Gaddafi son granted refuge in Niger

Authorities in Niger have confirmed that Saadi Gaddafi, a son of deposed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, has arrived in the country.

They say a military patrol intercepted Saadi Gaddafi’s convoy on Sunday as it was heading to Agadez, in Niger’s north. It was reportedly redirected to the capital, Niamey.

Niger's Justice Minister Marou Amadou said Saadi Gaddafi had been let into Niger on humanitarian grounds, according to the BBC.

Saadi, 38, is the third of Gaddafi's seven sons. Al Jazeera said he was regarded as a playboy “who gave up a football career in 2004 to join the army, where he led an elite unit”.

In Tripoli, the deputy head of the NTC, Mahmud Jibril, told the media that a new transitional government would be formed within 10 days.

Negotiations with other brigades across Libya are still ongoing, and they are going well. This is to legitimize the only legitimate government of Libya.

The whereabouts of Muammar Gaddafi himself remain unknown.

Fighting for control of Bani Walid, one of the last pro-Gaddafi strongholds, was ongoing over the weekend and into Monday.

Fighters loyal to Libya’s interim rulers, the National Transitional Council (NTC) said they were also preparing an attack on Gaddafi’s hometown of Sirte, which remains in the hands of his supporters.

(Read more on GlobalPost: Libya: stronghold of Bani Walid almost captured, rebel fighters say)