Muammar Gaddafi’s son and one-time heir is now believed to be heading toward the West African nation of Niger, where his brother and dozens of Gaddafi regime members are already hiding.

A son of Muammar Gaddafi and three of his generals were trying to gain political asylum today in the poor, landlocked nation of Niger, after a 1,000 mile-plus drive across the vast desert that separates the two countries.

Niger is facing the worst hunger crisis in its history, with almost half the country’s population in desperate need of food and up to one in six children suffering from acute malnutrition, aid officials said today.