The slain son of former Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi, Seif al-Islam, will be buried on Friday in Bani Walid, a town south of Tripoli that remains loyal to the Gaddafi family, relatives announced Thursday.
Seif al-Islam, once considered his father’s heir apparent, was shot dead on Tuesday in the northwestern city of Zintan. His half-brother, Mohamed Gaddafi, confirmed on Facebook that the burial arrangements were made by mutual agreement among family members, emphasizing respect for the town’s enduring loyalty.
Bani Walid, located approximately 175 kilometres south of the capital, has long celebrated the anniversary of Muammar Gaddafi’s 1969 coup, with residents parading through streets holding his portrait. Saadi Gaddafi, another of Seif al-Islam’s brothers, said he will be “buried among the Werfalla,” an influential local tribe, alongside his brother Khamis Gaddafi, who died during the 2011 unrest.
French lawyer Marcel Ceccaldi, who represented Seif al-Islam, told AFP that the 50-year-old was killed by an unidentified “four-man commando” that stormed his house.
Seif al-Islam had cultivated a reputation for moderation and reform under his father’s 40-year rule, though that image collapsed after he vowed “rivers of blood” during the 2011 uprising. Arrested that year on an International Criminal Court warrant for alleged crimes against humanity, he was later sentenced to death by a Tripoli court but subsequently granted amnesty.
In 2021, he announced plans to run for president, though elections were indefinitely postponed. He is survived by four of his six siblings: Mohamed, Saadi, Aicha, and Hannibal, the latter recently released from a Lebanese prison on bail.
Libya remains divided and fragile more than a decade after the Arab Spring. A UN-backed government operates from Tripoli, while an eastern administration is supported by military commander Khalifa Haftar, leaving the nation struggling to recover from years of chaos.
