The international reactions to the killing of Muammar Gaddafi concern the responses of foreign governments and supranational organisations to the killing of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi at the Battle of Sirte, the last major engagement of the 2011 Libyan civil war, on 20 October 2011.
International role in Gaddafi's downfall
The United Nations Security Council voted to authorize a Libyan no-fly zone. Two days later, the French Air Force struck an armoured division and artillery pieces arrayed outside Benghazi, the de facto capital of the interim rebel governing authority, beginning international military operations in the Libyan theatre.
NATO forces involved in Operation Unified Protector, the codename for the military intervention in Libya, participated in the Battle of Sirte in which Gaddafi was captured and killed. French and U.S. aircraft struck the convoy in which Gaddafi was traveling, leaving him wounded and forcing him to abandon his attempted flight from the besieged city. In an official statement, NATO claimed it was unaware that Gaddafi was part of the convoy.Henry Chu. "NATO says it didn't know Kadafi was in targeted Libyan convoy" (21 October 2011). Los Angeles Times.
Reactions
National representatives
Africa – Minister of State, Foreign Minister Daniel Kablan Duncan said that Côte d'Ivoire was "for dialogue and peace in Libya. But with regard to the death of Colonel Gaddafi must wait until all items before deciding". – The spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: "Gaddafi has not been part of the solution for Libyan crisis. So his death was the only option for the Libyan people. It’s the Libyan people who already overthrew him, so Ethiopian government respects the move and demand of the Libyan people". – Former president John Agyekum Kufuor said that "Gaddafi’s death is a historic sad day in Africa" and "showed that oppressed people would surely rise one day to demand accountability from their leaders." – Prime Minister Raila Odinga commented on the end of the "reign and life of one of Africa's most flamboyant leaders and one of AU's biggest financiers in a hail of bullets" and criticized African Union for its "inaction and its solidarity with African leaders in the face of excesses committed against own people". – The Minister of Foreign Affairs Utoni Nujoma said that "we have witnessed was an extra-judicial killing of Gaddafi by the NTC [National Transitional Council] under the command of Nato." Also the ex-president of Namibia Sam Nujoma said that "foreign-sponsored killing of Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi must serve as a lesson to Africa that foreign aggressors are readying themselves to pounce on the continent." – Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: "Nigeria has taken cognisance of the death of Gaddafi. This happening vindicates our foresight and vision in taking the step to recognise the fledging NTC then."The government was facing a strong opposition of media after the recognition of the NTC in August. – President Jacob Zuma condemned the death of Gaddafi, he said "Given there was a warrant of arrest against Gaddafi, those who found him should have arrested him and handed him to the ICC, We expected him to be captured, given that everybody knew there was a warrant of arrest issued against him. There is a trend across the world where former leaders accused of injustice are not given an opportunity to stand trial in a court of justice. That is surprising. I think even those who accused him [Gaddafi] would have wanted to see him become answerable."SA leaders condemn the death of Gaddafi - Mail & Guardian Online The South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation said in a statement that it took notice of the death of Gaddafi and stated the South African government's view that "a lasting and sustainable peaceful solution is possible through an all inclusive political process that will culminate in the holding of the first ever democratic elections". According to the statement, the government hoped that "the latest events will lead to a cessation of hostilities and the restoration of peace." – Minister of State Amin Hassan Omar Abdullah said that "his (Gaddafi's) tragic death was expected and Sudan would be spared many problems." – Many senators made condolences and agreed that country authorities should make condolences too. Some sources published informations that Swaziland's monarch, Mswati III, was upset hearing about the death of Muammar Gaddafi, his close friend. – Foreign Minister Bernard Membe said that it is not Tanzanian culture to celebrate any death even of its enemies;Gaddafi's death saddens Tanzania and that Tanzania was 'shocked and saddened' by the manner of Gaddafi's death. "Although he is dead, our stance remains the same – that the fighting in Libya was wrong in the first place, and that it is going to be a big challenge to bring that country together." – President Yoweri Museveni described the death as a "cowardly act by the National Transitional Council (NTC) leaders". – Cairo Mhandu, a member of the Zimbabwean Parliament with President Robert Mugabe's ruling Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) party, expressed grief over Gaddafi's death. "This is a sad day for the people of Africa... Muammar Gaddafi won elections and was a true leader. It is foreigners who toppled him, not Libyans. Gaddafi died fighting. He is a true African hero." Mhandu called the former leader's downfall "the beginning of a new recolonisation of Africa".
