The weekly newsletter from 30th april to 6th of May 2021
This post is also available in:
Arabic
Egypt
The legislative authority approves bills submitted by the government
The House of Representatives, during its plenary session today headed by Counsellor Hanafi Jabali, approved Article 8 of the bill of law submitted by the government regarding some conditions for occupying or continuing jobs, which provides for the termination of the service of an employee who has abused drugs. It stipulates that the Prime Minister, after approval by the Council of Ministers, shall issue the executive regulations for this law within two months from the date of issuance of the law based on a joint proposal from the Minister charged with Social Solidarity Affairs and the Minister charged with health and population affairs. In Spite of their proven use of narcotic substances, the provision of explicit legal texts whereby those who have been proven to have consumed narcotic substances can be suspended from work, protection of public facilities, and the lives of citizens from the imminent danger that drug abusers may cause in their job, as well as expanding the scope of the validity of the law in a way that provides It has a wide coverage to accommodate all employers and workers of the state.
The House of Representatives also approved, during its plenary session headed by Counselor Dr. Hanafi Jabali, à priori a draft law submitted by the government to amend some provisions of the Penal Code, which includes the criminalization of filming in criminal courts without prior permission, The Legislative Committee stated in its report that the bill came in agreement with the provisions of the constitution and the negative aspects of the practical reality in this regard, and referred to the draft agreement with Article 96 §1 of the constitution, which includes that the accused is innocent until proven guilty in a fair legal trial, as well as Article 187 , which stipulates that court hearings are public unless the court decides its confidentiality in observance of public order or morals, and in all cases the pronouncement of judgment shall be in an open and public hearing.
The Egyptian authorities executed the death sentence against the monk stripped of his rank, Wael Saad Tawadros, convicted of murdering the bishop of the monastery of Anba Makar in Wadi al-Natrun in northern Egypt. Tawadros had admitted committing the crime in association with another person, the monk Feltaous al-Maqari, which prompted the Coptic Orthodox Church to impose strict new measures related to monasticism. The family of the monk stripped of his rank, Wael Saad Tawadros, who was convicted of killing a bishop, confirmed that the Egyptian authorities carried out the death sentence. The Coptic Church was rocked in Egypt in 2018, and in a statement, the Campaign to Stop the Death Penalty in Egypt and the organizations that signed the statement expressed their deep condemnation and rejection of the implementation of the death sentence against the citizen Wael Saad Tawadros whose church name is Father Isaiah Al-Maqari.
It pointed out that besides not allowing the lawyers to be present in the investigation sessions or hearings of the detention order, the monk was referred to the criminal trial, and during the trial sessions Father Isaiah Al-Maqari changed his admission of committing the incident before the second circuit of the Damanhour Criminal Court and assured the court that his confession was the result of material and moral coercion as he was tortured, electrocuted, threatened to confess and forced to represent the incident through the judicial arrest officer who himself was one of the key witnesses in the case and is also in charge of conducting security investigations about the circumstances and circumstances of the incident. But, the court set these demands aside and on April 24, 2019 the Criminal Court issued Its ruling to punish both Father Isaiah Al-Maqari and Father Feltaas Al-Maqari to death by hanging for the accusations attributed to them. However, the Criminal Chamber of Cassation addressed the issue of the case from the first time and decided to reduce the penalty against the father to life imprisonment and uphold the punishment against the monk Isaiah al-Maqari.
The implementation of the death sentence against the citizen Wael Saad by the Prisons Authority sector today comes as a continuation of the approach of the criminal justice system in Egypt to the expansion and excessive use of the punishment, as the Ministry of Interior carried out the death sentence against seventeen of the defendants who were sentenced to final death sentences in the case known in the media of storming the police station Kerdasa, by executing nine citizens on April 26, 2021, and executing eight others on April 28, 2021. This excessive expansion of the implementation of this punishment shows the Egyptian government’s lack of respect for the right to life, which is the inherent right of every human being.
