Uganda Would Welcome Muammar Gaddafi as Asylum Seeker

Uganda Offers Muammar Gaddafi Asylum

A spokesman for Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni said that Uganda would allow Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi to live there in exile.

This is part of a diplomatic effort to get Gaddafi to step down in the face of ongoing foreign military action in Libya. However, Uganda is vocally opposed to the incursions of western powers, saying that Libya's civil war is "an internal matter". Gaddafi shows no sign of letting up his bid to take back control of Libya, and his forces have retaken the port city of Ras Lanuf.

There is also the issue of the ICC: Uganda is a signatory to the International Criminal Court, and, should the court pursue action against Gaddafi, Uganda would be required to cooperate.

Uganda's own citizens sought refuge in neighboring countries during the rule of Idi Amin, as spokesman Tamale Mirundi acknowledged:

Uganda hosts tens of thousands of refugees from neighboring countries, including Somalia, Rwanda and Sudan. Libyan citizens have already been fleeing Libya.