Libyan rebel leader who led Gaddafi overthrow dies of COVID-19

The former head of the rebel government that overthrew Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 Mahmud Jibril died on Sunday of the coronavirus, his party confirmed.

Jibril, 68, was in Cairo where he had been hospitalised for two weeks, said Khaled al-Mrimi, secretary of the Alliance of National Forces party founded by Jibril in 2012.

According to Hisham Wagdyn, the director of the Egyptian hospital, the 68-year-old former leader was admitted to the hospital on March 21 after suffering a heart attack, before testing positive for the new coronavirus and being quarantined.

The former rebel leader was appointed head of the interim government in March 2011, a few weeks after the outbreak of the Arab Spring uprising in Libya.

He made numerous trips to Western capitals to convince his leaders to support the revolt against Muammar Gaddafi. This led to a NATO coalition led by Washington, Paris and London after a green light from the UN Security Council.

Libya is now torn between two rival governments. The internationally backed Tripoli-government and the militarily menacing eastern government led by rebel leader Khalifa Haftar, based in Benghazi. As of April 06, Libya has recorded 18 cases of the coronavirus with one death.