The Vermont criminal case is an example of impunity for the perpetrators
The Public Prosecution in Egypt decided to release those accused of raping a girl in the case known as the Vermont crime due to insufficient evidence and decided that there is no reason to file a criminal case in it temporarily. The Public Prosecution clarified in a statement that it made its decision after conflicting witnesses’ statements, and not being able to obtain the video clip that was said it documents the incident, in addition to the passage of six years posterior to the incident, which caused the lack of certain physical evidence, and the statement added that the investigations concluded that “the defendants located their victim sites without her consent during a private ceremony in 2014, but the evidence was not sufficient to bring them to criminal trial on it. .
The continued renewal of Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh’s detention, up to three years of pretrial detention, and the release of 22, with precautionary measures.
The Criminal Court decided to renew the detention of Dr. Abdel Moneim Abul-Fotouh for 45 days, and he is held precautionarily since February 14, 2018, for more than three years in pretrial detention pending Case No. 440 of 2018 State Security.
The human rights lawyer Khaled Ali and other lawyers announced that the Cairo Criminal Court issued decisions to release 22 of their clients, who are imprisoned in relation to various cases, with precautionary measures. Among the defendants who were released are: Kamal Al-Balshi, brother of the former member of the Council of Journalists, Khaled Al-Balshy. Worker Khalil Rizk Khalil, Mahmoud Reda Badran, Mahmoud Nasr Ghazi, Hani Harun Mahmoud, Muhammad Ali Ahmad Askar, and Muhammad Attiyah al-Sayyid al-Yamani.
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry condemns the occupation forces and denounces its violations against Palestinians
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by the Israeli authorities, stressing the need for the Israeli authorities to assume their responsibility in accordance with the rules of international law. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its deep condemnation and denunciation of the Israeli authorities storming the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and attacking Palestinian Jerusalemites and worshipers, stressing the need for the Israeli authorities to assume their responsibility in accordance with the rules of international law to provide the necessary protection for Palestinian civilians and their right to practice religious rites, as well as to stop any practices that violate the sanctity of the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque and the holy month of Ramadan, or the Arab, Islamic-Christian identity of the city of Jerusalem and its sanctities and a change from the existing historical and legal situation.
In a brutal crime of kidnapping, torture and sexual assaults against 3 South Sudanese refugees … and the perpetrators were arrested
The Refugees in Egypt platform, in a statement posted on its Facebook page, called on the concerned authorities to reveal the investigations into the attacks that took place against three South Sudanese refugees in the Ain Shams area, and a video had been circulating over the past few days, on social media, showing physical abuse and racist expressions from an Egyptian youth against a child from South Sudan, what appeared in the video was part of the incidents of kidnapping, physical and sexual assaults, and torture of a 14-year-old child, and two girls, 16 and 17, all of whom are refugees from South Sudan.
According to the victims and eyewitnesses, the four refugees moved on tuc-tuc at 6 a.m, but several Egyptians pursued them on motorcycles, cut off the tuc-tuc’s road, and raised a pocketknife in their faces to force the girls to get off, but one of them managed to escape, while the attackers attacked the child When he tried to prevent them, they took the two refugees to an apartment on Adam Street, near the Alef Masaken area, and when the child pursued them, the owner of the apartment saw him in the street and asked the assailants to take him inside, and that the three were subjected to sexual and physical assaults, and the assailants cut the hair of one of the refugees. They stripped them of their clothes, photographed them, physically assaulted them, and assaulted the child by burning them with cigarettes and lighters, then forcibly forced them to clean the apartment, and when the neighbours began to gather due to the screams of the three victims, the assailants locked the victims in the building’s lights and fled, later the neighbours released them.
The security services took action after one of the assailants posted the video clip in which the child was being abused, on Tik Tok, and summoned the attacker and his mother, and interrogated them for a whole day in the Ain Shams police station. The owner of the house in which the attack took place was arrested, and three assailants, one of whom was her son and that, through a call from the investigative police, the family of the child victim learned that the prosecution decided to imprison the four.
