According to family members on Thursday, the deceased son of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi will be laid to rest in a village south of the capital that is still devoted to the family.
Once seen by some as Libya’s heir apparent, Seif al-Islam Gaddafi was shot dead in Zintan, a city in the northwest, on Tuesday.
According to two of his brothers, the funeral will take place on Friday in the town of Bani Walid, which is located around 175 kilometers south of Tripoli.
In a Facebook post, half-brother Mohamed Gaddafi stated, “The family has mutually agreed on the date and location of his burial.”
The initiative, according to Mohamed, showed “our respect” for the town, which has stuck with the elder Gaddafi even after he was overthrown and died during the 2011 Arab Spring upheavals.
Every year, the roughly 100,000-person town commemorates the anniversary of the 1969 coup that installed Muammar in power by parading through the streets with a photograph of the former leader.
According to his younger brother Saadi Gaddafi, his deceased sibling will be “buried among the Werfalla,” a powerful local tribe, in a tomb close to his brother Khamis Gaddafi, who passed away during the 2011 turmoil.
French attorney Marcel Ceccaldi, who had been defending Seif al-Islam, told AFP that an anonymous “four-man commando” broke into his home on Tuesday and assassinated him.
Many people have long considered Seif al-Islam to be his father’s heir. Despite having no formal role, the elder Gaddafi was regarded as the de facto prime minister during his harsh 40-year tenure, projecting an image of moderation and change.
But when he threatened “rivers of blood” in reprisal for the 2011 revolt, that reputation quickly fell apart.
A Tripoli court later sentenced him to death, but he was later granted amnesty. He had been arrested that year on a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity.
He declared his intention to run for president in 2021, but the elections were put on hold indefinitely.
Four of his six siblings survive him: Mohamed, Saadi, Aicha, and Hannibal, who was just freed on bail from a Lebanese prison.
Following the 2011 revolt, instability broke out, and Libya has had difficulty recovering. It is still divided between an eastern government led by Khalifa Haftar and a Tripoli-based government supported by the UN.
