The Libyan leader, Colonel Gadaffi, is reported to have presented eleven African leaders with medals, in appreciation of their decision to ignore the United Nations air embargo against his country.

The presidents of Uganda, Niger, Chad and Eritrea were present at the ceremony yesterday; they'd flown into Libya to celebrate Colonel Gaddafi's twenty-nine years in power.

Medals of honour were also received on behalf of another seven African leaders from Sudan, Mali, the Gambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe, Burkina Faso and the Central African Republic whose countries have broken the air embargo in the past three months since the Organisation of African Unity took the decision to ignore the ban.

It was imposed in l992 following Libya's refusal to hand over two men suspected of involvement in the Lockerbie bombing.