Gaddafi elite still arriving in Niger

Gaddafi's security chief is among several former Libyan officials who have arrived in the capital of Niger Tripoli – Agencies Col Muammar Gaddafi's security chief is among several former Libyan officials who have arrived in the capital of Niger, Niamey, officials there say. They say the man, Mansour Daw, entered the country on Sunday and travelled via the desert city of Agadez.
Meanwhile, a convoy said to be carrying dozens of heavily armed Gaddafi loyalists as well as gold and cash, has also crossed the border.
Niger officials say Col Gaddafi is not believed to be travelling with it.
The United States said it believed the convoy was carrying senior members of Gaddafi's entourage and urged Niger to detain anyone liable for prosecution for alleged crimes committed during the uprising against the deposed Libyan leader.
Niger officials said Mr Daw, who headed Col Gaddafi's personal security brigades, crossed into Niger on Sunday.
Reuters news agency quoted an unnamed US security as saying he arrived with other prominent former officials.
Niger Interior Minister Abdou Labo told reporters on Tuesday that Mr Daw had been allowed to enter the country on humanitarian grounds.
The latest convoy to reach Niger from Libya arrived in Agadez on Monday, and is said to be headed for Niamey, 950km (600 miles) to the south-west.
The NTC spokesman in London, Guma el-Gamaty, told the BBC that Niger would be penalised if it was proven to have helped Col Gaddafi escape.
"Niger is a neighbour of Libya from the south and should be considering the future relationship with Libya," said Mr Gamaty. "This - if confirmed - will very much antagonise any future relationship between Libya and Niger."
Burkina Faso, a former recipient of large amounts of Libyan aid, had reportedly offered Gaddafi exile about two weeks ago but has also recognised the NTC as Libya's government.
This has been denied by the country's communication minister.
Alain Edouard Traore told the BBC: "Burkina Faso has not offered asylum to Mr Gaddafi. Burkina Faso is not informed of Mr Gaddafi coming to this country."
Gaddafi has long touted his tribal, desert roots, and even received foreign dignitaries in a tent. He also has portrayed himself as an African leader and has boosted his influence in Africa through loans, aid and diplomatic contacts.
A French military source said he had been told the commander of Libya's southern forces, General Ali Khana, may also be in Niger, not far from the Libyan border.
Bani Walid talks fail
An NTC delegation on Tuesday held fresh talks with tribal elders in the town of Bani Walid - 150km (95 miles) south-east of Tripoli.
Bani Walid is one of four towns and cities still controlled by Gaddafi supporters. The others are Jufra, Sabha and Col Gaddafi's birthplace of Sirte.
The NTC, which has positioned forces outside Bani Walid, has been trying to negotiate a peaceful surrender.
After the talks chief NTC negotiator Abdullah Kenshil told AFP the elders had been "reassured that we do not mean them harm and we will preserve their lives".
The senior negotiator for the elders told the BBC that they had returned to Bani Walid to convince residents and pro-Gaddafi troops to let them enter the town. He said he was confident of a peaceful end to the stand-off.
NTC leader Mustafa Abdul Jalil has said the talks would continue until a deadline on Saturday.
As well as being a Gaddafi stronghold, Bani Walid is also the home of the biggest and most powerful Libyan tribe, the Warfalla.
During prolonged negotiations, the NTC tried to convince representatives from Bani Walid, about 150km southeast of the capital Tripoli, that there would be no retributions if the town surrendered peacefully.
But the representatives, upon returning to the town to deliver the message, were fired at and forced to retreat to NTC territory.
Al Jazeera's Sue Turton, reporting from north of Bani Walid, said the situation seemed bleak and an attack seemed imminent.
"The five Bani Walid representatives went back with the assurances from NTC, but as they approached the city, they were fired upon. They quickly came back to the rebel territory to take shelter for the night," she said.
"We have talked to commanders and people here. They believe two of Gaddafi sons are still in the city, thats why no negotations work here."
Thousands of NTC fighters have been camping outside Bani Walid. They have also built a field hospital and deployed 10 volunteer doctors to prepare for the possibility of a fight.
Gaddafi thought to be in Southern Libbya
US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Gaddafi was "on the run" but Washington said it had no reason to believe the fugitive leader had left Libya, something his spokesman Moussa Ibrahim confirmed.
"He is in Libya. He is safe, he is very healthy, in high morale," he told Reuters by telephone from an undisclosed location.
Muammar Gaddafi has probably left the Libyan desert town of Bani Walid and is heading further south with the help of loyalist tribes towards Chad or Niger, Reuters news agency quoted a senior military official in Libya's new leadership as saying.
Hisham Buhagiar, who is coordinating the National Transitional Council's efforts to find the former Libyan leader, said reports indicate that he may have been in the region of the southern village of Ghwat, some 950km south of Tripoli and 300km north of the border with Niger, three days ago.
"He's out of Bani Walid I think. The last tracks, he was in the Ghwat area. People saw the cars going in that direction .... We have it from many sources that he's trying to go further south, towards Chad or Niger," Buhagiar said in an interview late on Tuesday.