Gaddafi’s Demise, a Lesson for the African Union and Dictators

After months of diplomacy led by President Koroma and others, it was the French that finally backed the forces loyal to Alassane Qattara, the legitimate leader of the country, to snuff the illogical and pompous Laurent Gbagbo from power. When the Libyan conflict started six months ago and the liberation fighters took over Benghazi, instead of taking an active role to mediate, the Union simply wanted the freedom fighter to surrender to Gaddafi. That made AU representatives very unpopular throughout the conflict.For Sierra Leoneans, the fall of Gaddafi should bring out celebration from all quarters. For years, the Libyan dictator has been meddling with Sierra Leone. During the Siaka Stevens regime, the rogue Libyan leader fermented trouble in Freetown when he saturated the city with his infamous Green Book and called for the overthrow of the government. Later, it was Gaddafi that trained Sierra Leonean terrorists Foday Sankoh, Sam Bockarie and Issa Sesay to cause unfathomable atrocities in Sierra Leone. To cover his tracts, the flamboyant bizarre leader visited Sierra Leone after the war and donated rice and cash to the defunct SLPP regime.