Asia – Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu, in a statement issued on the ministry's website, said that "At the moment, Libya's history has turned a new page" and expressed hope that the transition to an inclusive political process will start as soon as possible, (so as to) safeguard ethnic unity and national unity, restore social stability as soon as possible and rebuild the economy, so that citizens can lead happy and peaceful lives. – While India refrained from reacting officially to the death of Muammar Gaddafi, a joint statement issued after his death by India's External Affairs minister S. M. Krishna and his French counterpart, Alain Juppé, in New Delhi, declared that the two countries support the efforts of the National Transition Council representing the Libyan people as a whole, to establish democratic institutions in a free Libya, to promote human rights, and to rebuild their country after the sufferings they have endured. – Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said this divine promise and the fate of all dictators and tyrants in history and congratulated the Libyan people and National Transitional Council officials and said that Iran is ready to help to build a "new and democratic Libya". Conversely, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad condemned the death of Muammar Gaddafi and said the nation will prevail everywhere must believe that justice, freedom and respect for the right of all nations, but of people killed or anyone not happy and I wish all to justice and respect for the rights of their nations. Ahmadinejad has raised the question why Gadhafi killed without trial? an answer to the question. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the trial would be to determine who has given money to the Libyan people. It was unclear what contracts have been closed and also said Western countries supported Muammar Gaddafi when it suited them but bombed the Libyan leader when he no longer served their purpose in order to "plunder" the North African country's oil wealth. – Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki hailed the killing of Gaddafi, saying, "We congratulate our Libyan brothers and the [National] Transitional Council on the occasion of getting rid of the tyrant Gaddafi, who ran Libya for four decades filled with oppression." Maliki compared Gaddafi's death to that of Saddam Hussein, found in similar conditions during the Iraq War eight years earlier. "The similarity of the fate of tyrants in Iraq and Libya and elsewhere is proof of the potential of the people to defeat dictators, however long they have been in power," Maliki said. – Undisclosed senior government officials were quoted as saying that "there is no reason for Israel to be sorry over the loss of Gaddafi" as Muammar Gaddafi "supported terror and advocated terror against Israelis all over the world". – Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs, Acting Foreign Minister and the official spokesman of the Government, Ali Al-Rashed, expressed, in a statement, hope that the end of Gaddafi's regime would constitute start of a new chapter in the history of the Libyan people for realizing their aspirations for security, stability and prosperity. The government spokesman called on the Libyans to unite and back the Transitional Council in its efforts for establishing a new ruling system, based on justice, equality and respect for legitimate rights of the people. He affirmed Kuwait's support for the Libyan people. – Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament Nabih Berri made no clear statement, mentioning indirectly perhaps Gaddafi when he stated that "God's justice will come, sooner or later" but the statement did not indicate whether he was speaking of Gaddafi. Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri also welcomed the demise of Gaddafi stating "The end of Muammar Gaddafi is the inevitable end of all tyrants who are facing their people's will for freedom and democracy with killing, repression and blood." – On 27 October the Sultanate of Oman offered the Gaddafi family asylum. – The politician Imran Khan called the death of Gaddafi an "injustice" and a "double standard" by the U.S.Imran Khan & gaddafi's death - YouTube – The Department of Foreign Relations congratulated the Libyan people for "their latest victory and the total liberation of Libya." Syria – President of Syria Bashar al-Assad condemned the killing of Gaddafi as a crime he said "Describing what happened to Al Gaddafi, this is savage, this is crime. Whatever he did, whatever he was, nobody in the world can accept what happened, to kill somebody like this." – Ministry of External Affairs of Sri Lanka issued the statement "The Government of Sri Lanka is of the opinion that the circumstances surrounding the death of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi require an explanation" - calling for probe in case of Gaddafi's death. – Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, "I was saddened by Gaddafi's fate being the way it was". Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said, "The fate of Gaddafi and his regime constitutes a bitter lesson that should be reviewed carefully regarding the movements of change and transformation in the region". – Abdul Janadi, deputy information minister and government's spokesman, told Xinhua news agency on Friday that the Yemeni government should not be busy with the death of Gaddafi at a time when it was trying to lift the country out of the current crisis.Gaddafi's death may influence political crisis in Yemen, Xinhua, 22 October 2011
Europe – President Bamir Topi and Prime Minister Sali Berisha described Gaddafi's death as a beneficial event for the people of Libya that would mean the end of that country's conflict, although they would have preferred that he was captured alive and made to stand trial. – Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger said that he was relieved because the bloodshed would now come to an end. – President Alexander Lukashenko said "Aggression has been committed, and the country's leadership, not only Muammar Gaddafi, has been killed. And how was it killed? Well, if they had shot him in a battle, it's one thing, but they humiliated and tormented him, they shot at him, they violated him when he was wounded, they twisted his neck and arms, and then they tortured him to death. It's worse than the Nazis once did." And he added that "Everything will be even worse in Libya, because it has colossal deposits of resources, and everyone has rushed there to grab those riches."Lukashenko outraged by Gaddafi's treatment