Experts see the PM’s move as preempting a possible coup by interior minister.
Fayez al-Sarraj, the prime minister of the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) moved late Friday to remove Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha amid rumours of an impending coup attempt eyed by Bashagha under the cover of fighting corruption and curbing violence against protesters.
Interior Minister, Fathi Bashagha has been suspended and ordered to appear for administrative investigation within three days from the date of the suspension, the PC said in a statement on Friday.
The political fallout of last week’s demonstrations against living conditions is threatening to unravel the internationally recognized Libyan government led by Faiez Serraj and based in Tripoli.
Libyans are wary over a statement issued by the Turkish Central Bank regarding a MoU concluded on Monday with the Central Bank of Libya.
The Governor of the Central Bank of Libya, al-Sadiq al-Kabir, dropped a bombshell, surprising everyone in Libya by signing a “vague” memo of understanding with the Turkish Central Bank, just a few days following the visit to Turkey by Fathi Bashagha, Minister of the Interior of the Government of National Accord, and Khaled al-Mishri, head of the Libyan State Council. Both men are affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood organisation and made the trip to Turkey amid the growing crisis between Bashagha and Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj.
Libyan premier Fayez al-Sarraj discharged Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha because of decisions and statements made by the official, the government’s press office announced late Friday.
’On veut la Russie’’, ‘’Vive Vladimir Poutine’’ étaient entre autres messages sur les pancartes des centaines de milliers de manifestants qui brandissaient des drapeaux de la Russie tout au long de la manifestation organisée par le M5- RFP le vendredi 21 Août 2020 pour soutenir l’armée.
For months, Mali’s president, Ibrahim Boubakar Keita, has been hounded by a short, harsh refrain: Boua ka bla. In Bambara, the West African country’s most widely spoken language, the words mean, roughly, “The old man must give up.” In the context of Malian politics, they articulate a clear demand that Keita, who is 73, leave office when his term expires this year.
Des sources crédibles ont confirmé à l’Express DZ la mort de Abdelhakim es-Sahraoui, n°2 de l’Etat islamique « Daesh » au Nord-Mali, dans la périphérie du cercle de Ménaka, dans un accrochage avec des unités de combat opérationnelles étrangères.
Reversing the escalating violence of militant Islamist groups in the Sahel will require an enhanced security presence coupled with more sustained outreach to local communities.
Highlights
Violent activity involving militant Islamist groups in the Sahel—primarily the Macina Liberation Front, the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, and Ansaroul Islam—has doubled every year since 2016. Employing asymmetric tactics and close coordination, these militant groups have amplified local grievances and intercommunal differences as a means of mobilizing recruitment and fostering antigovernment sentiments in marginalized communities. Given the complex social dimensions of this violence, Sahelian governments should make more concerted efforts to bolster solidarity with affected communities while asserting a more robust and mobile security presence in contested regions.
