Category: Africa News

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that its humanitarian partners were concerned about the fragile situation should the escalation and mobilization around Sirte lead to military operations…Reports Asian Lite News

According to the UN, Increased military mobilization around Libya’s coastal city of Sirte is threatening 125,000 civilians, raising fears of a humanitarian disaster,

In a statement on Wednesday, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that its humanitarian partners were concerned about the fragile situation should the escalation and mobilization around Sirte lead to military operations.

Across Libya, humanitarian organizations have reached about 75,000 internally displaced people, approximately 128,000 vulnerable, conflict-affected Libyans and recent returnees and 66,000 migrants and refugees, two-thirds of the overall target.

Further complicating the situation, the OCHA said that coronavirus cases are increasing exponentially across the country, with 44,985 infections and 656 deaths.

The closure of health facilities due to a lack of resources, staff contracting Covid-19, fuel shortages and power cuts has noticeably affected the functioning of health services, it added.

A recent rapid survey carried out in the internationally recognized capital of Tripoli found that of 92 primary health care facilities that were functioning before the pandemic, only 54 are still operational.

Across the country, Covid-19 testing, tracing and treatment capacity remains extremely low, with services concentrated mainly in Tripoli and Benghazi.

The only coronavirus test lab in the south has been closed for 10 days due to extended power cuts and diesel fuel shortages.

Also read:390 illegal migrants rescued off Libyan coast

Egypt expressed rejection of “any action or procedure that affects it’s rights to the Nile water”…Reports Asian Lite News

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa discussed the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Nile River In a phone conversation.

During the call on Wednesday, Sisi reiterated Egypt’s stance regarding the dam, which seeks to reach “a binding and comprehensive legal agreement” on the rules of filling and operating the dam through tripartite negotiations with Ethiopia and Sudan, Xinhua news agency quoted an official statement as saying.

He also expressed rejection of “any action or procedure that affects Egypt’s rights to the Nile water”.

For his part, Ramaphosa, also the incumbent President of the African Union (AU), expressed keenness on continuing intensive coordination with Egypt and working on reaching “a fair and balanced agreement” on the vital issue, said the Egyptian statement.

Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia have been negotiating under the AU over technical and legal issues related to the filling and operation of the GERD.

The $4 billion GERD has been a source of tension in the Nile River basin since Ethiopia started constructing it in 2011.

Ethiopia expected the dam to produce over 6,000 megawatts of electricity and become Africa’s largest hydropower dam upon completion.

However, Egypt, a downstream Nile Basin country that relies on the river for its freshwater, is concerned that the dam might affect its 55.5-billion-cubic-meter annual share of the water resources.

Also read:Egypt hosts UN-backed Libyan peace talks

The ongoing military conflict is mainly prolonged by the interventions of regional powers that are deliberately seeking to abort the Saudi-led coalition’s role in Yemen…Reports Asian Lite News

An official of the Yemeni government said that interventions by key regional powers have noticeably increased in the war-ravaged Arab country during the past weeks.

“The ongoing military conflict is mainly prolonged by the interventions of regional powers that are deliberately seeking to abort the Saudi-led coalition’s role in Yemen,” Xinhua news agency quoted the official as saying on Monday.

“The international community’s efforts aimed at achieving a comprehensive political solution and ending Yemen’s conflict are repeatedly impeded by the recent regional interventions,” he added.

Meanwhile, another official of Aden’s local authority said Turkey, Qatar and Iran “are increasing their presence” in Yemen, “particularly in the country’s southern part”.

“Local Yemeni political factions are now receiving support from those countries to confront the Saudi-led coalition,” he said.

Last week, the security forces of Aden seized a humanitarian Turkish team for several hours in the southern port city controlled by the UAE-backed southern forces.

The security forces transferred the Turkish team to the headquarters of the Saudi-led coalition in Aden for investigations before their release, according to local sources.

The reasons for seizing the Turkish team were not revealed by the authorities but apparently linked to the conflicting regional interventions in Yemen, the sources added.

The Houthi rebels allied with Iran launched a large military campaign and seized the capital Sanaa in late 2014, forcing Yemen’s internationally-recognized President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and his government to flee to Aden.

