Nigerien newspaper, Niger Actu, confirmed the mediation of Presidents of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, and Congo-Brazzaville, Denis Sassou Nguesso, in the release of the security and media leader of the Gaddafi regime, Abdullah Mansour, after nearly 9 years in prison.
Mansour went directly to Niger after his release and he was received by the representative of the presidential protocol in the country, the local newspaper said on Wednesday, adding that the former Libyan official was returned to Niger at the request of the family.
In a press statement, Awlad Suleiman tribe thanked the Presidents of Niger and Congo-Brazzaville for their mediation, as Niger's President and Mansour both come from Awlad Suleiman tribe that is geographically located in southern Libya, Niger and Chad. The tribe asked Bazoum to intervene with Tripoli, which confirms his mediation.
The decision to release Mansour sparked mixed reactions. Some believe that the step will facilitate national reconciliation, and others considered his release and his departure to Niger as a “smuggling operation,” and we're surprised by the approval of the Attorney General.
The media office of the Head of the Presidential Council, Mohammed Menfi, confirmed the Attorney General's role in the release in a statement which added that Mansour was released within the framework of the Presidential Council's efforts to achieve the national reconciliation project.
The Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah welcomed Mansour's release, thanking the Attorney General and the Military Prosecutor for their response to the efforts made by all parties to release him, calling on all Libyans to support reconciliation efforts aimed at ending injustice for everyone, everywhere.