Egypt is working to manufacture the Russian “Sputnik” vaccine locally, and its goal is Africa
The Egyptian Minister of Health, Hala Zayed, announced that Egypt is working on the local manufacture of the Russian “Sputnik” vaccine, to become available at the end of this year, and indicated in a press conference from within the Holding Company for Biological Preparations and Vaccines, “Vacsera”, that work is underway in this regard in cooperation between One of the private pharmaceutical companies in Egypt and Russia, Zayed added, “Egypt seeks to be a centre for manufacturing and exporting the Coronavirus vaccine to Africa”.
The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights filed a new lawsuit before the State Council to enable prisoners wishing to receive the new Coronavirus vaccine to register their names among those requesting the vaccine, and to transfer them to the designated medical facilities designated by the Ministry of Health and Population to vaccinate prisoners, or to allocate places inside prisons and prepare them to be medical centers. The lawsuit filed in the name of Patrick George Zaki, a researcher at the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, and human rights lawyer Muhammad al-Baqer, who are being held in pretrial detention in the Tora Prisons Complex, demanded that the stay of implementation and cancellation of the negative decision of the Minister of Interior and the Minister of Health to refrain from vaccinating prisoners against Corona Virus .
Tunisia
The Constitutional Court Organic Law’s Train reaches the station of the Interim Authority for Monitoring the Constitutionality of the Laws
The crisis of the Constitutional Court continues for the third week in a row, since after its remanding from the President of the Republic and the constitutional impeachments that were noted against it, the Organic Law related to the amendment of organic Law N° 50- 2015 dated on December 3rd 2015 regarding the Constitutional Court was voted upon after its remanding by the President of the Republic for a 2nd reading, with 141 yes, 10 reserves and 15 No. This did not impress many jurists and MPs, including Representative Yessine Ayari, who, since the vote on the law, declared his intention to challenge this law through a Facebook post which stated that he will prepare an appeal petition signed by 30 deputies which will be filed before the Interim Authority for Monitoring the Constitutionality of Laws on the basis of the same arguments raised by the President of the Republic. Indeed, 33 MPs from the People’s Movement and some deputies from the Democratic Movement, along with some representatives not belonging to the blocs and who are independents, have submitted an appeal.
Everyone interacts to support the Palestinian cause
Parliament Speaker Rached Ghannouchi interacted with the developments of the Palestinian issue, and issued a statement condemning the aggression and calling for the Arab Parliament and the Union of Arab Parliaments to hold an emergency session to discuss ways to strengthen solidarity with the Palestinian people. Tunisia also submitted a request to hold a session of the UN Security Council on May 10, 2021 regarding the dangerous escalation and aggressive practices of the Israeli occupation forces. This request was jointly prepared bby the Presidency of the Republic and the Tunisian Permanent Mission in New York, which in turn coordinated with the Palestinian side.
In another context, and commenting on the bloody events and aggressive practices against the residents of the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood in Palestine, President Kais Saiid called His Excellency the President of the State of Palestine to express his support for the cause. The conversation dealt with the situation in the occupied territories of Palestine, notably the recent crimes committed against unarmed Palestinians. The president Kais Saiid stressed upon Tunisia’s firm position regarding the Palestinian right that is not subject to a prescription limit , its condemnation of all systematic practices and repeated violations on of Al-Aqsa Mosque, expansionist policies and settlement plans, and its willingness to play its natural and historical role in supporting the proud Palestinian people. The President of the Republic made a call on Tuesday, May 11, 2021 by phone to the head of the political bureau of Hamas, Mr. Ismail Haniyeh, during which he stressed Tunisia’s position on the aggression against Al-Quds Al-Sharif. This is a position that goes beyond the usual condemnation and denunciation and other expressions made by the free people of the nation and all the free people in the world. The President of the Republic reminded that Tunisia will spare no effort to stand by the Palestinian brothers in order to recover their right that is being usurped and which cannot be subject to deals or limited by prescription no matter how severe the injustice and aggressions got.
Mechichi holds meetings to provide the vaccine and regarding the issue of illegal migration while the IMF negotiations are kept secret
On Thursday May 06, 2021, the chief of government Hichem Mechichi met with the Russian Ambassador to Tunisia, Sergey Nikolaev, at the Government Palace in Kasbah. On this occasion, the chief of government expressed the depth of the historical relations between Russia and Tunisia, noting that Russia stood by Tunisia during the Covid-19 pandemic by providing quantities of the “Sputnik” vaccine which is trusted by Tunisians. For his part, the Russian ambassador expressed his country’s desire to develop relations with Tunisia in several fields, especially the technological field, recalling in the same context the success of the “One Challenge” satellite, which was built by Tunisian hands and launched from the Russian Soyuz spacecraft.
