Khweldi Hameidi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | January 1943 |
| Died | 27 July 2015(2015-07-27) (aged 72) |
| Occupation | General |
| Spouse | Aisha |
| Relatives | Khaled K. El-Hamedi (son) Al-Saadi Gaddafi (son-in-law) |
Al-Khweldi Muhammad Salih Abdullah El-Hamedi (Arabic الخويلدي محمد الحميدي; January 1943 – 27 July 2015), alsotransliterated asKhuwailidi al-Humaidi, was a Libyanmajor general underMuammar Gaddafi, founding member of theLibyan Revolutionary Command Council, and the firstSecretary General of theLibyan Popular National Movement.[1][2] He was part of Gaddafi's inner circle.[3]
Hameidi was born inSurman in 1943. His father owned a farm between Surman andSabratha.[4]
He attended primary school in Surman, secondary school inZawiya, and graduated from theBenghazi Military University Academy as asecond lieutenant in 1965.[4]
His first military assignment was with the Royal Battalion inDerna. He was subsequently appointed assistant commander of the 1stIdris Battalion inSabha and laterTarhuna.[1]
Hemarried his cousin Aisha al-Hamidi in 1970. His wife was a history professor and earned a master's degree from theAl-Fateh University inTripoli.[1] They had six daughters and three sons, includingKhaled K. El-Hamedi, the president of Libyan NGO,International Organization for Peace, Care and Relief. One of his daughters is married to Gaddafi's sonAl-Saadi Gaddafi.[2][5]
He was an avid collector of arts, includingChinese porcelain and African ebony sculptures. He also had a passion for raising animals, such asfalconry,Arabian horses, deer, andsongbirds.[6]
Hameidi played a leading role in the1969 Libyan coup d'état that overthrewKing Idris and broughtMuammar Gaddafi to power. Hameidi was specifically tasked with seizing the radio station in Tripoli and arresting the crown princeHasan as-Senussi.[7][2] After the successful coup, Hameidi was part of the twelve men that formed theLibyan Revolutionary Command Council (RCC).[8]
In August 1975, Planning MinisterUmar Muhayshi,Bashir al-Saghir Hawady, and Awad Ali Hamza, who were all part of the 12-member RCC, led a coup against Gaddafi.[9] The coup failed; Muhayshi fled to Tunisia and another RCC member suspected of disloyalty,Abdul-Munim al-Huni, fled to Egypt.[10][11] Hawady and Hamza were arrested.[9] The RCC was ultimately reduced to only five members: Gaddafi,Abdessalam Jalloud,Abu-Bakr Yunis Jabr,Mustafa Kharubi, and Hameidi. All five were from poor or lower-middle-class background.[12][13][14]
Hameidi served as interior minister, chief of military intelligence, and head of the military courts in theGaddafi government.[2][1] He was also a member of General Provisional Committee for Defense.[3]
When theFirst Libyan Civil War broke out in February 2011, Hameidi did not hold any official political or executive office as he was retired. He did, however, continue to enjoy close personal relationship with Gaddafi due to his daughter's marriage to Gaddafi's sonSaadi.[15] Hameidi reportedly received afield command in Zawiya during the civil war.[2][16]
Due to his perceived closeness with the Gaddafi family and his refusal to defect, Hameidi and his family became a target forNATO during itsmilitary intervention in Libya. His home, located near Surman, was bombed by NATO on 19 June 2011, which resulted in the death of his daughter-in-law and three grandchildren.[17][16] A total of 15 family members, including three children, were killed by NATO's bombs.[18][19][6] NATO claimed his home was being used as a "command center" by Gaddafi and thus a legitimate target.[15][6] Hameidi's sonKhaled claimed NATO had tried to assassinate Khweldi Hameidi in order to demoralize the Gaddafi regime.[18] On 24 June 2011, an impassioned Hameidi spoke to Western journalists next to his demolished house withMoussa Ibrahim serving as the translator.[20]
After theBattle of Tripoli, Hameidi fled to Tunisia, where he suffered a heart attack and was hospitalized inTunis. Tunisia accused him of entering the country illegally.[15]
Hameidi never stood trial in Tunisia and was not deported to Libya. He reportedly spent time inMorocco before settling inEgypt. In February 2012, theLibyan Popular National Movement was founded byGaddafi loyalists in exile and Hameidi served as its first Secretary General. The party was banned from participating in the2012 Libyan parliamentary election.[21][2]
Hameidi suffered another heart attack and died inCairo on 27 July 2015. He was either 72 or 75.[2]
