The Driver of Camel Caravans in the Desert

 

Adeladius Makwega–MBAGALA

“On November 19, 2011, the Tripoli transitional government announced that the son of Muammar Gaddafi had been arrested while trying to flee to the neighboring country of Niger. Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, who was on the run, was detained without injury at a military camp in the town of Zintan, 90 miles southwest of Tripoli.

It was said that Saif was in good health, according to Justice Minister Mohammed al-Alagi, although photographs showed his fingers wrapped in bandages. Saif was arrested near the southern town of Sabha together with two aides, as they attempted to secretly transport him to Niger. Saif al-Islam was born in 1972 and was the eldest of Muammar Gaddafi’s seven children.”

This was the news reported by global media on November 19, 2011, about this son of Gaddafi—fifteen years ago.

 

Four months later, in March 2012, Mwanakwetu, while in the DW Kiswahili newsroom in Bonn together with his brother Abdul Mtulya, found themselves in a discussion about how this young man, Gaddafi’s son, was arrested in 2011.

“When Saif al-Islam wanted to cross from his country into Niger, his aides were first sent to talk to people who ran passenger transport businesses—like desert taxis—which could be vehicles or sometimes animals such as donkeys, camels, and horses. These are usually long caravans.

Those aides of Gaddafi’s son spoke to the taxi operators and told the driver that they would be traveling at night, heading to Niger.

This desert taxi driver quoted a very high price, because when he looked at these clients he became suspicious. To refuse a customer, you mention a very high fare. The clients accepted the high price. The driver agreed but demanded half the fare in advance; they accepted and paid him half of the money.

This caravan driver became even more suspicious, and even the timing of the journey frightened him greatly. He trembled like a sheep in ice.

The clients went off to prepare, and so did the desert caravan driver.

The driver questioned himself deeply and said: if these passengers are dangerous, I could carry them and then, after finishing the job, they might kill me so that I do not reveal their secrets. Let me inform the military camp so that if they are dangerous, I will remain safe—and this half of the money is enough for me.

The desert taxi driver did exactly that: he informed the soldiers at the military camp. They set up a good trap to follow that caravan.

The trap was set in the middle of the journey. The driver was not told about it, but he was assured of his safety.

The desert taxi driver left the military camp, went to rest for a while, then picked up his passengers and began the journey.

While traveling, the driver noticed that one passenger had his face very heavily covered and was difficult to identify. This raised his suspicions even more as they crossed the open desert.

They traveled through the desert for nearly half the journey when suddenly they were surrounded and ordered to put their hands up by soldiers carrying heavy weapons. The soldiers arrested them all, placed them under guard, then searched them one by one and identified them. That is when it became clear that the person being transported was Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the eldest son of Muammar Gaddafi of Libya, who at that time was being actively sought.”

During that discussion at DW Kiswahili, the question arose: did this desert taxi driver do the right thing?

The discussion was good, and they said that if he had not acted that way, once he had crossed the border, this taxi driver would have been killed in order to conceal the secret that certain people had crossed from Libya to Niger.

What does Mwanakwetu say today?

First, my reader, know that this Saif al-Islam is said to have been killed by gunfire on February 3, 2026, at the age of 54. He was the favorite son of Muammar Gaddafi and a holder of a doctoral degree.

The second and final point is just one: those who take part in the movements and intrigues of unknown people eventually disappear, because they are the ones who know what happened, who is where, and who sent whom. Their safety does not exist, because they should have been clever and wise much earlier—just as this desert caravan driver in Libya was in 2011.

Mwanakwetu, Are you there? Remember:

“The Driver of Camel Caravans in the Desert.”

I wish you a good day.

makwadeladius@gmail.com
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