On the other hand, the chief of government is paying an official visit to Portugal to participate in the Euro-African Conference on Migration. Mechichi is present both as a chief of government and a Minister of Interior. On the issue of immigration, Mechichi, reiterated Tunisia’s position regarding the need to adopt a comprehensive approach that takes in consideration solidarity development and not being restricted to security solutions in dealing with this humanitarian phenomenon. He considered that Tunisia and Portugal share the same values of democracy, human rights and freedom, which greatly facilitates the convergence of views on issues of concern to the region, including migration.
In a follow-up to the latest developments in the IMF negotiations, it is noteworthy to mention that Tunisia asked the Fund for 4 billion dollars to finance its budget and offered the Fund its economic reform program in which the most important points are the lifting of subsidies and the reduction of wages. These are points that have sparked controversy in the Tunisian society as the citizen can no longer sacrifice his rights more, in light of the high cost of living and increase in taxes by waiving support or any other economic privilege. The governmental delegation is being blamed for the intentional blackout surrounding the matter and the absence of communicated related documents as well as absence of citizen participation despite the fact that the issue concerns public affairs. The citizen follows these negotiations through “Reuters” articles and documents leaked by foreign parties.
Attempts to activate dialogue as soon as possible, and proposals to dismiss the government and admit its failure
Speaking about the national dialogue and finding ways to escape from the current political and economic situation, the Secretary-General of the People’s Movement Party, Zouhair Maghzawi, affirmed in a statement on Monday, May 10, 2021 that “the President of the Republic is ready to interact with all parties while he is preoccupied with the situation that the country has developed and is in the process of researching solutions regarding the current crisis” also stressing the need to dismiss the current government and start a national dialogue. The Ettakatol Party acknowledged in a communiqué that the cost of changing the government is much less than the cost of its survival in light of its inability to adopt the necessary health, security and social measures to pull the country out of the crisis, calling for the resignation of the chief of Government and for the immediate launch of a comprehensive national dialogue that brings together all political and social parties.
Regarding the current political crisis, the Speaker of the Assembly Rached Ghannouchi, met on Monday, May 10, 2021 with the Secretary General of the Tunisian General Labour Union, Noureddine Taboubi. This meeting focused mainly on the country’s social, political, economic and health crises and ways out of it through a national dialogue.
Kais Saiid clings to the controversial statements
After the controversy raised by the President’s speech during the celebration of the Internal Security Forces Day, he intensified his visits and meetings with the security agents and the Ministry of the Interior, and he insisted on every occasion mentioning that he heads the armed security forces. The last of these visits were to the Ministry of Interior, where the President of the Republic paid a visit to the headquarters of the Ministry of Interior during which the Director General of National Security, the Commander of the National Guard, the Director General of Civil Protection, and a group of the Ministry’s executives and assistants were present for Iftar. This meeting was an occasion in which the President of the Republic affirmed the unity of the state and the important role that the Ministry of Interior plays as a sovereign ministry. The President confirmed for the third time in a row during this occasion that he is the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.
On Sunday May 9, 2021, a heinous crime that shook public opinion was discovered, as a police agent, in el kef killed his wife by firing 5 bullets at her. Several parts of her body were hit from the police pistol as a result of a family dispute. The husband got arrested by a joint patrol Affiliated to the National Security Zone of El Kef, his weapon was seized. This crime is not any less ugly than the other family crimes and crimes of violence against women, but some of the components of this crime may have contributed to highlighting it, mainly represented in the presentation of a previous complaint by the wife a very short time before the occurrence of the crime. The claim was ignored by the authorities. Secondly, the crime tool represented in a pistol belonging to the internal security forces of Tunisia.
