The weekly newsletter from 30th april to 6th of May 2021
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Egypt
The Prime Minister approves exceptional measures for a period of two weeks to limit the spread of Covid-19
The head of the council of ministers, Dr. Mustafa Madbouly, announced a number of measures to deal with the third wave of Corona, provided that they will be applied for a period of two weeks, as the closing dates for shops, malls, cafes, cafeterias, cafes, restaurants, cinemas and theatres will be at 9 p.m., in order to reduce the crowding that is being witnessed in these areas. At the same time a home delivery service will be allowed, provided that restaurants continue to provide food delivery to homes beyond the date of the closure of these facilities, but during the next two weeks, any meetings, conferences, events or artistic celebrations will be banned in any facilities during This stage.
The head of the council of Ministers announced that Eid al-Fitr vacation is limited to 5 days. He added during a press conference on Wednesday, that the holiday starts from next Wednesday to Sunday, May 16, and indicated that parks and public beaches will be completely closed during the next two weeks as part of the decisions taken to confront the Corona pandemic crisis during Eid al-Fitr period. Also, regular transportation will work normally, while the use of group buses for trips will be limited, and Eid prayers will be dealt with just as Friday prayers were dealt with, so it will only be allowed in mosques where Friday prayers are held and that apply precautionary measures with a prohibition on accompanying children.
Rafale hovers over the French economy
The website of the Ministry of Defence announced that the Egyptian Armed Forces and the French “Dassault Aviation” company signed a contract to supply 30 Rafale aircraft. The ministry did not disclose the value of the deal, but it made clear that the financing will be done through a financing loan that may last up to ten years. The French “Disclose” website, which examined a copy of the contracts, revealed that the deal covers three contracts, worth about 3.95 billion euros. The first includes the purchase of 30 “Rafale” fighter jets at a value of 3.75 billion euros, and the other two at a value of 200 € 1 million with MBDA, a French-based missile consortium and avionics manufacturer Safran Electronics & defence.
It is noteworthy that the website reported this news from a French government source that discussions with Egypt regarding the deal are in a very advanced stage, and that an announcement may be issued very soon, just one day before the Egyptian Ministry of defence website published the announcement of the conclusion of the contract. Egypt and France concluded the first contracts concerning the supply of “Rafale” aircraft in 2015, when the two sides contracted to supply 24 aircraft. In the same year, for the Egyptian Air Force, and this was the first time France sold this aircraft to another country, according to Reuters.
Maadi harasser; a court ruling of rigorous imprisonment
On Tuesday, the Cairo Criminal Court decided to sentence the accused of harassing the Maadi girl inside a property, with a 10 years’ imprisonment. During the previous session, the defendant’s defence solicitated the court to place the accused in a psychiatric hospital under observation to find out whether he was sick or not, claiming that he suffers from a temporary condition of illness and that his work as a security supervisor confirms that this behaviour is impossible from a person of full mental strength.
The North Mansoura Prosecutor’s Office decided, on Sunday morning, to renew the detention of political activist Mohamed Adel, for a period of 15 precautionary days, in Case N° 4118- 2018 for the administrative of Sherbin. In the case, Adel faces charges of broadcasting, publishing and broadcasting false news and data, the participation of a terrorist group with knowledge and promotion of its objectives, and the misuse of a means of social media.
Cairo Criminal Court also renewed the imprisonment of human rights lawyer Mohamed Al-Baqer, blogger and activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah for 45 days in Case N°1356-2019 Supreme State Security, and publisher Ismail Al-Qamari for 45 days in Case No°810- 2019 Supreme State Security and lawyer Mohab El-Abrashi for 45 days in the case N°1898- 2019 Supreme State Security.
Five Egyptian human rights organizations announced today a list of seven necessary, specific and urgent measures to stop the unprecedented deterioration in the human rights situation in Egypt over the past years. The five organizations said that the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms, and the Foundation for Freedom of Thought and Expression, The Nadeem Centre against Violence and Torture, and the Arab Network for Human Rights Information – The seven steps represent the minimum set of measures that are all capable of immediate implementation and before tomorrow morning, once a political decision to accept them is issued. It added that the implementation of these first seven steps or not is the real test of the seriousness of any official pledges that have been hesitant in recent times about reforms or “breakthroughs” in the human rights file, and the five Egyptian organizations called on all civil society institutions, parties, unions, individuals and Egyptian communities abroad, as well as regional and international bodies to adopt these seven steps which are considered minimum demands that must be implemented immediately as that they are naturally followed by procedures, reforms and other steps that are irreplaceable to stop the systematic violations of the rights of Egyptians.
