10 years later, the circumstances of Muammar Gaddafi's death remain a mystery

Mouammar Kadhafi, Libyan leader from 1969 to 2011. REUTERS / Alessandro Bianchi

Text by: Alexandra Brangeon Follow

3 min

It was 10 years ago to the day: on October 20, 2011, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was killed.

At the time, the rebels of the National Transitional Council (CNT), supported by Washington, Paris and London, were fighting against the Libyan army.

Tripoli is in the hands of the CNT and Muammar Gaddafi on the run.

The rebels suspect that he is entrenched in Sirte, his hometown, and launch a final assault.

In the hours that follow, we learn of his capture, then his death.

Until today, the circumstances of his death are still unclear.

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October 20, 2011. It is 1:15 pm local time.

A CNT commander, Abdel Madjid, announces the

.

After 42 years of authoritarian rule, the one known as the “ 

 ” is entrenched in Sirte, its last stronghold.

In a convoy of vehicles, he tries to leave the city.

The convoy is bombarded by NATO forces.

Muammar Gaddafi tries to flee.

Some say he tried to hide in sewers before being captured by CNT fighters.

The first photos of his capture show him with a bloody, disoriented face.

But alive.

40 minutes later, the same CNT commander declared that Muammar Gaddafi would have died, that he would have succumbed to his injuries.

We must wait another hour before having confirmation of his death.

What happened ?

Shooting, grenade explosion, lynching ... Several versions, but no certainty

Several versions exist on the circumstances of his death, which still remain unclear today, explains Hasni Abidi, director of the Center for Studies and Research on the Arab World.

According to the official version of the Libyan authorities, Muammar Gaddafi died with a bullet in the head during a shootout between his supporters and rebel forces.

However, videos filmed by CNT fighters and collected by Human Rights Watch show him captured, alive, but bleeding profusely from a head injury.

This would have been caused by the shrapnel of a grenade thrown by one of his bodyguards, according to the NGO. 

Another video shows him being beaten up by opposition forces.

In a testimony collected by the NGO, a commander of a Misrata brigade, present during his arrest, admits that it was a mess.

" 

 ", he said, " 

 ".

► See also: Muammar Gaddafi, the pariah dictator who has become frequentable in the eyes of the West

Buried in a secret place

When he is loaded into an ambulance which must take him to Misrata, Muammar Gaddafi seems lifeless, says the NGO which calls for an investigation.

At the time, the UN called for an investigation.

" 

 " said a spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, referring to videos considered very disturbing which are circulating and which raise fears of a real lynching.

There was an early investigation, says researcher Hasni Abidi, but very little eagerness on the part of the Libyan authorities.

Muammar Gaddafi still enjoyed a lot of support.

Moreover, the division between East and West made any investigation almost impossible.

Four days after his death,

was buried in an undisclosed location, the time to expose his remains to the sight of the Libyans of Misrata.

Even today, his family demands to know the whereabouts of his remains.

► Also to listen: The last days of Muammar Gaddafi

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• Libya

• Muammar Gaddafi

• Human rights