This raises many questions, especially in relation to the application of Law n°58 related to combating violence against women, which despite its entry into force since 2017, it still faces multiple practical difficulties, such as the failure of the police officers to often listen to the battered victim and go as far as urging her to drop the case or even drop the complaint before it reaches court especially if the defendant is a fellow colleague or close friend like Refka’s siuation.
As a result of this crime, the Ministry of Women, Family and Elderly People strongly condemned the recent rise in the level of gender-based domestic violence in Tunisia, especially during the pandemic and during the month of Ramadan. It noted “that domestic violence in particular has reached its peak and has risen to a dangerous criminal character by taking a human life.” Th e ministry warned against normalization with all forms of violence against women, whether in the private or public sphere, which must be dealt with through abandonning impunity that comes after different kinds of violence such as threats through words, deeds, gestures or others, and the necessity of immediate and urgent intervention within the framework of law enforcement since the first violations against the victim so that this threat does not turn into an acceptable practice, which exacerbates it into unpleasant consequences.
Irresponsible governmental decisions lead to civil disobedience throughout the republic
The Presidency of the Government and the National Committee for Confronting the Coronavirus held a press conference for this purpose, following which a new set of measures were taken, as follows:
- Approval of the tightening of precautionary measures and the approval of a general quarantine from Sunday May 09 to May 16, 2021 at 5 a.m.
- Preventing transportation between cities, with the exception of urgent cases and those licensed for basic services, including the vaccination campaign.
- Banning all gatherings and celebrations, including family, sports and cultural celebrations.
- Suspension of attending religious worshipping locations.
- Closing recreational spaces, parks, and various service shops.
- Closing the daily and weekly markets, except for food trade stores.
- Continuing to implement the compulsory quarantine procedures for expatriates.
- The obligation imposed upon everyone who is not concerned with exceptions to adhere to preventive isolation in homes except for the fulfillment of essential needs in order to avoid criminal prosecutions related to the intentional breach of the established measures in a way that causes harm to others and the spread of epidemics.
Following the taking of these measures, which angered the Tunisians, Prime Minister Hicham El Mechichi tried to justify this decision with the recklessness of Tunisians and their reluctance to wear masks and apply the health protocol and continued crowding in public places, and stated that these decisions came as a result of these actions and that Tunisians do not want to change their habits. If the matter continues as it is, the health system will collapse.
Following the announcement of the lockdown, a group of merchants declared protest and civil disobedience against this decision, which they considered unfair, and street vendors in the capital protested after preventing them from working.
A number of merchants in various regions of the republic carried out a civil disobedience and expressed their complete rejection of the lockdown decision, including fish traders in Sfax, and merchants in the city of Nabeul who entered the weekly market to carry out their activities and were prevented by security agents. Sousse, Bizerte and Kebeli witnessed the same protest movement.
For its part, the National Union for the Defence of Individual Taxis called on the chief of government and the Ministry of Transport to reverse the decision to prevent the movement of individual taxis between cities during the lockdown.
For its part, the National Syndicate for the Defense of Individual Taxis called on the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Transport to reverse the decision to prevent the movement of individual taxis between cities during the period of comprehensive quarantine, and the head of the regional chamber of the collective taxi in the state of Tunis considered that the government takes unilateral decisions without consulting the structures, stressing that The professionals did not understand the seemingly unclear procedures regarding their work.
The Regional Union for Industry, Trade and Handicrafts in el Kef also called in a statement of its adherents to continue their activities normally during the lockdown, and expressed its rejection of the government’s decision in which the professional party union was not involved, and threatened disobedience in the event of refusing to resume the activities of all merchants and taxi drivers.
In a communiqué issued on the evening of May 8th , the head of the Sectoral Trade Council of the Regional Union for Industry, Trade and Handicrafts in Monastir denounced the government’s decision to implement a comprehensive quarantine coinciding with the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which is the peak period for the trade sector, especially clothing and shoes.
