#gaddafi dead

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Gaddafi Death Scene

Colonel Gaddafi has been killed by Libyan Fierce a few hours ago. His body is being taken to the city of Misratah, National Transitional Council spokesman Abdullah Berrassali has told Sky News.

See also: Gaddafi Murder Scene - Live Stream TV

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Gaddafi's death is Venezuela's loss

The death of Muammar Gaddafi - seen here with Hugo Chávez in 2009 - may have effects, both short-term and long-term, in Latin America. (Getty Images)

By SANDRO MAIRATA Channel: Latin American Affairs 

“It’s clear now that Chávez has lost an ally, someone who made a political career waving his fist at his anti-Imperialist causes in open hostility towards the United States and its allies,” Jon Lee Anderson, a staff writer for The New Yorker who covers the Middle East and is the author of a comprehensive biography of Ché Guevara, told Univision News. In Anderson’s view, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s death leaves a blank space in a “world chessboard where Libya played along Cuba, Belarus, Bolivia, Iran, and Venezuela.” 

Gaddafi’s death, which Arab network Al Arabiya attributed to an 18-year-old rebel named Ahmed Al Shebani but now has found conflicting versions, has been celebrated by those who yearned for the end of Gaddafi’s 42-year dictatorial reign, however, questions now linger on how all of the different factions that were forced together under Gaddafi’s iron fist and Machiavellian rule will coexist.

Latin America, namely Venezuela, will also face some uncertainty following the death of the longtime despot. Hugo Chávez was an ardent supporter and friend of Gaddafi's, and was surely shocked to learn of the Libyan leader's death. However, the uncertainty that results from Gaddafi's passing goes beyond simple questions about how Chávez will react to the death of his friend and ally.

“They both played side-by-side at the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC),” said Farid Kahhat, professor of international affairs at Peru’s Pontificia Universidad Católica. “They both tried to limit oil supplies so they could force a raise in prices.”

“I believe it’s going to have a psychological effect on the leader,” said Vilma Petrash, referring to Hugo Chávez. Petrash is an international analyst, specializing in the U.S. and Latin America. “Chávez recently said that he was not going to acknowledge any transition government in Libya. He even said that he prayed for Gaddafi’s health.”

Venezuela has one of the largest Arab populations in Latin America - 600,000, which accounts for almost 2% of the country’s total population - so in Chávez's eyes, strengthening his bonds with the Arab world was a matter of state concern.

Most of the Arabs living in Venezuela come from Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine. According to Casto Ocando, an independent Venezuelan investigative reporter working for Univision Network, almost 15 people of Arab descent were appointed to key positions within the Venezuelan Government. “This is something that Chávez created,” Ocando said. “It was something really unheard of.”

Some of the Arab individuals within Chávez's government that Ocando referred to include Elías Jaua, the current Vice President - who would replace Chávez under extreme circumstances - and Tarek El-Aissami, the interior minister and justice minister of Venezuela, who is of Syrian descent.

“It is very convenient for many people that Gaddafi is now dead,” said Juan Belikow, international security professor at Universidad de Buenos Aires. “But Chávez still needs Libya, and Libya has a very pragmatic, tribal society. Whatever the result is, they might be open to talking to a strong leader (like Chávez).”

Belikow also points out the threat Gaddafi’s son, Saif al-Islam, who has been captured by the rebels, poses to the rest of the Arab world.

“He knows too much,” Belikow said. One possible scenario is that he might want to expose the under the table dealings between his father and other Arab rulers. Another scenario is that they might have him stand trial in an international court, “same as they did with former dictator Noriega.”

They might say to Saif, “you’re on trial, so you cannot speak to the media. This way they might silence him for a couple of years, until whatever he might have to say is already history.”

Others believe there is a chance that Chávez will offer Saif political asylum, something that Belikow sees as a possibility even though it “might bring about some tension.”

For those expecting a reaction from Chávez over Gaddafi’s death, the biggest mourning sign so far has been complete silence.

“They will never defeat the Libyan people,” Chávez tweeted on March 20th, “they will never erase Libya from the map. Gaddafi, be strong! Venezuela is with you, don’t forget it.”

Yet, from the time news of Gaddafi’s death broke - around 7am ET - up until the publication of this article, no official spokesperson for the Venezuelan government had spoken on the issue. Thus far, the Venezuela government's official site has shown no signs of covering the story, and Chávez’s Twitter account has remained inactive.

“He’s going to make a show,” said Petrash. “They had a very close friendship; he gave Gaddafi a replica of Bolívar’s sword!”

“Remember,” said Kahhat, “whatever affects Chávez, affects Venezuela.”

UPDATE: An earlier version of this article referred to Col. Gaddafi's death as an execution. Due to the conflicting reports surrounding his passing, all references to an "execution" have been removed.

UPDATE 2, 10.21.11: President Chávez spoke yesterday about Col. Gaddafi's death, describing it as "another attack on life."

Speaking to reporters in the western Venezuelan city of La Grita, Táchira, Chávez said "The saddest thing is that on its quest to rule the world, (the U.S. empire) and its European allies are actually setting it on fire."

He also said he prays for "Venezuela's peace, for Latin America's peace, for us to shield this Latin American continent from wars, invasions, and coup d'états... for them to respect our right to be free, to be independent."

Chávez quoted current Cuban leader Raúl Castro as saying to him in private: "They're surely going to kill (Gaddafi). When such is the case, Chávez, the only thing left to do is to die." 

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NTC says Libyan forces, not NATO, killed Gaddafi

Libyan NTC claims credit for Gaddafi killing: It's been a rather wild day as far as world news is concerned, which you'd probably expect when a notorious dictator of forty years is slain; in the aftermath, Libya's National Transitional Council has said that Gaddafi's capture and subsequent death (what happened exactly is yet unknown, as video has surfaced of Gaddafi once being alive under rebel custody, albeit in chaotic circumstances) was the work of Libyans, contrary to speculation NATO may have had a hand in it. Said spokesman Ahmed Bani: "It was our courageous revolutionaries who have killed the tyrant and not NATO." source

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