Family members of Libyan leader Gaddafi flee to Algeria

2011-08-30 06:56:24 GMT+7 (ICT)

ALGIERS (BNO NEWS) -- The wife and several children of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi fled into neighboring Algeria on Monday morning, the Algerian government confirmed.

Gaddafi's wife, Safia, his pregnant daughter, Aisha, his sons Hannibal and Mohamed, and some of his grandchildren crossed the Algerian-Libyan border at around 8.45 a.m. local time on Monday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced in a statement carried by state-run media.

Rumors had emerged during the weekend that Muammar Gaddafi himself or his family had fled to Algeria, but these rumors were denied by both the Libyan and Algerian government. Monday's statement indicates that Gaddafi's family members were still in Libya when the rumors emerged.

The Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it has informed UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the President of the UN Security Council, and the president of the executive board of the National Transitional Council (NTC) of Libya, Mahmoud Djibril, about the development.

The whereabouts of Muammar Gaddafi remain unknown while rebels have seized control of much of the country, including most parts of the Libyan capital of Tripoli. The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague previously charged Muammar Gaddafi and others with crimes against humanity allegedly committed during the conflict.

Libya has been engulfed in a civil war since an uprising against Muammar Gaddafi's regime began in mid-February, leading to UN Security Council Resolution 1973 which authorized its member states to impose a no-fly zone over the North African country and take 'all necessary measures' to protect civilians. Since then, NATO forces have carried out thousands of airstrikes across Libya to aid the rebels.

It is uncertain how many people have been killed, but some estimates put the death toll as high as 20,000. Hundreds of thousands have also fled to neighboring countries over the course of the crisis.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-08-30

When the ship is sinking, the rats get away any way they can.

Saw a segment on CNN where a young Somalian who was hired by Hannibal (son) to babysit his child (never got paid, of course). When the babysitter didn't discipline the baby child severely enough for crying, the grandmother (Gadafi's wife) grabbed the maid, duct taped her mouth, and poured scalding water on her head. Hours later, staff took the maid to the hospital, but the staff got told they'd be fired if they did it again. The maid gave the interview with fresh open burns all over her head.

The entire Gaddafi family are likely guilty of war crimes. They're a sinister bunch. I hope they get caught, tried, and spend the rest of their miserable lives in a dungeon - which is a better fate than they alloted their captives.

When the ship is sinking, the rats get away any way they can.

Saw a segment on CNN where a young Somalian who was hired by Hannibal (son) to babysit his child (never got paid, of course). When the babysitter didn't discipline the baby child severely enough for crying, the grandmother (Gadafi's wife) grabbed the maid, duct taped her mouth, and poured scalding water on her head. Hours later, staff took the maid to the hospital, but the staff got told they'd be fired if they did it again. The maid gave the interview with fresh open burns all over her head.

The entire Gaddafi family are likely guilty of war crimes. They're a sinister bunch. I hope they get caught, tried, and spend the rest of their miserable lives in a dungeon - which is a better fate than they alloted their captives.

Not to be nit-picking but CNN now claims it was Hannibal's wife that did the torture, not Gadhafi's wife.

I agree with everything else you said.

I don't doubt any of it for a minute, yet I do get the feeling that newsflow at present is highly orchestrated to dig up as much dirt as possible to demonstrate how odious Gadhaffi's clan are. I have read of atrocities carried out by the rebels too, but this does not fit the narrative.

P.S Hoping against hope for as good an outcome as possible for the Libyan people.