The death of Saïf al-Islam Kadhafi - the last political heir of Libya's former ruling family - is reshaping the country's political landscape, dealing a decisive blow to any remaining hopes of the Kadhafi clan returning to power.
Nearly 15 years after the fall of his father, former Libyan leader Muammar Kadhafi, Saïf al-Islam was shot dead on Tuesday at his home in the city of Zintan, north-western Libya.
Media reports said Saïf al-Islam, 53, was at home alone when four armed men broke into the residence and opened fire.
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He remained, for many Libyan tribes and especially for his own clan, a powerful symbol of a possible Kadhafi comeback.
His assassination is expected to have lasting consequences for Libya's political future. No other member of the clan, experts say, can match his level of popularity or influence.
Son of former Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi shot dead in home
Rival political camps in Libya could also be affected. The loss of a figure seen as capable of bringing different factions together is widely viewed as unlikely to serve the country's broader interests.
However, Saïf al-Islam's death benefits a number of political actors who viewed him as a rival, said Virginie Collombier, a political scientist at Luiss Guido Carli University in Rome.
"Saïf al-Islam Kadhafi was carrying the torch of a united Libya, brought together around a major project of national reconciliation," she told RFI.
"That was not well received by the two main centres of power, which saw the emergence of a third force as a potential threat to their ability to reach agreement and share power and resources."
Reconciliation hopes fade
National reconciliation appears to be the first casualty of Saïf al-Islam Kadhafi's murder. Efforts to bring Libyans into a genuine national dialogue have repeatedly failed.
So far, seven United Nations special envoys have been unable to make progress, blaming a lack of willingness among those in power to commit to reconciliation.
In 2019, the United States administration gave Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar the green light to attack Tripoli 10 days before a planned meeting. That episode led to the resignation of the UN envoy at the time, Ghassan Salamé.
Saïf al-Islam Kadhafi, the heir apparent without a crown
Saïf al-Islam was the third high-profile Libyan figure to be killed in recent months. Observers say a series of political assassinations risks destabilising the country's internal balance and undermining the political process under way.
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His death also comes at a sensitive moment, as the UN attempts to relaunch a new format for national dialogue - with a possible deadline mooted for November.
"The risk now is that this dialogue process will be seriously disrupted," Collombier warned, adding that renewed tensions cannot be ruled out.
Regional and international players could also benefit from Kadhafi's demise. He had frequently criticised the way Libya is currently run, which he believed was heavily influenced by foreign powers, including the US and Turkey.
Saïf al-Islam was wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity, linked to his alleged role in the suppression of opposition protests in 2011.
This article was adapted from the original version in French.