The seven steps are:
- 1. The release of political prisoners who are being held in pretrial detention or who have been sentenced from all political currents, that count to thousands, for their peaceful activities.
- 2. End the prolonged and open-ended pretrial detention and stop the "rotation" of political prisoners as defendants in several cases to keep them in prisons.
- 3. Lifting the state of emergency imposed since 2017 in violation of the constitution and used to deny all basic freedoms and fair trial rights.
- 4. Postponing the implementation of all death sentences issued in criminal or political cases and submitting them to a specialized committee for a presidential pardon before their implementation.
- 5. End the criminal prosecution for extension
- 6. Withdrawing the draft on the Personal Status Law and launching a community dialogue on a fair family law that guarantees equal rights for women.
- 7. Lifting the blocking of internet sites and digital newspapers, which results into over 600 blocked websites, in violation of the law and without a court ruling.
The Renaissance Dam; stalled negotiations and calls for American intervention in order to save the negotiations from Ethiopian intransigence
The exchange of statements between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan continue regarding the Renaissance Dam crisis, the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the threat of the two downstream countries as useless, while the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Dina Mufti, accused them, in a press statements, of not seeking the success of the efforts of the African Union, and their departure from it more than nine For his part, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said during the conference launching the second phase of the economic reform program that Egypt is dealing with all its fronts to deal with the Renaissance Dam crisis, adding that the government is treating sewage, agricultural and industrial water, and is working on desalination of sea water, to face limited water resources.
On Thursday, the Egyptian ambassador to the United States, Moataz Zahran, called on the administration of US President Joe Biden to intervene to find a peaceful solution with the Ethiopian side regarding the Renaissance Dam crisis, warning against exploiting the forces of terrorism and extremism for the unrest that will result from this conflict in the region according to Zahran’s article in the American “Foreign Policy” magazine. Zahran urged in the article titled “Washington the only saviour of the Renaissance Dam negotiations that ” Biden should act now to reset the stalled negotiations and achieve a fair solution for all parties”. Zahran called on the United Nations, the European Union and the United States to support the process of mediation, led by the African Union, to cut the way before pointing fingers wrongly, as it will not be feasible to question the impartiality of all these partners, led by the African Union president.
Last month, the US National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan, announced his country’s readiness to provide aid to Ethiopia in resolving the Renaissance Dam crisis, as well as the border dispute between Ethiopia and Sudan, in a phone call between the American and Ethiopian sides, but Ethiopia insists, according to official statements, to reject Any mediation outside the African Union, which makes potential mediators reluctant to intervene directly.
In the same regard, but locally, the civil democratic movement – a political grouping that includes a group of public figures and political parties – expressed, in a statement, its full support for every approach aimed at preserving Egypt’s rights in the Nile River, considering that the positions of the Ethiopian side are an existential threat. The movement affirmed the legitimacy of using all resources of force, including military force, to defend the right to water and life, expressing its refusal to price water or change the map of the basin countries by including new parties.
The high rate of Corona infections, and government assurances of the readiness of the health system
For the first time since last January, the officially declared daily Corona infections exceeded the 1000 threshold. In continuation of the gradual increase in the number of infections observed during the last week, which was attributed by the advisor to the President of the Republic for Health and Preventive Affairs, Muhammad Awad Tajuddin, in a television intervention, to the gatherings during the month of Ramadan ,the lack of commitment of citizens to the precautionary measures which led to the infection of entire families. On the other hand, and in denying a rumour about the deterioration of the health system, the Council of Ministers announced in a statement, yesterday, the availability of more than 45% of the bed capacity in isolation hospitals, and 50% in university isolation hospitals in All parts of the country, in addition to increasing the number of intensive care beds and ventilators in anticipation of the increase in numbers.
