The funeral of Seif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, took place on Friday in Bani Walid, western Libya. Several thousand supporters demonstrated and attended the funeral of the man who was considered until 2011 as his father's heir apparent and who was assassinated.
Published on: 02/06/2026 - 5:37 p.m. Modified on: 02/06/2026 - 5:52 p.m.
Assassinated on Tuesday, the son of Muammar Gaddafi, Seif al-Islam, was buried on Friday February 6 in Bani Walid in western Libya, a stronghold of supporters of his father's regime who demonstrated in large numbers before a funeral under heavy police surveillance.
Thousands of people, many of whom arrived the day before, attended the funeral in this town located 170 km south of Tripoli.
Considered his father's heir apparent until the 2011 uprising, Seif al-Islam Gaddafi was assassinated on Tuesday in Zenten. The prosecution opened an investigation to find the perpetrators, a commando of four people, according to Seif al-Islam's French lawyer.
See alsoLibya: opening of an investigation after the assassination of Seif al-Islam Gaddafi
The murder raised questions about the political actors who could benefit from it and the modus operandi, attributed to professionals.
Since the fall and death of Colonel Gaddafi in 2011 after more than 40 years of rule, Libya has struggled to regain its stability. Two executives are vying for power there: a government based in Tripoli, in the west, led by Abdelhamid Dbeibah and recognized by the UN, and another in Benghazi, in the east, controlled by Marshal Khalifa Haftar and his sons.
Demonstrators in the streets of Bani Walid
The Minister of the Interior, Imad Trabelsi, gave “instructions” to local law enforcement on Thursday to “ensure the security of funerals”.
Before Friday prayers, protesters marched through the streets of Bani Walid, waving the green flag of Gaddafi's Libya and portraits of the "Guide of the Revolution" and his son Seif. They chanted pro-Gaddafi slogans, promising that "the blood of the martyrs has not flowed in vain."
Bani Walid, a town of 100,000 inhabitants, is the stronghold of the powerful Werfalla tribe, which remained loyal to Colonel Gaddafi. On each anniversary of his coup d'état of September 1, 1969, the city displays green flags and residents parade with his portrait.
Wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity during the 2011 rebellion, Seif al-Islam Gaddafi was arrested the same year in southern Libya, detained in Zenten, then sentenced to death in 2015 before benefiting from an amnesty.
He reappeared in public at the end of 2021 as a candidate for a presidential election, planned by a reunification process sponsored by the UN, which has not yet been held, due to lack of an agreement between the East and the West on its modalities.
With AFP
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