This post is part of our special coverage Libya Uprising 2011 [1].
Libyan strongman Muammar Al Gaddafi is finally dead [2]. After hundreds of thousands of tweets and guess work between news of him being captured, wounded, killed, or all three together, we finally have a confirmation from the Libyan ruling National Transitional Council (NTC) that he really is dead.
Both Sultan Al Qassemi, from the UAE, and NPR's Andy Carvin joke:
@acarvin: [3] And re-animate it. RT @SultanAlQassemi: especially with the NTC's poor track record, they may need to bring his corpse on stage
[4]Wall painting showing Muammar al Gaddafi, France. Image by Flickr user Abode of Chaos (CC BY 2.0).
With news of Gaddafi's death, the NTC decided to be cautious with an announcement until it made sure he really was dead. It had previously announced the capture of other members of Gaddafi's family, for them to appear on news channels to dispute NTC's claims.
Over all, the year 2011 seems to be a bad year for Arab dictators and a good one for their people. Palestinian Ahmed Shihab-Eldin remarks:
@ASE [5]: #Gaddafi was killed. So that means, 1 dead, 1 fleed, 1 hospitalized, 1 burned and 1 batshit crazy…among others.
And Al Qassemi warns:
@SultanAlQassemi [6]: Are you watching Bashar? Are you watching Saleh? #Gaddafi
The reference is to the Syrian and Yemeni dictators Bashar Al Assad and Ali Abdullah Saleh who have been killing their own people for months.
Meanwhile, celebrations continue across Libya. Moez from Tripoli reports:
@libyanrevolt [7]: razy scenes of jubilation on every road in #Tripoli right now – unbelieveable! #libya #feb17
And Ali Tweel confirms:
@AliTweel [8]: no I'm in Tripoli. it's like a war here because of the celebratory firing. I can't explain.
And the jokes continue.
The different spellings of Gaddafi's name continue to spin jokes. DJ Xpect quips:
@djxpect [9]: So apparently Gaddafi is still alive…captured. It's Qaddafi who has been killed. Khaddafi is still releasing audio broadcasts from Sirte
Naser Weddady jokes:
@weddady [10]: Botox spilled? RT @SultanAlQassemi: BREAKING photo of Gaddafi killed http://mun.do/p5pzgA via @Suanzes
And Tom Gara concludes:
@tomgara [11]: Gaddafi being hunted down like an animal after promising to hunt his opposition like animals is one of 2011's finest developments.
Gaddafi called his people animals and rodents in long rambling speeches.
The fall of Sirte, Gaddafi's last stronghold, was reported a few hours ago. Tripoli, the Libyan capital, fell in the revolutionary hands two months ago, and the Libyan revolution started on February 16, one day ahead of its scheduled start date February 17.
This post is part of our special coverage Libya Uprising 2011 [1].