For the first time since last January, the officially declared daily Corona infections exceeded the 1000 threshold. In continuation of the gradual increase in the number of infections observed during the last week, which was attributed by the advisor to the President of the Republic for Health and Preventive Affairs, Muhammad Awad Tajuddin, in a television intervention, to the gatherings during the month of Ramadan ,the lack of commitment of citizens to the precautionary measures which led to the infection of entire families. On the other hand, and in denying a rumour about the deterioration of the health system, the Council of Ministers announced in a statement, yesterday, the availability of more than 45% of the bed capacity in isolation hospitals, and 50% in university isolation hospitals in All parts of the country, in addition to increasing the number of intensive care beds and ventilators in anticipation of the increase in numbers.
Tunisia
The controversy over the Constitutional Court bill continues d uring this week, as after it was returned by the President of the Republic and many accusations were held against him, the Council postponed its consideration several times to finally discuss it during the plenary session on Tuesday 4 May 2021, and Abir Moussi did not fail to mark her presence before this the session, as she appeared wearing a bullet-proof jacket to protect herself and carry out her duties. She attended the plenary session wearing a helmet and bulletproof vest, fearing for her physical safety after her personal guard was prevented from accompanying her inside the halls of Parliament.
Indeed, the Organic Law relating to the amendment of Organic Law N°50- 2015 dated December 3, 2015 related to the Constitutional Court, after it was remanded by the President of the Republic for a second reading, was voted on by 141 yes, 10 retention and 15 refusal. The Assembly of the Representatives of the People is also hearing this week during the plenary session on Monday, May 3, 2021, the Minister of National Defence, the Minister of Transport and Logistics, the Acting Minister of Industry, Energy and Mines, and the Minister of Trade and Export Development, which did not convince some MPS, such as Representative YassinE Ayari, who suggested challenging the constitutionality of this law BEFORE the Interim Commission for Monitoring the Constitutionality of Projects Laws by 30 deputies.
Ennahda cleans its image internationally through the continuous statements and displays of the Free Constitutional party
Ennahda highlights its presence as usual by issuing statements and expressing its position on the prevailing situation in the country. On Wednesday April 28th , the Ennahda movement renewed, in a communiqué , its condemnation of the heinous terrorist operation that killed the French Security guard, and Ennahdha expressed after the statement issued by a number One of the Tunisian associations about its extreme surprise of the inclusion of its name and the falsely claim that it promotes speeches inciting hatred, discord and violence in a blatant effort to discredit and offend it nationally and internationally. Ennahda condemned all parties that proficiently take part in disinformation speeches, falsifying facts, and investing in domestic and international tragedies in order to liquidate domestic and international tragedies, something that Ben Ali and his media arsenal were unable to achieve.
On the other hand, the Free Constitutional party continues its display by organizing a car rally on Saturday 1st of May. The display ended after reaching the Kasbah Square, passing through the Bardo Square, where emblems against Parliament head Rachid Ghannouchi and his demand to resign, were raised in addition to holding the chief of government Hichem Mechichi responsible for the spread of The epidemic in Tunisia.
Saiied renews his statements that confirm his determination to lead the armed forces
During his visit to the closed military zone in El-Chaambi mountains, the President of the Republic stressed the need to protect the Tunisian state from divisions, stressing again that the security and military armed forces remain under the leadership of the President of the Republic who is the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.
Criticism of the government during the visit to Washington about the IMF negotiations, and an important development from the UGTT
The most important feature of government work for this period was the government delegation’s visit to Washington to negotiate with the International Monetary Fund to discuss the financing program for economic reforms. “I Watch” organization monitored this visit and issued a statement expressing its condemnation of the government obfuscation on the proposed program and strategy days before traveling to Washington, especially since this decision relates to policies that are supposed to be published to the public, as well as the serious consequences of the continuous borrowing on the rights of the new generations that should not bear the prosthetic policies adopted by the ruling parties during the past years or the misappropriation of public funds. It also expressed its surprise at the lack of participation of civil society organizations in the “House of Wisdom” meetings for economic reform in order to present an integrated strategy that would take into account the legitimate expectations of the Tunisian people and that these meetings are limited to the “elite” who support the government only. Its fear of this reform program and its negative repercussions on justice and social welfare, and on the sovereign crisis that Tunisia has been experiencing for years.
