Uganda to offer Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi asylum if requested
By Nangayi Guyson – CAIRO (30-03-2011)– On Wednesday Al Arabiya news Agency reported that the Ugandan government is willing to offer Muammar Gaddafi asylum if he requests for it.
This comes after The West and other states suggested the Libyan leader should go into exile to end the conflict in his country.
The television channel did not give further details about that but Uganda is one of the members of the African Union ad hoc committee trying to mediate a resolution of the Libyan conflict after the United Nations authorized air strikes to protect Libyan civilians from forces loyal to Gaddafi.
The United States, Britain and Qatar, which joined others at a meeting on Libya in London on Tuesday, suggested Gaddafi and his family could be allowed to go into exile if they took up the offer quickly to end six weeks of bloodshed.
Gaddafi has been a driving force behind the African Union, his largess has extended Libya’s economic reach throughout sub-Saharan Africa and he still has some close friends in power.
But analysts say many African leaders have become frustrated with Gaddafi’s erratic behavior, some still harbour grudges over past meddling in internal conflicts and others may not want to tarnish their images further by giving him a home.
Uganda’s government said on Tuesday it had taken control of Libya’s majority stake in Uganda Telecoms, the latest move to freeze Libyan assets in the east African nation in compliance with U.N. sanctions.
Fighting in Libya
Recently the media has reported rebels had taken four towns which were key towns to Gaddafi forces.
But on Wednesday BBC reported Col Muammar Gaddafi’s forces had recaptured several towns in the east of the country and the Rebels are struggling to hold their front line.
The rebels have now lost the key oil port of Ras Lanuf and the nearby town of Bin Jawad. However, reports say the fighting is continuing in the area.
In the west, the rebel-held town of Misrata is still coming under attack from pro-Gaddafi troops, reports say.
UK Prime Minister David Cameron told MPs at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday that the RAF had flown 24 sorties over Libya on Tuesday night.
These had destroyed artillery and an armoured vehicle near the strategic city of Sirte, which is Col Gaddafi’s birthplace.
It lies on Libya’s northern coast roughly half way between the capital Tripoli and Benghazi.
Mr Obama told reporters on Tuesday that Col Gaddafi had been greatly weakened by the coalition air strikes and would ultimately step down but also said that he did not rule out arming the rebels.