Suspicious deals for the agency of Ports and Fishing Equipment
A new suspicion of corruption has arisen concerning the dealership of cranes executed by the Agency for Ports and Fishing Equipment, where its agents announced an international bid request, then they selected an Italian contractor and concluded a deal different from the request for bids in terms of equipment specifications, then they began to receive equipment that differ from what was mentioned in the deal contract and the request for offers, As a result, MP Badreddine Gammoudi asked the minister in charge of agriculture to intervene to prevent the implementation of the deal and provided him with all the support, but the agency supervisors rushed to implement the deal and harassed an employee who refused to sign the receipt of equipment for violating the specifications and proceeded to question him and it is expected that he will be referred to the Council of Discipline.
The health situation: the level of warning is very serious and the Minister of Health seeks to rectify the matter:
Dr. Nissaf Ben Alaya confirmed that the epidemiological situation is very dangerous and that the level of warning is very high in all governorates. She added that the positive COVID tests are very high, and the pressure on resuscitation and oxygen beds is too high, notably as concerns more than 180 country. The Minister of Health Fawzi Mehdi is on site in several hospitals and hospital centres to monitor the progress of work. He performed a field visit to the University Hospital, Habib Thameur, in the capital, and in particular, he examined the progress of work in the various departments, which is the same thing he did during his visit to the AL Rabta university hospital. The Minister of Health also went to the port of Rades and supervised the receipt of new shipments of oxygen, as part of the ministry’s plan to upgrade from He coordinated the supply of this material to remedy the shortage in national production, and in the same context, the Minister of Health went to the border crossing in the city of Feriana, in Kasserine, to follow the process of supplying medical oxygen from the Algeria where 7 trucks loaded with 140 thousand litres of Oxygen to support public hospitals in various regions of the country. The Minister of Health continued this movement by inaugurating the largest vaccination centre at the national level in Sfax, which has a capacity of 2,000 people per day
Libiya
It seems that the situation on the political scene in Libya has been tainted by some kind of tension after the state of calm that it has experienced over the past period, but the statements of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and her persistence repeatedly about the exit of mercenaries from Libya, especially her mention of this request within the framework of the press conference that she held with the Turkish Foreign Minister, did not receive the acceptance of many parties in Libya, especially the armed groups affiliated with the western region, which sees the Turkish presence on the Libyan lands as a legitimate presence and a result of the military agreement signed by the former Presidency Council with Turkey during the past year. As such, they also believe that the background of the foreign minister who had previous statements on the war in Tripoli, where it did not take a stand against what the armed groups called the aggression launched by General Khalifa Haftar and his forces, which made these groups demand that Dabaiba remove Al-Manqoush from the ministry. The tension increased between these groups after the decision of the Libyan Presidential Council to appoint a new head of the country’s intelligence service, to purge this important apparatus of militias.
The Libyan Presidential Council assigned Hussein Khalifa al-Aieb to the duties of the head of the intelligence service, instead of Imed Trabelsi, who was appointed by the head of the previous government of reconciliation, Fayez al-Sarraj. Since 2017, where it has been involved in fuel smuggling after clashes in the city of Sabratha. The “Public Security” militia led by Trabelsi has been known to have committed several kidnappings, the last of which is the killing of a young man in the Gout al-Shaal region, according to a previous statement to the people. The aforementioned report indicated that the forces of Trabelsi is paid around 5,000 Libyan dinars (between 800 and 1000 dollars) for each fuel tanker that passes through the checkpoints under its control after changing the route of fuel smugglers on their way to the Zawiya-Bir al-Ghanam road and doubts towards Al-Josh, and Al-Sarraj’s decision to appoint Trabelsi comes within the distribution of militia shares in the positions within the official state, especially since it was Trabelsi’s forces that attempted to establish an armed balance against the Misrata militias that had roamed in Tripoli, in order to force Sarraj to restore Pasha Agha to his post as minister for the interior after getting suspended.
As a result of these steps, an armed military move came after a meeting that included most of the militias in the capital Tripoli, and the so-called “volcano of anger” forces, in which they threatened to besiege the headquarters of the Presidential Council and to use the force of arms if their demands were not met, and the spokeswoman for the Council stated that armed groups stormed the Corinthia Hotel but it also indicated that no one from the council was in the building at that time, and the director of the office of the President of the Presidential Council, Muhammad Al-Mabrouk, said in a video recording on social media sites that this is unfounded. Also, he added that some groups entered the hotel while he was in it and objected to a specific program or decision and did not carry any weapons. They as well wanted to meet with the President of the Council, but he was not present in the hotel. Moreover, he denied what some media came out with as there was no kidnapping, no shooting or assault on himself or assault on the hotel. Al-Mabrouk added that the head of the Presidency Council, who is currently the head of state in Libya, will meet with a number of members of the concerned groups.
