Gaddafi’s heir is laid to rest

But he might not rest in peace. Neither will his country.

Simpler times: Seif al-Islam, days before the fall of his father Muammar Gaddafi’s regime in 2011.

Hindiya Al-Ashbi in Benghazi

Four armed assailants stormed the residence of Seif al-Islam al-Gaddafi, Libya’s most controversial political figure, on Tuesday evening. Having turned camera surveillance off at the northwestern Zintan residence, the assailants engaged Muammar Gaddafi’s son in what his political team called direct combat. Seif al-Islam and two of his bodyguards died in the fire fight.

The family chose Bani Walid, a city in the northwest, for his final resting place. His brother, Khamis Gaddafi, was also buried there after he was killed in 2011 during the violent end of their father’s 32-year rule over Libya. Seif al-Islam’s funeral on Friday was anxiously watched for what his demise portents for the country.

For years, Seif al-Islam has loomed as a ghost over Libya’s politics. He had long been groomed as heir to his father, who was killed during the Nato-backed 2011 revolution. After the revolution, Seif-al Islam was captured by a militia and held for six years in Zintan before being released under a blanket amnesty. In 2015, a Tripoli court sentenced him to death in absentia for war crimes. He was later pardoned, but the International Criminal Court maintained a warrant for his arrest on murder and persecution charges.

In 2021, Seif al-Islam decided to run for president under the “Green March” movement, positioning himself as the custodian of his father’s ideological legacy. In a country still fractured and unstable, tens of thousands of supporters saw him as a route back to order. In contrast, his opponents – particularly Islamist factions in western Libya – viewed him as a grave threat. Disputes over his candidacy helped to derail elections that ultimately never took place, even after he was disqualified.

Seif al-Islam’s assasination in the run-up to the April presidential and parliamentary elections could disrupt another electoral attempt. “His supporters will not let this event pass without response,” said political analyst Ibrahim Al-Ajel. He predicts they may obstruct the elections by provoking violent acts against candidates and at polling stations.

His supporters have already flooded social media with calls for retaliation against people they describe as aggressors. Videos from Sirte, the birthplace of Gaddafi senior, show dozens of women in the streets, weeping and mourning his death.

The sense of loss among Seif al-Islam’s supporters is tinged with xenophobia. “He was our only hope to restore our homeland’s sovereignty from the Turks, Russians, and Africans who control it and have looted our resources,” said Khadia al-Hassi, a tax official in Benghazi.

But the outlet for those emotions is likely to be internal. “National reconciliation efforts will likely stall,” Al-Ajel said. He predicted that the Gaddafa tribe, of which the Gaddafis were members, will hold the people of Zintan responsible because Seif al-Islam was under their protection. “This doesn’t necessarily mean civil war, but it could mean severe social boycotts and mobilisation,” he said.