The chief of government continued his work by supervising the cabinet meeting, which at the beginning of its work reviewed a statement on the current health situation in light of the continuing spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. He also heard a statement about preparations for the national exams, the 2021 session. After deliberation and discussion, the Cabinet approved a number of Bills of laws and draft government orders:
- A draft law relating to the approval of an agreement between the government of the Republic of Tunisia and the government of the Russian Federation in the field of international road transport.
- A draft governmental decree related to the expropriation for the public interest of plots of land located in the governorate of Tunis necessary for the completion of the X4 road and the Ex20 road.
- A draft governmental decree related to creating a social and educational complex for children with autism spectrum disorders and controlling its administrative and financial organization and the methods of its management.
- A draft governmental decree relating to the appointment of a supervisory authority over public enterprises and public enterprises that does not have an administrative character.
- A draft governmental decree related to setting the conditions for the application of the special system for compensation for damages resulting from the internal security forces ’employees due to work accidents and occupational diseases on students of primary training schools for these forces.
In an important development, the statements of the Secretary-General of the UGTT caused great controversy, as Taboubi called, on the occasion of May 1, 2021, the Assembly of the Representatives of the People to come out of what he described as a quagmire of demagogic rivalries and showmanship practices and to prevent the deputies from invoking parliamentary immunity to violate public security, insult state institutions, and disgracefully attack the President of the Republic and discrediting him internally and externally with serious charges. Also, Taboubi called on the Presidency of Parliament to stop making double standards in dealing with deputies and the majority to stop considering the Council an exclusive property, as he called Parliament to abstain from exercising guardianship over constitutional bodies to direct their work, like what is happening with the Supreme Commission for Audiovisual Communication (HAICA), and demands that it creates the remaining bodies and establishes the Constitutional Court on the basis of competence, not quotas.
Significant decline in the file of freedoms, human rights and independent bodies
Violations of human rights continue to exist, as there is an increase in violence and torture against prisoners and detainees. The violations extended to the extent of detaining mentally ill detainees in detention centres, where the head of the regional bar association in Sousse issued a statement explaining these violations that affected nearly twenty citizens who were included in decisions of mandatory accommodation while being imprisoned, and after it became clear that this was due to the lack of beds in the specialized hospital and the lack of a competent human framework.
On the other hand, and with regard to the crisis that occurred between the HAICA and the Public Prosecution at the First Instance Court of Zaghouan, following the complaint submitted by MP Said Jaziri against the HAICA, the Public Prosecution of the First Instance Court of Zaghouan considered in an explanatory statement , as a result of the systematic media campaign directed against it by some of its affiliates To the HAICA, that the allegations and accusations reported in that campaign are nothing more than fabrications and fallacies aimed at plunging the judiciary into political disputes and pressure on it and directing it towards violating the law and bias towards one side without the other. Attending the researcher to hear them, considering that it is a reason for her not to accept the prosecution office according to the provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedures that relate to public policy, and considered that the refusal of the defendants to attend investigative work is a breach of the principles of equality before the law, disrespect for the authority of the judiciary and undermines its independence and prestige.
The pressure and threats to the media sector continue, as the National Syndicate of Tunisian Journalists recorded, during the period between May 1, 2020 and April 30, 2021, 206 attacks, according to what was presented by the representative of the Violations Monitoring Unit. The attacks varied from verbal, physical and virtual ones, to the theft of work tools and attempts to prevent them from obtaining information.
Strikes that involve many sectors
A number of holders of tobacco selling licenses protested today in front of the headquarters of the National Tobacco and Restriction Agency, against the decision to sell cigarettes in large commercial spaces, considering that this decision threatens their livelihoods.
In a follow-up to the engineers’ strike in the public sector, which is still going on, the Deanship of Engineers issued a statement, stating that, following the meeting held on Tuesday between the chief of government and the Dean of Engineers, “The Deanship was informed of the government’s approval to withdraw the special grant for all engineers of public institutions and establishments without an exception is according to the February 16, 2021 session, while the Deanship confirmed that the open strike continues until the interests of the chief of government fulfill their obligations and send all correspondence to all concerned public institutions and establishments without exception.
