Muammar Gaddafi’s wife and daughter have fled to the Tunisian island resort of Djerba, according to news reports on CNN and Al Jazeera.
The information was corroborated by sources in the Libyan National Movement and the Libyan Youth Movement, who told The Times they had also received reports of sightings of Safia and Aisha Gaddafi in Djerba.
However, nothing has been independently confirmed yet by any source who has personally seen the women.
If true, the news tallies with claims that an end to the conflict may be in sight, with a number of people defying crackdowns in Col Gaddafi’s stronghold of Tripoli.
“Tripoli is on fire,” one source told The Times. “Demonstrations are on the increase and people are gathering in the city’s suburbs, arming themselves well, ready to pounce on the city’s centre where Gaddafi’s men and the colonel himself are believed to be stationed.”
People in Tripoli recounted a lot of shooting and “movement”. On Monday, three young rebels ventured out to the Green Square, opening fire. Although they managed to shoot down some mercenaries, they were gunned to death, according to a source in the Libyan National Movement.
Meanwhile, a young man from the Libyan Youth Movement, based in London, is in contact with his relatives in Tripoli.
“We [the opposition] are gathering weapons and organising ourselves. We’re planning something big, but when and how, we don’t know,” he said excitedly.
Clashes in the city are being sparked off between the two sides and even rebel snipers have been reported in Tripoli.
There is also friction between the police force and Gaddafi soldiers, with one source saying police officers are helping Tripoli residents to gain access to weapons.
“People, however, have dared to fly the independence flag in this city, where it’s very difficult to express yourself as army personnel are everywhere. Although it’s small and symbolic, it’s pretty much all they can do for now,” he said.
A man managed to place a device in Algeria Square, off Green Square, which he later on activated through his mobile phone from some distance away, to play the pre-Gaddafi national anthem.