By Thomas Chiripasi and Blessing Zulu
Demonstrators at the Libyan Embassy in Harare pulled down the official Libyan flag and burned it before raising the flag of rebels led by the National Transitional Council while police stood by watching.
With Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi the object of a manhunt by rebels now in charge of Tripoli, Libyan nationals in Zimbabwe, including diplomatic officials, demonstrated at embassy on Wednesday to show their approval of his reversal of fortunes.
Following news Gadhafi’s Tripoli compound was in the hands of rebel forces along with most of the Libyan capital, about 50 Libyans gathered to support the revolution, chanting slogans in Arabic along the general lines of: “Dictator Gadhafi has gone”.
Media reports continued to suggest Gadhafi might find asylum in Zimbabwe, though this scenario has been dismissed by Foreign Ministry Permanent Secretary Joey Bimha. Some reports said Angola might offer asylum to the fallen dictator.
“From today, August 24, we follow the Libyan majority, the Libyan people, through our National Transitional Authority,” Ambassador Taher Elmagrahi told journalists outside the embassy in downtown Harare, referring to the anti-Kadhafi rebel council.
“We are here representing the Libyan people and not Kadhafi. I am not Gaddafi’s ambassador. I represent the Libyan people.”
Embassy staff and Libyan nationals chanted freedom songs while others hooted from cars as they burned the green flag synonymous with Gaddafi’s regime, cheered on by local well-wishers.VOA/Other Agencies
