Niger fails to stop Gadhafi from fleeing

Niger's Foreign Minister Mohammed Bazoun said yesterday that his country cannot completely close its border with Libya to prevent Colonel Gadhafi from seeking asylum as requested by the new government in Libya.

Mr Bazoum also confirmed to the BBC that Colonel Gaddafi had never crossed the border.
Meanwhile, Gadhafi loyalists who arrived in Niger's capital Niamey on Sunday in a spectacular convoy of armored vehicles will be free to choose whether to stay or move on to another country.

The Libyan Transitional Government (NTC) has officially requested Niger's help to prevent Colonel Gaddafi from fleeing Libya. NTC political affairs official Fathi Baja sent a delegation to neighboring Niger to discuss the issue.

Libyan rebel soldiers are hunting for Gadhafi. Photo: AP

Niger's Foreign Minister Bazoum did not object to the NTC's proposal, but said there was no way his country could completely close its border with Libya because the border was too wide and there were few means to do so. He only hoped that Colonel Gaddafi would not try to cross into Niger.

Niger has also yet to decide whether to accept or reject Gaddafi's asylum request, nor whether to hand him over to the International Criminal Court (ICC). Niger has recognized the ICC, which is seeking Gaddafi, his son Saif al-Islam and intelligence chief Abdullah Sanussi on war crimes charges.

Niger's foreign minister said at least three convoys had crossed from Libya, but none of Colonel Gaddafi's children were among them. Prominent among those seeking asylum in Niger was Gaddafi's security chief, Mansour Daw.

US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland called on countries that share a southern border with Libya, such as Niger, to do everything necessary to control their borders and arrest members of the Gadhafi regime who have fled there.

Western intelligence officials said they had no information on Gaddafi's whereabouts but confirmed he had not left Libya. NATO spokesman Roland Lavoie said Col Gaddafi was not a target but NATO would continue to bomb Gaddafi's command centres.

There are only a few small towns in Libya still controlled by Gaddafi supporters: Bani Walid, Jufra, Sabha and Sirte, and these are also speculated to be Gadhafi's hiding places. The NTC is trying to negotiate a peaceful solution for these towns but has not succeeded.

According to VnExpress