Later, the pro-Houthi forces supported by armoured vehicles attacked Aden, forcing Hadi to escape to neighbouring Saudi Arabia.

A Saudi-led coalition intervened militarily and began pounding Houthi-controlled Sanaa in March 2015, in response to an official request from Hadi to protect Yemen.

Now three-quarters of the Yemeni population, or more than 22 million people, urgently need some form of humanitarian assistance, including 8.4 million who struggle to find their next meal.

Also read:Yemen’s govt forces capture key military base

Scheduled to end on Tuesday, the three-day talks in Cairo seek to identify the mechanisms of a settlement in Libya and the framework of a new constitution for the war-torn country….Reports Asian Lite News

Egypt hosted a new round of negotiations between Libya’s two rival administrations represented in members of Libya’s Tobruk-based House of Representatives and the High Council of State.

During the talks on Sunday, sponsored by the UN, Director of Egypt’s General Intelligence Service Abbas Kamel reiterated the country’s commitment to the UN-led efforts for a peaceful settlement in Libya, Xinhua news agency reported.

“It is time to fulfil the aspirations of the Libyan people for stability through pushing forward the political path so that Libya can have a constitution that defines authorities and responsibilities until reaching presidential and parliamentary elections,” Kamel said during the meeting.

Scheduled to end on Tuesday, the three-day talks in Cairo seek to identify the mechanisms of a settlement in Libya and the framework of a new constitution for the war-torn country.

Meanwhile, Libya’s interim government appreciated Egypt’s effective role in preserving the security and unity Tripoli, calling on the parties to adhere to the outcome of the the talks.

Libya has been locked in a civil war since the ouster and killing of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

The situation escalated in 2014, splitting power between two rival governments: the UN-backed Government of National Accord based in the capital Tripoli and another in the northeastern city of Tobruk allied with eastern-based military commander Khalifa Haftar.

In June, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi announced a Cairo-led initiative to end the Libyan internal conflict following his meeting with Haftar and Tobruk-based parliament speaker Aguila Saleh.

Also read:UN to resume intra-Libyan talks

UNSMIL confirmed that it will strive to ensure broad consultations, transparency, and a rights-based approach during this “Libyan-led and Libyan-owned” process…Reports Asian Lite News

The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has announced the resumption of inclusive intra-Libyan political and military talks.

A statement posted on the UNSMIL’s website on Saturday said the goal of the resumed Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) will be “to generate consensus on a unified governance framework and arrangements” that will lead to the holding of early national elections in order to restore Libya’s sovereignty and the democratic legitimacy of Libyan institutions, reports Xinhua news agency.

“Participants in the LPDF will be drawn from key Libyan constituencies, based on the principles of inclusivity, fair geographic, ethnic, political, tribal, and social representation, and with a firm commitment to the meaningful participation of Libyan women and youth,” the statement said.

UNSMIL confirmed that it will strive to ensure broad consultations, transparency, and a rights-based approach during this “Libyan-led and Libyan-owned” process.

“Responding to the recommendation received from a great majority of Libyan constituencies, UNSMIL has made it a requirement for the participants to the LPDF to recuse themselves from political and sovereign positions in any new executive arrangement and to convene in good faith, with a spirit of cooperation and solidarity in the interest of their nation and to refrain from the use of hate speech and incitement to violence,” the statement said.

It also urged a complete stand-down of all military maneuvers and reinforcements to enable an agreement on a lasting ceasefire, including a demilitarized zone in central Libya, as well as to create the space for constructive political discussions.

“The UN calls on all Libyans to take full advantage of this window of opportunity to restore lasting peace, security, prosperity, human rights and accountability for the Libyan people who have endured years of protracted conflict and political fragmentation,” it said.

According to the statement, the LPDF will be held according to a hybrid formula through a series of virtual sessions as well as face-to-face meetings, in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Amid escalating violence and political division, Libya has been struggling to make a democratic transition ever since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi’s government in 2011.

The country has since been subject to escalating violence and chaos.

The situation escalated in 2014, splitting power between the UN-backed Government of National Accord based in Tripoli and the House of Representatives allied with the eastern-based Libyan National Army led by Khalifa Haftar.

Also read:UAE reaffirms call for peaceful settlement in Libya