On Wednesday, the UN Security Council Committee granted a six-month travel exemption for two family members of Muammar Gaddafi. This included his widow Safia Farkash, and his son Mohamed Muammar Gaddafi.
In a statement, the Security Council said that the two individuals would be allowed to travel for humanitarian purposes between 1 December 2023 and 31 May 2024.
“Under the humanitarian travel exemption granted, travel information shall be provided by the aforementioned individuals for information purposes of the Committee prior to, and within one month after travel,” the UNSC explained.
“Accordingly, these two individuals of the Gaddafi family may undertake unlimited travel for humanitarian purposes, during the time as mentioned above frame,” it added.
The UNSC added that the Committee “may consider extending or renewing the exemption if circumstances warrant. Furthermore, during the time mentioned above frame, any State(s) allowing any of the two individuals to travel into or through their territories shall be required to notify the Committee within 48 hours after arrival or passage within their territory. The notification should be in writing, indicating the date of entry and expected duration of stay.”
In 2011, the UNSC Sanctions Committee banned Farkash from traveling outside Libya, and ordered all of her foreign assets to be seized. “As of June 24, 2011, the (sanctions) committee listed two individuals as subject to the travel ban and assets freeze and one entity as subject to the assets freeze,” Portugal’s UN Ambassador, Jose Filipe Moraes Cabral said.
The travel ban was lifted on all two family members in December 2020. The family had fled to Algeria in August 2011, as rebel forces seized Tripoli, and were later granted asylum in Oman.
Another of Gaddafi’s sons, Saadi, fled to Niger in September 2011. Mutassim and another two of Gaddafi’s sons were killed in the 2011 conflict — Saif Al-Arab was killed in a NATO airstrike, while Khamis was killed during fighting in August.