Sirte has almost fallen and Transitional National Council fighters are now merely mopping up the remnants of the Gaddafi loyalists. The TNC has also said that once Sirte is firmly in its hands, it will declare liberation from 42 years of the Gaddafi regime.

But, the deposed tyrant is still at large, along with other members of his family, including Seif al Islam and Mutassim. The TNC and its military commanders believe that Gaddafi is on the border with Niger and that he could get safe passage through Niger to Mali, where he allegedly has a house in Timbuktu.

The TNC has vowed that Gaddafi will be taken alive and will face justice for his crimes, but after months on the run in the desert, it seems to be no closer to finding him than when he first disappeared from Tripoli. All the while, Gaddafi continues to rally supporters through the broadcasting of audio messages. The last one of these was issued last Thursday.

By his own admission, Transitional National Council head Mustafa Abdul-Jalil said the interim leadership had no confirmed information about Gaddafi’s location and he didn’t know whether the fugitive leader was inside or outside Libya.

But while Libya is trying hard to reconcile various factions which were kept together through Gaddafi’s iron rule, cracks are appearing. In fact, some military officials have claimed that the Tuaregs are helping Gaddafi survive and remain hidden in the vast southern desert. The nomadic community, which spans the desert border of Niger, Mali, Libya, Algeria and Chad, has long been among Gaddafi’s strongest supporters and many fought for him during the civil war.

It is believed that once Sirte is completely under TNC control and a declaration of liberation is made, then Libya will slowly move towards the holding of elections. Just how that will pan out, is anyone’s guess, but the Libyan people seem determined to establish a modern and secular government.

But while the TNC fighters have made gains in Sirte, especially capturing the symbolic conference centre, fighting continues to rage as Gaddafi loyalists seem happy to fight to the death.

Some military leaders believe that Gaddafi’s son Mutassim is in one of the last areas offering resistance, but there have been no confirmed sightings. And one must not forget that while the fighting rages, the wounded continue to pile up in the hospital wards. One might ask the question: What does Gaddafi have to gain from this? The answer is a simple one – nothing at all. Gaddafi is merely making good on the threats he made months back in Tripoli. Even before Bab al-Aziziya fell, Gaddafi vowed that he would never give up and that he would continue to rally the Libyan people to fight against the TNC.

Of course, even when Sirte eventually falls, there is the tough nut of Bani Walid left to crack. But even then, if Gaddafi has all the connections in place, he could yet flee to Mali and continue to incite and sponsor terrorism from there. Whatever the case may be, Libya will not have peace until every last member of the Gaddafi family is brought to justice and taken out of the loop.