‘What is happening in Libya is a charade,’ says Qaddafi in an audio message

Fugitive strongman Muammar Qaddafi denounced events unfolding in Libya as a “charade,” speaking in an audio message broadcast Tuesday on Syria-based Arrai television.

“What is happening in Libya is a charade which can only take place thanks to the (NATO-led) air raids, which will not last forever,” said Qaddafi in his first audio message in weeks.

The deposed despot is believed hiding in Libya although members of his family fled to Algeria and Niger after rebel fighters, backed by a NATO-led air war, overran Tripoli on Aug. 23.

“Do not rejoice and don’t believe that one regime has been overthrown and another imposed with the help of air and maritime strikes,” Qaddafi said in the brief message.

While the former Libyan leader regularly delivers messages via Arrai through his spokesman Mussa Ibrahim, this is his first audio recording since he on Sept. 8 denied reports he had crossed into Niger.

Qaddafi, his son Seif al-Islam and intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi are wanted by the International Criminal Court to face charges of alleged crimes against humanity.