Influential hosts who put tribal loyalties first

If INDEED Gaddafi is being sheltered by the nomadic Tuareg, it poses a dilemma for the new government of Libya.

The Tuareg have huge influence in the desert expanses in the south of Libya and across the borders into Mali, Niger, Chad and Algeria, which are often exploited by drug traffickers and Islamist militants as a safe haven for their operations.

The NTC leaders in Tripoli already have many problems without starting a conflict with the desert people. Yet the Tuareg are far from a monolithic group, they will generally support one another against outsiders, but have their own tribal system with its own divisions. If Gaddafi becomes too much of a burden, and it is within their gift, they may hand him over – if they have him.