On the other hand, the Syndicate for Public Accountancy and Extraction in Tunisia announced the entry into a protest strike from Thursday, April 29 to May 5, 2021. This move comes according to the union’s statement following the failure of the negotiation session of the General University for Planning and Finance with the Ministry of Finance and posterior to what was described as the intransigence of the Minister of Economy. The financial and investment support that led to anger and tension among the public accountants and extractive staff in Tunisia led to the immediate closure of all workplaces.
In the context of the health sector, the General Syndicate of doctors, Pharmacists and Dentists for Public Health will carry out on 3, 4 and 5 May a sectoral strike that includes all health services, including vaccinations against Covid-19 and sample collection. This strike solely excludes doctors working in emergency departments and sections of blood filtering units. However, they shall carry the red badge during the days of the strike. The decision to strike comes after negotiations with the supervisory authority that have stalled, especially with regard to the revision of decree n°341-2019, enabling doctors working in public health to pass automatically and unconditionally to a doctor specializing in family medicine, creating a grant of pandemics and epidemics, delineating temporary and contracting doctors, as well as procrastinating in issuing Decision to create a committee to draft the organic law.
A mass of corruption cases, most notably the manipulation of vaccines and the violation of the principle of priority
In a follow-up to the developments in corruption cases this week, the Criminal Department of the Court of First Instance in Jendouba condemned all the referred contractors, administrative employees and regional officials in what has become known as suspicion of corruption cases relating to public procurement. The punishment is imprisonment and deprivation of all public jobs and the right to vote as well as a fine for the benefit of the state with sums of money. Moreover, all legal expenses were charged upon them, according to the official spokesperson for the Jendouba courts. The judgments issued after a session before Monday in two cases published before the criminal circuit since 2020 range between five and 46 years of incarceration.
With regard to vaccination, “I Watch” organization closely monitored the vaccination campaign and the violations that took place. As a result, as the organization revealed that government members began to vaccinate in a clear violation of the principle of priority. Parliament MP “Mongi Rahoui” denounced this through his Facebook post, saying that Surreptitiously inseminating members of the government is a crime.
However, the Ennahda deputy, Arwa Ben Abbes, did not follow Rahoui’s advice and vaccinated surreptitiously in breach of the principle of priority, as well as without receiving a message from EVAX (the governmental platform sat forth for the matter) to do so. “I Watch” organization strongly denounced this matter and expressed its dissatisfaction with the return to practices of opportunism and favouritism.
The head of the Parliament’s Health and Social Affairs Committee, Ayechi Zammel, confirmed that the audit carried out by the Accounting Department regarding the management of funds for the 1818 Fund is in its final stages, and that the data published according to the Ministry of Health included expenditures relating to the purchase of drones and customs expenses to redeem donations, considering that these expenses are a diversion of fund’s expenses.
Lack of oxygen and a slow vaccination campaign
The danger of the health situation is doubling and increasing daily, as on Wednesday, April 28th, Tunisia reached a new record of 119 deaths within one day, and the hypoxia crisis in the regional hospital, Hussein Bouziane, in Gafsa, and the two university hospitals, Hadi Chaker and Habib Bourguiba in Sfax, witnessed a significant shortage of the quantities of oxygen, which necessitated the transport of a large number of covid patients by ambulance to the military hospital in the region.
In order to speed up the vaccination process, and to avoid overcrowding in the vaccination centres, the Ministry of Health has opened 9 additional vaccination centres in each of:
- Ben Arous governorate: Hammam Chatt.
- Gabes Governorate: Mareth.
- Sidi Bouzid governorate: Regueb.
- Tunis Governorate: Bardo and Sidi Hussein.
- Ariana: Soukra and Raoued,
- Sfax Governorate: Kerkennah.
- Sfax Governorate: Kerkennah. Sousse Governorate: Enfidha
Libiya
The constitutional rule was put forward for discussing and deciding on it in order to hold the December elections
This week, the UN envoy to Libya Jan Kubiš referred the constitutional rule for the upcoming elections in Libya to the National Dialogue Forum, for adjudication. A member of the legal committee of the National Dialogue Forum, Abdelkader Ahwili, said that Kubiš referred the final version of the constitutional rule draft proposal for the elections that the legal committee came out with. Before the plenary session, Ahwili confirmed that the upcoming session of the National Dialogue Forum, which is scheduled to take place on May 26, immediately after the Eid, will settle the contentious issues and approve the constitutional basis for the elections expected to be held at the end of this year.
