Former Libyan security chief spotted among armed convoys
Several armed convoys of Gadhafi loyalists passed from southern Libya into Niger and are reportedly headed towards Niamey, the nation’s capital. Harouna Ide, a customs official from Niger, told the Associated Press that Gadhafi’s security chief, Mansour Dao, was among them. It is unclear whether any members of the Gadhafi family were traveling with the convoys, and Al-Arabiya television has reported that Gadhafi himself —who remains elusive— was not with them. Many Tuareg tribal fighters in the landlocked African country support Gadhafi because he provided help during the recent rebellion for independence. The leader of that rebellion, Rissa ag Boula, fought for Gadhafi in Libya and was reportedly part of the passing convoys. Niger’s capital, their purported destination, is located near the border with Burkina Faso in the southwestern corner of the country. The Burkina Faso government, alongside its recognition of Libya’s new National Transitional Government, has offered Gadhafi asylum.