Libyan media have reported that armed militia leaders stormed into the headquarters of the Libyan Presidential Council in the capital, Tripoli, to demand the dismissal of the Libyan Foreign Minister, Najla Al-Manqoush, and the withdrawal of the appointment of the head of the intelligence service Hussein Al-Ayeb, in exchange for the preservation of Imad Trabelsi. Video footage showed the moment armed elements attacked the location of the meeting of the Presidential Council, which took place in the “Corinthia” Hotel. They surrounded its entire vicinity with dozens of equipped military vehicles and four-wheel drive vehicles. A speaker in the video demanded that all passing cars be searched, asking: “Where is the manqous?”. This means the Libyan Foreign Minister, Najla Al-Manqoush. In scenes that shocked the Libyans, Muhammad al-Hussan, commander of the 166th Brigade of the Chief of Staff, appeared in a video clip of the meeting, calling for the mobilization and equipping of an armed force to besiege the location of the Presidential Council and the Ministry of Interior, until these demands are implemented, amid anger over the council’s decision to appoint a close relative From the army commander, General Khalifa Haftar, at the head of the intelligence service, and the isolated Libyan Mufti, Sadiq al-Ghariani, issued a call to the “Volcano of Anger” militia to come out against the foreign minister, Al-Manqoush describing her as ” the rude who serves the enemy’s project,” in response to her call for the exit of Turkish forces and mercenaries from her country.
Al Manqoush continues her work steadily and is making a historic visit to the southern region
At the same time, Libyan Foreign Minister Najla Al-Manqoush arrived in the city of Al-Qatrun, the last Libyan city on the southern border, where she met Sheikh Zilawi Mina Saleh al-Tabawi, Sultan of the Tabu component in Libya, which is spread across the Libyan-Chadian border. Omar Ammoura, a member of the municipal council, and Saleh Qalama ,The speaker of the decision of the House of Representatives, were present to receive the minister. She is considered to be the first minister to arrive in Qatrun since the era of the monarchy in Libya in the 1950s. In the course of the meeting, a number of citizens submitted notes containing the needs and requirements of the municipality.
The minister promised she will transfer the real image as well as the memorandums submitted to her to the council of ministers that Manqoush is conducting in the government of national unity. After the end of the meeting, the minister’s motorcade went to the al-Toum border crossing in the far south of Libya with the state of Niger, as part of the visits that Al-Manqoush makes in the southern region with the aim of identifying the general situation in the southern region and learning about the irregular migration conditions and discussing the securing of the borders and conditions in the region following the situation and clashes in neighbouring Chad. Al-Manqoush also surveyed the views of the elites of the region on current issues and the ministry’s priorities in a working visit that includes a meeting with foreign staff and graduates from diplomatic institutes and standing On the situation in general, Al-Manqoush seeks to mediate the expulsion of all foreign mercenaries from Libya, including the Chadian mercenaries. Therefore, she communicates with the leaders of the Tabu component, which the mercenaries impersonate their affiliation to them in order to penetrate into the Libyan interior.
A western concern about postponing the elections and indications of internal intentions seeking to postpone it
At a time when the Libyan authorities have not yet started preparing for the elections, five western countries have called for Libya to hold the elections on time. Amnesty International also urged Libya to give priority to human rights and estop militias, as the embassies of five western countries, namely the United States, Britain, France, Italy and Germany, called in a joint statement on May 6, the Libyan authorities to hold legislative and presidential elections as scheduled on December 24 to get the country out of the chaos that has been mired in it for ten years. The statement recalls that the UN Security Council called on the Libyan authorities and institutions, including the Government of National Unity and the Council of Representatives to facilitate the elections of December 24, 2021, and agree on the constitutional basis and legal basis for elections by July 1, 2021. In addition to political and security arrangements, technical and logistical preparations are important and essential, at a time when the Libyan government of national unity has not yet begun preparing for the elections although the primary mission of this government is to hold these elections. It warned that the current time is not the right time to make any changes that obstruct the relevant bodies, which have a fundamental role in preparing for the elections, during the timetable set by the UN Security Council.
