Qadhafi remaining in Libya is a possibility

Speaking alongside France's Foreign Minister Alain Juppe, UK Foreign Secretary William Hague said Colonel Mu'ammar Qadhafi must relinquish power but may not have to leave Libya. Hague noted that Britain would preferably see Qadhafi go but said it was up to the people of Libya to determine whether the Leader should leave.

The two dignitaries were discussing the on-going conflict, following claims that the French were growing impatient with the lack of military success. To counteractive the claims, Hague said that the neighbours were "absolutely united" in their approach to the crisis.

The latest announcement shows a considerable change in Britain's stance on the situation in Libya, which previously indicated that the UK was all for Qadhafi going. According to the BBC, Hague's comments come amid signs that Libyan opposition fears that it may be near-impossible to see Qadhafi and his family leave the country.

The deal, for the Leader to remain in the country, would rest on him agreeing to relinquish power and certain other conditions. A number of parallel mediation efforts to find a peace deal are underway, involving UN, African and other envoys.

Speaking about the situation, Hague said: “What happens to Qadhafi is ultimately a question for the Libyans…What is absolutely clear, as Alain (Juppe) has said, is that whatever happens, Qadhafi must leave power. He must never again be able to threaten the lives of Libyan civilians nor to destabilise Libya once he has left power…Obviously him leaving Libya itself would be the best way of showing the Libyan people that they no longer have to live in fear of Qadhafi.”

He added: “But as I have said all along, this is ultimately a question for Libyans to determine."

In a show of solidarity between the neighbouring countries, Juppe backed Hague's comments, saying the allies were in "perfect co-operation". He noted: "We think that we must continue to exert strong pressure on the Libyan regime with the same methods. If we did not intervene four months ago it would have been a massacre in Benghazi and I think we may be proud to have taken this courageous decision."

Sources: BBC News, Reuters, The Daily Telegraph

For more news and expert analysis about Libya, please see Libya Focus and Libya Politics & Security.

Two suspected militants interrogated over French hostage killings

Two suspected militants are being interrogated by Niger authorities in connection with the deaths of the two Frenchmen found on Saturday 8th January.

The two victims, Antoine de Leocour and Vincent Delory, both 25, were found on the Niger-Mali border, shortly after France launched a specialist rescue mission in an attempt to free them.

Reports have emerged that Paris suspects Al-Qa'ida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) to be behind the kidnapping and execution of the two men, however, no single group has yet claimed responsibility.

Four gunmen kidnapped the two men from a restaurant in Niger's capital, Niamey, last Friday [7th January], and killed them during the rescue mission. The French prime minister, Francois Fillon, said the kidnappers, “killed the hostages in cold blood”. A number of news agencies have quoted a medical source, who'd examined the victims, as saying the men, "had been tied up, their hands behind their backs, and they had black marks on their bodies…It was a horrific way to die”.

A Niger military chief offered a different view on the situation, saying that the hostages had most likely been "executed" before the failed attempt to rescue them. It has also emerged that three Niger soldiers and four militants had been killed during the operation, which involved French specialist forces and helicopters.

The French defence minister, Alain Juppe, backed France's decision to send a rescue mission, saying action had to be taken otherwise it would have been said that France “does not fight terrorism.” He flew out to Niger on Monday 10th January to assist both the French and Niger authorities with the investigations.

Sources: BBC News, All Headline News, News24, AFP

For more news and expert analysis about the Sahara region, please see Sahara Focus.

Two French hostages killed in Niger

The French defence minister, Alain Juppe, has defended France's decision to send a rescue mission for the French nationals abducted in the Niger capital Niamey. He said that France had to take action otherwise it would have been said that it “does not fight terrorism.”

It is believed that the two men were killed during the rescue mission. The bodies of Antoine de Leocour and Vincent Delory were discovered, after the undertaking to free them, on the Niger-Mali border.

De Leocour had worked in Niger for a couple of years and was due to get married to a local woman next week and Delory, who was to be his best man, had flown in for the wedding.

The two friends were kidnapped by four armed men from a restaurant in Niamey on Friday 8th January. The mission to free the hostages, both 25, involved French specialist forces and helicopters. Speaking about the rescue mission, authorised by President Nicolas Sarkozy, Juppe said "It was a serious, difficult decision but we took it and we take full responsibility.”

No group has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping, but the French government suspects Al-Qai'ida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) to be behind the killings. Both countries agree that the men were executed by their captors, however, there is no official proof to support this theory.

Juppe is travelling to Niger today [10th January] to meet with the country's authorities and assist the French investigators who were sent to the West African country after a French prosecutor opened a formal probe into the weekend deaths.

Sources: The Washington Post, BBC News, AP, Ahram Online

For more news and expert analysis about the Sahara region, please see Sahara Focus.