For her part, a member of the legal committee of the National Dialogue Forum, Amal Bouqaiks, said in statements on her official Facebook page that the constitutional basis for elections is an amendment to the constitutional declaration on the basis of which parliamentary and presidential elections will be held first, and the referendum on the draft constitution will be postponed at the present time. Bouqaiks explained that the new elected authority will ensure the formation of a committee for constitutional amendments that will work on contentious articles in cooperation with the Constitutional Drafting Assembly, provided that, after their amendment, they are submitted to the new House of Representatives (serving a period of 4 years), which must complete the referendum within its term of office. The member of the Legal Committee of the Forum of National Dialogue stated that the rule referred the mechanism for electing the president as well as the constitutional oath formula to be resolved by the public forum. About the differences over the legal oath, some demanded that the oath consists of loyalty to the country and not to the February Revolution, while others demanded that the new constitutional oath be enshrined with the permanent constitution, considering that the revolution has not ended, according to Buqaiks, who noted that these differences and other issues will be resolved by the Libyan National Dialogue Forum.
The UN envoy to Libya considered in his speech that he sent to the National Dialogue Forum, that the final version represents a common ground reached by the Legal Committee, indicating that the text, which dissatisfies a particular group, is the most compromise that could be achieved. He explained that the draft will be presented for discussion and deliberations, and it is expected that the National Forum will work to improve it, find solutions to the pending items, and reach the consensus required to approve the draft of constitutional rule for the elections of the upcoming December 24th. Faced with this, Kubiš called the members of the National Dialogue Forum to show a spirit of responsibility and reach the same constructive consensus that allowed the achievement of a lot in this process for the sake of Libya
Aqilah clarifies what if there is no agreement over the constitutional rule!
In the same context, the president of the Parliament, Counselor Agila Saleh, stressed the need to adhere to the date of the presidential and parliamentary elections, explaining that the situation occurs in the event of a lack of consensus on the constitutional basis for the elections. This came during a meeting with Aqilah in his office in the city of Al-Qubba, with the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations to Libya Jan Kubiš. The two sides discussed the situation in Libya, the government’s performance during the past period, and the role of the House of Representatives during this period to reach the elections scheduled for next December, according to a statement issued by the assembly.
Aqilah explained that if the Forum for Political Dialogue agrees on a constitutional basis for conducting elections, it must be “referred to the House of Representatives for approval and inclusion in the Constitutional Declaration, but if the Forum does not agree on a constitutional rule,”. The House of Representatives Resolution No°5-2014 to conduct presidential elections will be implemented directly from the people, according to the president of Parliament, who said that the proposal for the President’s election bill from the people is ready to be presented to the assembly.
Turkey contributes to obstructing the exit of foreign forces and mercenaries in Libya for the sake of its interests
The US Department of Defence affirmed the US’s readiness to continue pressure to achieve the withdrawal of all foreign forces from the territory of Libya. US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence, Laura. K. Cooper, said during a conference of the Atlantic Council in Washington: “We continue to follow the developments of the situation in Libya. The complete withdrawal of all external forces, which was agreed upon internationally”. Cooper added: We will be ready to continue to maintain pressure in the event that this does not happen.
Despite the continued pressure, Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar insisted that the presence of Turkish soldiers in Libya was aimed at protecting the rights and interests of Libyans and helping them, while stressing the importance of the sovereignty and independence of Libya. Akar said, during a meeting he had with Turkish soldiers working in Libya at an event attended by Libyan military leaders, headed by Chief of Staff Muhammad Al-Haddad, that Turkey “will continue to stand by brotherly and friendly countries in their just causes and defend their rights and interests.”
