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Gaddafi may have been loathed by a significant proportion of his own people and equally despised by Arab leaders in the Middle East. In Africa though, perception of Gaddafi was and is still largely a mixture of mild hostility and fervent admiration. His demise at the hands of European powers under the umbrella of NATO speaks volumes of how he was perceived in European capitals.
Africa’s “silence” on his death has not gone amiss. Mahmood Mamdani a Professor and director of Makerere Institute of Social Research at Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda has some interesting theories as to why that is the case whilst in the New York Times, writer Josh Kron tries to find out why Many in Sub-Saharan Africa Mourn Qaddafi’s Death.
An interesting quote from Vijay Prashad and/via Africa is a Country provides a historical view of Gaddafi’s chameleon like persona:
“As the euphoria dies down, it might be important to recall that we are dealing with at least two Qaddafis: the first, the Qaddafi of 1969-1988, was the anti-imperialist and the nationalist who was yet unsteady about the importance of democracy; the second, the Qaddafi of 1988-2011, was the neo-liberal privatizer and the collaborator with imperialism (notably its war on terror). NATO has killed the first Qaddafi; will the Libyan people slay the second?”
However, if others (see VIDEO below) are to be believed then it is most probable that Gaddafi was planning to revert back to his anti-imperialist stance.
This and other similar views seem to hold sway in the comments section of this article – Disquiet Grows Over How Kadhafi Met His End . The general theme of comments revolved around the extent of Western involvement in Gaddafi’s demise and what has now become a strong possibility that Gaddafi was caught alive but later executed by a group who have been held up as standard bearers for democracy and respect for human right in Libya.
Some of the comments include:
- Author: siliu
From God we come and unto Him we shall return. Here lies the remains of Muammar Gaddafi; soldier, husband, father, ruler. Once loved, twice respected, thrice feared. Life is a school, death is a lesson. The glory of the world is fleeting; the love of it, perilous. With nothing we come, with nothing we return. Joyful reactions around the world. The voice of the people is the voice of God….may be, may be not. The end of one struggle is the beginning of another. For Libya we pray. Colonel. Rest and let’s rest. Saying it as it is. Long years of dictatorship and firing at unarmed protesters are not the reasons for Ghaddafi’s fall from grace. Till tomorrow, rulers with more brutal records enjoy support and funding from top world leaders. Moummar’s real offences include, but not limited to (1) the call for Africa unity, (2) upholding the ideal of building a strong economy, independent of western capitalist economies, (3) protection of Libya’s oil/natural resources from predatory foreign multi-national companies, (4) insistence on non- external interference in Africa affairs, and (5) refusal to obtain loans and subject his country to the whims of manipulative economic organizations. Ghaddafi obviously lost his focus and got carried away, for which he paid the ultimate price, but his message should not be lost on us. Africa unite!!.
- Author: ulafrique aka L’Afrique
Colonel Gaddafi was not attempting to escape as alleged by some. I believe the Colonel confidently made appearance because he assumed with the media around, he would not be gunned down for the world to see. The Colonel, at last, just did not know just how wicked his foes are..Colonel Muammar Abu Minyar Al-Qaddafi was a thousand times human than the UN, NATO and all members of the AU who signed his death warrant put together: Unlike any African leader and despite of constant meddling by imperialists, the Colonel managed to govern his national affairs and kept neo-colonialists at bay.
Neighborhood bully NATO went after the Colonel not because of his governing style, but because Colonel Gaddafi (who would not bow to our noted imperialists) informed them that he would campaign in Africa to repudiate both the dollar and the euro as trading currencies in Africa.
Did you know Colonel Muammar Gaddafi was assaulted and assassinated because he sought the financial well-being of Africa?
Colonel Muammar Gaddafi fought a heroic fight and finished his race. The Colonel was a Champion Fighter for the freedom of nations to be. Any leader who could put a leash on noted imperialists for years is friend of L’Afrique!
The Colonel sleeps. A Tribute to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi -
- Author: takunya_ndebvu
Radio Netherlands Worldwide (Hilversum);This is indeed a sad day for Libya in particular and Africa and ALL AFRICANS in general. A sad day because the Brother Leader is gone in exactly the way he wanted. He had said he would not flee Libya and would fight to the death; and die as a MARTYR and indeed, he died a martyr.
However, I am happy about one or two things about Qaddafi;
1. He died not only in his country but in his home town, among his own people who sacrificed their lives to protect him and their tribe. His blood SHALL water the seed of a new revolution to come even after 100 years.
2. He staged a military coup in 1969, toppling the infamous King Idris I but did not kill a single person. In all the reports I have followed, there is none that says he or anyone under his command, during that bloodless takeover, killed those that were ousted. This contrast significantly and sharply with the way the Nato Terrorist Council (NTC) has taken over power in Libya – slaughtering civilians and assassinating captured opponents. The accusations of murder, of Qaddafi’s own people, are only coming far, far into his 42-year rule.
