Ali Sharif al-Rifi
Encyclopedia
General Ali Sharif al-Rifi was the commander of the Libyan Air Force
until 2011 when his air force was destroyed by the NATO attacks
during the Libyan civil war
. He is now reported to be living in Niger
.
issued with the United States District Court for the District of Colombia indictment against Abdelbaset al-Megrahi and Lamin Khalifah Fhimah
in the case of the Lockerbie bombing. Ali Sharif al-Rifi was described as having a prominent role in Libya's procurement effort and as having reportedly attempted to assist al-Megrahi in his attempt to acquire US aircraft via Benin. The Fact Sheet did not state that Ali Sharif al-Rifi had been involved in the Lockerbie bombing.
In November 2010, Ali Sharif al-Rifi hosted Brigadier General Mitar Kovac from the Serbian Armed Forces General Staff Planning and Development Directorate at the Libyan Defense, Security and Safety Exhibition in Tripoli.
During the 2011 Libyan civil war
al-Rifi was the commander of the Libyan Air Force
until his air force was destroyed by the NATO attacks
.
, Ali Sharif al-Rifi was reported to have fled to the neighbouring country of Niger
, arriving in the northern city of Agadez
on 8 September and taking up residence in the Étoile du Ténéré hotel. Marou Amadou the Nigerien justice minister confirmed the reports and stated that Ali Sharif al-Rifi, along with another Gaddafi loyalist General Ali Kana, was in Agadez and was "being well guarded" even though he was not in a Nigerien government building. By 14 September it was being reported that al-Rifi had relocated to the Nigerien capital Niamey
and taken up residence in the Villa du Conseil de l'Entente along with Gaddafi's son Saadi and Mansour Dhao
, Gaddafi's security chief. The Villa du Conseil de l'Entente has been described as a hillside collection of bungalows with high walls.
Libyan Air Force
The Libyan Air Force is the branch of the Libyan Armed Forces responsible for aerial warfare. In 2010, before the 2011 Libyan civil war, the Libyan Air Force personnel strength was estimated at 18,000, with an inventory of 374 combat capable aircraft operating from 13 military airbases in...
until 2011 when his air force was destroyed by the NATO attacks
Operation Unified Protector
Operation Unified Protector was an NATO operation enforcing United Nations Security Council resolutions 1970 and 1973 concerning the 2011 Libyan civil war and adopted on 17 February and 17 March respectively...
during the Libyan civil war
2011 Libyan civil war
The 2011 Libyan civil war was an armed conflict in the North African state of Libya, fought between forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and those seeking to oust his government. The war was preceded by protests in Benghazi beginning on 15 February 2011, which led to clashes with security...
. He is now reported to be living in Niger
Niger
Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
.
Senior Libyan Air Force commander
In 1991 Ali Sharif al-Rifi, named as Colonel Rifi Ali al-Sharif, was listed on the Fact Sheet which provided additional information on the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103Pan Am Flight 103
Pan Am Flight 103 was Pan American World Airways' third daily scheduled transatlantic flight from London Heathrow Airport to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport...
issued with the United States District Court for the District of Colombia indictment against Abdelbaset al-Megrahi and Lamin Khalifah Fhimah
Lamin Khalifah Fhimah
Lamin Khalifa Fhimah was a station manager for Libyan Arab Airlines at Luqa Airport, Malta. On 31 January 2001, he was found not guilty and acquitted of 270 counts of murder in the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing trial by a panel of three Scottish judges sitting in a special court at Camp Zeist,...
in the case of the Lockerbie bombing. Ali Sharif al-Rifi was described as having a prominent role in Libya's procurement effort and as having reportedly attempted to assist al-Megrahi in his attempt to acquire US aircraft via Benin. The Fact Sheet did not state that Ali Sharif al-Rifi had been involved in the Lockerbie bombing.
In November 2010, Ali Sharif al-Rifi hosted Brigadier General Mitar Kovac from the Serbian Armed Forces General Staff Planning and Development Directorate at the Libyan Defense, Security and Safety Exhibition in Tripoli.
During the 2011 Libyan civil war
2011 Libyan civil war
The 2011 Libyan civil war was an armed conflict in the North African state of Libya, fought between forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and those seeking to oust his government. The war was preceded by protests in Benghazi beginning on 15 February 2011, which led to clashes with security...
al-Rifi was the commander of the Libyan Air Force
Libyan Air Force
The Libyan Air Force is the branch of the Libyan Armed Forces responsible for aerial warfare. In 2010, before the 2011 Libyan civil war, the Libyan Air Force personnel strength was estimated at 18,000, with an inventory of 374 combat capable aircraft operating from 13 military airbases in...
until his air force was destroyed by the NATO attacks
Operation Unified Protector
Operation Unified Protector was an NATO operation enforcing United Nations Security Council resolutions 1970 and 1973 concerning the 2011 Libyan civil war and adopted on 17 February and 17 March respectively...
.
Escape to Niger
After the pro-Gaddafi forces lost control of TripoliBattle of Tripoli (2011)
The Battle of Tripoli was a military confrontation in Tripoli, Libya, between loyalists of Muammar Gaddafi, the longtime leader of Libya, and the National Transitional Council, which was attempting to overthrow Gaddafi and take control of the capital...
, Ali Sharif al-Rifi was reported to have fled to the neighbouring country of Niger
Niger
Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
, arriving in the northern city of Agadez
Agadez
-Sources:* Aboubacar Adamou. "Agadez et sa région. Contribution à l'étude du Sahel et du Sahara nigériens", Études nigériennes, n°44, , 358 p.* Julien Brachet. Migrations transsahariennes. Vers un désert cosmopolite et morcelé . Paris: Le Croquant, , 324 p. ISBN : 978-2-91496865-2.*. Saudi Aaramco...
on 8 September and taking up residence in the Étoile du Ténéré hotel. Marou Amadou the Nigerien justice minister confirmed the reports and stated that Ali Sharif al-Rifi, along with another Gaddafi loyalist General Ali Kana, was in Agadez and was "being well guarded" even though he was not in a Nigerien government building. By 14 September it was being reported that al-Rifi had relocated to the Nigerien capital Niamey
Niamey
-Population:While Niamey's population has grown steadily since independence, the droughts of the early 1970s and 1980s, along with the economic crisis of the early 1980s, have propelled an exodus of rural inhabitants to Niger's largest city...
and taken up residence in the Villa du Conseil de l'Entente along with Gaddafi's son Saadi and Mansour Dhao
Mansour Dhao
Mansour Dhao Ibrahim, sometimes spelled Dao or Daw, is a former Libyan politician. He was a prominent figure in the Gaddafi regime, serving as Muammar Gaddafi's chief of security prior to the fall of Sirte and Gaddafi's death. Dhao was the leader of the regime's People's Guard.Dhao fled with...
, Gaddafi's security chief. The Villa du Conseil de l'Entente has been described as a hillside collection of bungalows with high walls.