Libya conflict: Troop convoy crosses border into Niger

Anti-Gaddafi troops have recently made major advances

An armed convoy of vehicles from Libya has crossed into Niger, reports say.

The convoy - believed to be carrying mainly Tuareg fighters recruited by fugitive Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi to fight for his regime - rolled into the town of Agadez.
It is not clear whether any of the Gaddafi family were in the convoy. His spokesman said he was still in Libya.
Col Gaddafi has vowed to fight to the death, even though he has lost control of most of the country.
'In high spirits'

Analysis

Celeste Hicks BBC News

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There is a long established corridor across the Sahara Desert to the Libya/Niger border to Airlit and south to Agadez.
Many migrants trying to get to Europe from West Africa use this route and so have thousands of people trying to escape from Libya in the last couple of months.
It is also believed that some of those fighting for Col Gaddafi were from Niger. There is some support for Gaddafi in Niger - local groups have tried to organise pro-Gaddafi demonstrations although turnout was fairly small.
However, Niger's government has recognised the National Transitional Council in Libya and is a new democracy.
President Mahamadou Issoufou was elected in February this year to replace a military junta. He is trying hard to convince the international community that he is a responsible leader, so he will be keen to prevent Niger getting caught up in the Libya conflict.
One can only speculate but Niger is a gateway to West Africa if you are coming across the Sahara so it is possible that the Gaddafi loyalists could be heading through Niger somewhere else.

The armed convoy crossed the Niger border and arrived in Agadez late on Monday, military sources from France and Niger told Reuters news agency.

They said the convoy was made up of between 200 and 250 vehicles and was given an escort by the army of Niger.
However, a local resident was quoted by the Associated Press news agency as saying that convoy consisted of more than a dozen trucks carrying well-armed Libyan troops.
He added that the Libyans were also accompanied by well-armed Tuareg tribal fighters.
The claims by both the military sources and the Niger resident have not been independently verified.
The BBC's Kevin Connolly, in the Libyan capital Tripoli, says there is speculation that the convoy could be carrying members of Col Gaddafi's entourage, as the desert route is the likeliest way for them to escape troops belonging to the anti-Gaddafi transitional authorities.
The landlocked West African state of Burkina Faso, which shares a border with Niger, has offered Col Gaddafi asylum.
The BBC's Jon Leyne, in Benghazi, the seat of the transitional authorities, says such a large convoy could not have crossed the desert without Nato turning a blind eye.
Nato has continued to carry out air strikes and surveillance flights over Libya as the former rebels consolidate their hold over the country.

Separately, Col Gaddafi's chief of security, Mansour Daw, is reported to have crossed into Niger.
Earlier on Monday, Col Gaddafi's spokesman Moussa Ibrahim said that the Libyan leader was "in very high spirits".
"He is in a place that will not be reached by those fractious groups, and he is in Libya," Mr Ibrahim told Syrian-based Arrai TV.
Fears of revenge
Libyan rebels from the National Transitional Council (NTC) have now moved into position near Bani Walid, 150km (95 miles) south-east of Tripoli.

Finding the Gaddafis

• Muammar Gaddafi, sons Saif al-Islam, and Mutassim: Whereabouts unknown
• Saadi Gaddafi: Claims to be near Bani Walid
• Sons Muhammad and Hannibal, daughter Aisha and wife Safia: Fled to Algeria
• Sons Saif al-Arab and Khamis: Reported killed

Bani Walid is one of four towns and cities still controlled by Gaddafi supporters. The others are Jufra, Sabha and Col Gaddafi's birthplace in Sirte.

Senior members of the anti-Gaddafi forces surrounding the town say the negotiations have now stopped - and were never serious because pro-Gaddafi forces continued to fire while the talks were going on.
However, NTC leader Mustafa Abdul Jalil said the talks would continue until a deadline on Saturday.
As well as being a Gaddafi stronghold, Bani Walid is also the home of the biggest and most powerful Libyan tribe, the Warfalla.