Washington –
The death, on Thursday, of the former Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi, is a serious setback for the cause of separatism and is the end of a major source of instability not only in North Africa but also in the Sahel and in the world.
“The death of Gaddafi should serve as a reminder to the polisario’s leaders,” Director of the Michael S. Ansari Africa Center, Peter Pham, told MAP, warning that the elimination of the former Libyan leader does not mean the end of separatist mercenaries who fought by his side.
The international community should now “track down members of the polisario who joined the pro-Gaddafi forces to help them to quash the rebellion, and who are now free in the Sahel-Sahara region.”
Peter Pham, who is the author of several geostrategic essays on the Sahel and Africa in general, added that Algeria should stop supporting the polisario, noting that the death of Gaddafi is an opportunity for the international community to end the Sahara conflict.
In a similar statement, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Institute on Religion and Public Policy noted that “beyond Gaddafi’s support for the polisario, he exerted a negative influence within the African Union,” saying that his death “is a blow that will be hard for the separatists to overcome.”
For his part, American writer and specialist in Middle East, Joseph Braude, believed that the death of Gaddafi “is a new start for the upcoming talks on the Sahara issue.”
Muammar Gaddafi, whose death was confirmed by the Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC), on Thursday, ruled Libya with an iron fist for more than four decades.
He was known for supporting several secessionist movements around the world, especially in Africa, and has for many years provided military and financial support for the separatist movement of the “polisario”.
