At the invitation of Libyan strongman Muammar Qaddafi between May and June of 1990, Sultan Deghow Sambulmet with several African opposition figures. Among them was Charles Taylor of Liberia. The Sultan lived in the same residence with Charles Taylor in Tripoli. According to the Sultan, Nelson Mandela had earlier departed Libya after being hosted by Qaddafi. Also, the Sultan met a delegation from Gibraltar known to the Arabs as Jabal Tariq before jetting off for London to met with a world renown African literary doyen who is a novelist, and as well a professor. Authoritarian Colonel Muammar Qaddafi, the man who wanted to crown himself the Shahanshah of the African Continent, had African opposition guests from almost every African nation engulfed in political upheavals. The amalgamation of opposition warlords hosted by Qaddafi–a man who wielded tremendous power over the Black Race in the African Continent, was at peace with himself and his oil-rich nation. Qaddafi had monetary clout, black gold, and material and moral support for any African struggling to overcome oppression by dictators back home. Qaddafi embraced the ancient political ideas and military tactics of Hannibal–the ancient Carthaginian General who waged war against the Roman Republic in the Second Punic War (218-201 BC) using a strong dedicated army and a herd or parade of domesticated elephants. However, after fifteen years of dominating the Roman territories excepting Rome, Qaddafi's Mentor and General Hannibal was decisively defeated by the Romans through the application of the Fabian Strategy–a psychological military strategy and warfare where forces avoid frontal assaults (direct or face-to-face contact) and pitched battles (disengagement over fighting location and time). Hannibal has been quoted to have said regarding his scuffles with the Romans: “I am not carrying on a war of extermination against the Romans. I am contending for honor and empire. My Ancestors yielded to Roman valour. I am endeavouring that others, in their turn, will be obliged to yield to my good fortune, and my valour.” Hannibal is historically regarded to have been in par with Scipio Africanus, Julius Caesar, and Alexander the Great and his father Philip of Macedon in terms of military prowess, even though Hannibal and Scipio shared virtus–a composition of courage, manliness, and excellence of character and courage. As if following the footsteps of his much-adored Ancient Carthaginian Hannibal, Qaddafi named his fifth son Hannibal Muammar Qaddafi. Young Hannibal Qaddafi joined the Libyan Navy, majored in Marine Navigation in his baccalaureate degree and eventually rose to the rank of Chief Officer and Master Mariner. A child of Hannibal Qaddafi whose name was Carthage (b. 2 August 2008) died 30 April 2013 after a raid on their family-owned compound. NB: This is an excerpt from my upcoming book.