Also, he pointed out that the two countries have a common history and values, saying: “Therefore, the presence of Turkish soldiers in Libya comes from protecting the rights and laws of their brothers and helping them.” “The sovereignty and independence of Libya are important, and there were a set of problems upon our arrival, and we made all possible efforts day and night, on land, air and sea, in order to eliminate these problems,” he added. “And we got important results, and Turkey and its Libyan brothers continue to work side by side to modernize and organize the Libyan armed forces,”
Akar stressed that the important matter now is to establish peace and tranquillity in Libya and the continuation of the ceasefire, and stressed the need to support the Libyan government headed by Abdul Hamid al-Dabaiba, indicating that Turkey will do everything it can to maintain a climate of calmness in Libya until elections are held next December. Akar also ensured that the Turkish presence in Libya is very important in terms of protecting its interests and rights in the eastern Mediterranean, and that Ankara continues its activities in the eastern Mediterranean, including the Maritime Authority Zones Agreement with Libya.
These statements came after the foreign affairs minister of Libya Najla Manqouch called, during a meeting with her Turkish counterpart, for withdrawal of all external forces and mercenaries from Libya as the country is getting closer to the upcoming December elections.
An American intelligence report reveals: Foreign forces and mercenaries may destroy the political path again
Despite all these attempts to stabilize the ceasefire agreement and keep away from the atmosphere of war, the annual report of the US intelligence, known as the annual threat assessment, revealed that the situation in Libya may flare up at any moment this year despite the limited political, economic and security progress in the country, and the report said that the crises facing the government now are the same that prevented previous governments from advancing reconciliation. This time, the file of the presence of foreign mercenaries on Libyan soil added to it.
The report, issued by the US Senate Intelligence Committee, continued that instability in Libya will continue further, and that the data indicate that the military conflict may erupt at any moment as the situation may get out of control and escalate to a wider conflict.
The report added, “The Libyan factions are struggling to resolve their differences, but foreign powers are still continuing to exercise their influence and effect inside Libya, indicating at the same time that foreign powers are likely to continue their financial and military support to their proxies, and that there will be a potential flashpoint regarding whether Turkey is committed to the ceasefire that was mediated by the United Nations in October 2020 and that calls for the departure of the mercenaries.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees announced, Tuesday, May 4, 2021, that more than 700 migrants have been returned to Libya in recent days, and the spokeswoman for the Italy branch of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Carlotta Sami, said in a tweet, that “among the mentioned migrants there were children as well as people who need help”. Sami added that these migrants will end up in arbitrary detention indefinitely, and they will risk further violations by human traffickers. “Libya is not a safe haven.”
This statement comes after Ahmed Makhlouf, head of the immigration department of the Libyan Red Crescent, confirmed that the bodies of nearly 50 people who were killed, after an illegal immigration boat sank off the coast of the Libyan city of Zawiya. He also added in an exclusive statement to “Cairo 24”, that there are Egyptians among the bodies that were recovered, but their number has not been determined yet, in addition to other African nationalities. He indicated that among the deceased, 3 whole families were on their way to Europe through illegal immigration, explaining that the rescue crews have not yet finished retrieving the rest of the victims and injured of the accident. The United Nations Migration Agency had stated that a boat carrying illegal immigrants who were on their way to Europe capsized in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Libya
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) mission in Libya was infected with (Covid-19)
On Sunday, the head of the World Health Organization’s mission in Libya, Elizabeth Hoff, was infected with the new Coronavirus, and the organization’s office reported that Elizabeth had performed a “PCR” test for (Covid-19) and the result was positive, indicating that she had recently received the 1st dose of the Covid-19 vaccine
The organization added, on its website, that Hoff is currently not experiencing any symptoms and is spending a two-week home self-isolation period, and the World Health Organization has called on all at-risk groups to receive the Coronavirus vaccine, and to continue to take all preventive measures, in order to reduce the risk of serious diseases. The Libyan health authorities announced the registration of 363 new cases of corona, 10 deaths, and 525 people recovered, within 24 hours, and the National Center for Disease Control in Libya said in a statement that the capital, Tripoli, witnessed the largest number of new infections, with 223 infetions and 410 recoveries, while there were not any deaths. It indicated that the total number of people who are infected with Coronavirus in Libya rose to 177,871 including 11,116 active cases, and 3039 people deceased.
Last update : 06/05/2021 - 15:00
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