Former Libyan Deputy PM Tells Sputnik Gaddafi’s Murder Was Political ‘Revenge’

The killing of longtime Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was quite predicted due to his hardline policy towards the West, Said Al-Taieb as-Safi, former Libyan Deputy Prime Minister, told Sputnik Arabic in an exclusive interview.

In particular was Gaddafi’s approach towards the presence of foreign military bases in Libya and across the entire African continent.

Gaddafi was an uncompromising opponent of any foreign, and especially Western, military presence in African countries.

“The first thing Muammar Gaddafi did after the 1969 revolution, he stood against foreign military presence in Libya and Africa. At the time, military bases played the role of leverage to pressure politics and economics in Libya. This is why he was killed,” as-Safi told Sputnik Arabic.

According to the politician, the former Libyan leader protected the interests not only of his country, but of the entire African region.

“His murder looked like an act of demonstrative revenge. It was not to protect anybody’s interests. The fact is obvious especially taking into account the fact that Gaddafi protected Africa’s interests in the international arena. Libya was a sovereign country making independent decisions,” he said.

In particular, as-Safi added, for decades, Gaddafi conducted a policy aimed to strengthen Africa and maximize its sovereignty. This policy contradicted with the plans of the West and undermined “global hegemony of the United States.”

The West did not like the fact that Libya was the only African state that made independent decisions for its own national interests, he said. But currently the country politically, economically and militarily depends on other nations.

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Former Libyan Deputy PM Tells Sputnik Gaddafi’s Murder Was Political ‘Revenge’