeibah and an eastern administration backed by Khalifa Haftar.
