By Abdelkader Assad, freelance journalist

Some Libyans were shocked, some others were overjoyed and all Libyans who revolted in February were in a kind of impasse not coming to grips with the news that broke the internet and media outlets last night announcing the release of Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi from Zintan city.

Saif is free as a bird now, Zintani brigade of Abu Bakir Al-Siddiq said, not disclosing any additional information about his whereabouts.

Libyans then started a new kind of virtual war on the internet, with many figures and political activists deploring the release, and others hailing it both for many reasons they think are plausible.

Beneath the lines of Zinatni brigade's statement, one can understand that they secretly devised the release of Saif Gaddafi, but on an overt understanding, one can read that they don't know where he went. Did he go to Al-Bayda in eastern Libya, where he is welcome as he was released in relation to eastern government's amnesty law, or did he go to other cities or even outside Libya.

Many Libyans, both political stakeholders and ordinary citizens, started advocating for Saif Gaddafi as a person who is going to touch Libya with his magical wand and henceforth remedy it and make it great again. They started marketing him as if he is a new product, forgetting that he is the mere byproduct of his father and his father's dictatorship.

Others were a bit reasonable asking themselves, would he take part in the political scene and try to reform what his father had destroyed over his reign in Libya for more than 40 years.

All those naïve questions aside, some voices of reason were only asking why would Saif be released now? Why would he be freed and why is he now secured somewhere in Libya? Is there anybody playing a new card in Libya that involves the return of the old regime with Moamar Gaddafi's son on top of the list.

The same voices were also pondering on the fact that why is the international community is so childishly handling this issue? Knowing that Saif Gaddafi is sentenced for death by a firing squad in Libya and is a wanted criminal for crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Saif, 44, is no innocent person in what took place in Libya in 2011, at least so says the ICC. He was captured by Zintani armed groups when he was attempting to escape the country to neighboring Niger. 

So is Saif a savior for Libya, who is going to:

1: End the current pandemonium in Libya in western, eastern and southern borders as well as in the Libyan waters.

2: Unite the fragmented political views in the country. Two governments in Tripoli and one in Al-Bayda and a parliament in Tobruk.

3: Unite Libya's shattered military power. Bring Khalifa Haftar's egoistic forces and the forces of Al-Bunyan Al-Marsoos , military power in Misrata, Zintan, Tripoli armed forces and the list goes on.

4: Unite Libya's warring economic figures and entities like the Central Bank of Libya, National Oil Cooperation, Libyan Investment Authority and so on and so forth.

5: And most importantly, forget his vengeance drive!

If Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi is a man who is able to supermanly-do all those tasks and save Libya from the abyss it is descending in because of his father, then long live Libya's savior, Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi!

Disclaimer:  The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect those of the Libya Observer

 

Tags: