West Africa’s Sahel region has become the latest scene of jihadist in-fighting, after Islamic State group (IS) revealed it is engaged in fierce clashes with al-Qaeda militants in Mali and Burkina Faso.
Russia has stepped up its logistic support for private military contractor Wagner Group in Libya with some 338 military cargo flights from Syria in the nine months to July 31 to aid Wagner fighters backing eastern-based Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar, according to a U.N. report seen by Reuters on Wednesday.
A U.S. report said the presence of thousands of Syrian mercenaries sent by Turkey to Libya to fight on the side of the U.N.-supported government was likely to degrade security and generate backlash from the Libyan public.
The maritime agreement between Turkey and Libya is Ankara’s “red line” in the Eastern Mediterranean, Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said Wednesday.
On July 24, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan joined thousands of worshippers in the streets around the historic Hagia Sophia in Istanbul for a doubly symbolic moment. Surrounded by a swarm of politicians, soldiers, security forces and imams, the Turkish leader made his way into the giant, former Byzantine cathedral through doors once hammered open by conquering Ottoman soldiers in 1453. Inside, he read out the namaz, or Muslim prayer, formally turning the 1,500-year-old building back into a mosque.
Head of the Political Bureau of Hamas Movement Ismail Haniyeh visited Ain Al-Hilwe Palestinian refugee camp in south Lebanon on Sunday and addressed crowds referring to his meeting with Hezbollah Secretary General Sayed Hasan Nasrallah in Beirut earlier saying “Today’s meeting is in Beirut and Ain Al-Hilwe, while tomorrow we will meet in Palestine and Al-Quds God willing.”
Hezbollah Secretary General Sayed Hasan Nasrallah received Head of the Political Bureau of Hamas Movement Ismail Haniyeh and discussed political and military developments in Palestine, Lebanon and the region, stressing stability of the Axis of Resistance.
Yemeni drones targeted Saudi military positions at Abha International Airport in the Kingdom’s south late Sunday.
On 27 August, the United States and United Nations co-chaired a meeting regarding the Berlin Process on Libya. During the meeting, the US welcomed calls by House of Representatives (HoR) Speaker Aqeela Saleh and Government of National Accord (GNA) head Fayez al-Serraj on 21 August for a ceasefire and the resumption of oil production. The US also reiterated its support for Libyan efforts to build on this momentum and ‘to achieve a peaceful political solution that preserves Libyan sovereignty.’ On 30 August, the head of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, met with Acting Head of the UN Support Mission to Libya (UNSMIL) Stephanie Williams in Cairo to discuss the latest developments in Libya. At the meeting, the two parties agreed on the importance of building on the joint calls for a ceasefire and vowed to end all hostilities in Libya. They also called for presidential and parliamentary elections and the resumption of oil exports. On 29 August, Acting Head of UNSMIL, Williams, arrived in Cairo for a three-day visit to engage with various officials on the Libya crisis. On 30 August, Williams met with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry to discuss efforts to advance political discussions centred on the ceasefire statements of 21 August. According to an official statement by the Egyptian Foreign Minister, the two ‘shared a vision’ on the way to reach a political settlement. On 28 August, Turkey announced that it would undertake military exercises, known as ‘gunnery exercises’, off the northwest coast of Cyprus from 29 August through to 11 September. This coincided with the extending of activities of a seismic vessel in the Mediterranean until 1 September. Within hours of Turkey’s announcement, Greece’s Parliament ratified a maritime accord with Egypt on maritime boundaries. On 26 August, Greece and Italy also finalised a similar agreement.
On the morning of 1 September, a suspected failed suicide bombing occurred close to a Government of National Accord (GNA)-aligned checkpoint at the Doran al-Ghariyan roundabout, near Janzour in western Tripoli. Initial reports claim the bomber was traveling on a motorcycle at the time the explosion was set off. The target of the attack is believed to have been the checkpoint belonging to the Janzour Knights.
On 28 August, Government of National Accord (GNA) Prime Minister and head of the Presidency Council (PC) Fayez al-Serraj announced that he was suspending Interior Minister Fathi Bashaagha and called for an investigation of Bashaagha’s handling of street protests. Serraj said the investigation of Bashaagha would occur within 72 hours; meanwhile, his duties would be assumed by a deputy minister, Khalid Mazen. Bashaagha responded in a statement by expressing readiness for an investigation but said it should be televised to ensure transparency. Serraj’s announcement coincided with a series of other decrees, including one granting the Zintani-dominated Joint Security Force the responsibility to secure Tripoli; one promoting Deputy Minister of Defence Saleh al-Din Namroush to Minister of Defence and one appointing Central Military Region Commander Mohammed Haddad as the new Chief of Staff (CoS).