The first Libyan response to the statement of the five countries came from the Libyan House of Representatives. The joint statement issued by the embassies of the five countries in Libya was considered unacceptable and rejected interference in the Libyan affair. A statement was issued stating that the statement of the ambassadors of these countries does not serve the national consensus that was achieved after a long time and required a great effort to reach what has been achieved, expressing at the same time its categorical rejection of what was stated in the statement. The Council concluded that all parties must complete the necessary entitlements to fulfill what was agreed upon by holding the elections on time i.e., on the 24th of December, 2021.
Disturbing statements by the Chadian Defence Minister
Chadian Defence Minister Daoud Ibrahim described Libya as a terrorist stronghold, and confirmed the defeat of the rebels who have been leading attacks since mid-April, stressing that the authorities will not negotiate with the terrorists, in a statement issued by him. He added that he cannot accuse Libya of supporting terrorists because there is no Libyan state. He pointed out that the Chadian army is currently deployed to search for rebel hotbeds in the north of the country, especially in the Kanem district and the Tibesti Mountains, stressing upon the determination to permanently eradicate them from the Chadian lands. The Chadian Defence Minister said that the upcoming political dialogue will not include armed groups that have rebelled against the state. He considered that the current stage has gone beyond dialogue, and added that we will never negotiate with terrorists. The rebel group, called “the Front for Rotation and Accord”, coming from southern Libya, launched a fatal blow to President Idriss Deby. Since its establishment in 2016 in southern Libya, it and its followers headed for the first time on April 11, the day of the Chadian presidential elections, towards the south, across the Libyan-Chadian border and then passed through Niger before returning to Chad in Kanem. In the same Kanem district, Idriss Déby, who had been in power for thirty years, was killed while fighting against the front.
Libyan coast guard druids rescue 442 irregular migrants and forcibly repatriate them
The official spokesperson for the Libyan Navy Chief of Staff announced that the Libyan Coast Guard patrol boat managed, in three operations, to rescue 442 migrants coming from African and Arab nationalities, upon receiving a distress call, as the boat “Zawiya” was moved to the north of Zuwara, after being equipped with the necessary capabilities for the rescue and recovery operation. The agency’s personnel performed their role to the fullest, and the statement pointed out that the migrants were dropped at the al-Musafa point in al-Zawiya, upon the completion of the rescue operation, and that all of them were transferred to the Anti-Irregular Migration Agency, stressing that the Agency will follow the process of caring for these immigrants and complete the procedures for their safe deportation to their countries.
The vaccination campaign is restricted to a sole dose to ensure coverage of the largest number
The Director of the National Center for Disease Control, Dr. Badreddine Al-Najjar, said that about 100.000 persons have received the 1st dose of the new anti-virus vaccine in the country. Al-Najjar stated in a video clip on the center’s Facebook page that the national campaign for vaccination against the virus is proceeding satisfactorily and at an excellent pace , stressing that the campaign will include all regions after Eid Al-Fitr. He explained that the campaign began with the distribution of 200,000 doses of the Russian “Sputnik” vaccine, then 75,000 of the British “AstraZeneca” vaccine, and then 150,000 doses from the Chinese “Sinovac” vaccine. Al-Najjar pointed out That the vaccinated persons received only the 1st dose, so that the largest possible number of those targeted could be covered, stressing that the vaccinations were proven to be safe and effective through research published in the most reputed international medical journals, and that the 1st dose gives adequate protection to prevent death from the virus or its dangerous complications. He pointed out that Vaccination shipments will follow to Libya, stressing that there is fairness in distributing the vaccine, based on the target groups in the regions and the number of their inhabitants.
Last update : 17/05/2021 - 15:00
This post is also available in:
Arabic