That is, as far as I am concerned, to be expected since there are many loyalists that would take the law into their own hands, and in his name, kill their opponents. If this is to be his sin before God I hope GOD will forgive him, especially in situations he did not order direct killing of opponents.
3. If the reports being shown on our screens are anything to go by, then Qaddafi died with no DIRECT BLOOD in his hands. He had a gun (‘golden gun’) on him but he did not use it to kill anyone. The gun was, therefore, just a symbol of his military background but was NEVER USED AGAINST OPPONENTS. He could just have killed anyone that approached him knowing as he did that that was his end.
4. Qaddafi gave himself up and asked those who were pursuing him what they wanted. He asked what was going on; whether there was anything wrong; why they were killing so many innocent people and unarmed civilians just to get at him. He told them to shoot him if that would make them stop killing his tribe and Libyans.
5. I am also happy about one other important FACT that has now come out in the open. The Nato Terrorist Council (NTC) has proved beyond any reasonable doubt that it is a terrorist organisation. They accused Qaddafi of being a dictator who denied them justice but they have gone on to do exactly, if not worse, what they accuse him of doing and of being.
If the Nato Terrorist Council (NTC) was what it claims to be – a genuine revolution – why, after ‘capturing’ Qaddafi alive, did they not treat him in a dignified and humane way and put him on trial – what he is alleged to have denied those he is alleged to have killed? After all, with the accusations that are flying around, he was definitely going to be found guilt and be executed.
I have said this before, I am saying it again now that this was the work of NATO and it is NATO that has, as happened in Iraq, murdered Qaddafi. NATO is fully responsible for the death, in this gruesome, evil, satanic, barbaric, devilish and diabolic way, of Qaddafi. While it is true they did not want him alife and were doing everything in their power to make sure that he dies without saying a word about their dealings together, they (NATO) should not have barbarically killed him this way.
ONLY time will tell what all this will manifest itself into!! But one thing for certain is that AFRICA and AFRICANS are much weaker and poorer without Qaddafi – the pillar of the United States of Africa (USoA). Africa is going to regret what they have done – allowing imperialists to murder Qaddafi
- Author: indespensible1
Like african leaders, african media have forcibly turned themselves into slaves to the westerners. it’s very and highly disappointing to note that african media ignore the brutal killings of blacks in Libya and pay absolute attention with credit to the west’s campaign for economic gains in Libya.
blacks (mostly Africans) are being killed in large numbers since the start of the Libyan unrest. Since it was reported without prove that there are“Black (African) Mercenaries supporting Libyan President Colonel Mammar Gadhafi”, all dark-skinned people became targets of so-called anti Gadhafi rebels. The blacks are sorted out from their homes and everywhere else, innocently tortured to make false confession and eventually killed with jubilations. These acts continue up to date with no strong voice or the least action against it; what a wicked world! If the Arabs accuse other races of wrong doings or kill nationals other than Black Africans, it is considered a false allegation or an act of terrorism, but if the allegation or death is against Black Africans, it gets absolute credit; what a bias justice that has engulfed our global village! Sadly, most of these foreign black people in Libya are migrant workers, students and diplomats. When these innocent blacks are killed, their identities are displayed to convince the one-sided world that they are mercenaries; what a cowardly injustice! Interestingly, Human-right, regional and global organizations fail to condemn or call for a halt to this heinous act being carried out against blacks in Libya. Is it because of these organizations’ interests in Libya or that those affected are Black People who should usually be considered inferior humans?
Using the excuse that some Black Africans are paid soldiers in the Libyan military and are taking orders from Qaddafi, many anti-Qaddafi Libyans have violently attacked and even killed Black African migrant workers. There may also have been some violence against these workers by Qaddafi supporters as well. The following article, African migrants targeted in Libya, is from Al Jazeera English and can be found, with a related video and other links, at: Al Jazeera (and here – Gaddafi is killing us with his African mercenaries)
On Dewjiblog, in the article, THE GADDAFI THEY ARE NOT TELLING US ABOUT 16 facts/accomplishments are attrubted to Gaddafi, some of which are listed below, with a question at the end asking:
“Which other dictator has done much good to his people?”
1. There is no electricity bill in Libya; electricity is free for all its citizens.
2. There is no interest on loans, banks in Libya are state-owned and loans given to all its citizens at 0% interest by law.
3. Gaddafi carried out the world’s largest irrigation project, known as the Great Man-Made River project, to make water readily available throughout the desert country..
4. All newlyweds in Libya receive $60,000 Dinar (US$50,000) from the government to buy their first apartment.
5. Education and medical treatments are free in Libya. Before Gaddafi only 25% of Libyans were literate. Today the figure is 83%.
6. New mothers received US$5,000 from the government.
What do you think? Was Gaddafi a friend or foe to Africa? What will his legacy be? A vicious dictator who murdered his people and committed terrorists acts abroad or a misunderstood victim?
By Nii Thompson
