US envoy: Aid to Libya for flood recovery will accelerate if country moves toward unity

The formation of a unified government in Libya would help accelerate relief efforts in the aftermath of devastating floods that killed nearly 15,000 people in the county last month, the US ambassador to Libya, Richard Norland, said. (Reuters/File Photo)
Short Url
Updated 05 October 2023
Follow

US envoy: Aid to Libya for flood recovery will accelerate if country moves toward unity

  • The nation is split between two rival governments, in the east and west of the country, that are backed by armed militias and international patrons
  • Storm Daniel caused widespread destruction and claimed thousands of lives when it hit the east of the country on Sept. 10, especially in Derna where two dams collapsed

CHICAGO: The formation of a unified government in Libya would help accelerate relief efforts in the aftermath of devastating floods that killed nearly 15,000 people in the county last month, the US ambassador to Libya, Richard Norland, said on Thursday.

Storm Daniel caused widespread destruction when it hit the east of the country on Sept. 10. The worst-hit location was Derna, where two dams collapsed and the released water destroyed part of the city. The US has been the largest donor to the international relief efforts that followed.

The storm that was the catalyst for the disaster is blamed on the effects of global warming, but it has also sparked a wider, renewed discussion about the growing need to reunite the divided country and create a road map for democratic elections that can establish a unified government, according to Norland.

Libya has been engulfed by political turmoil and national divisions since the 2011 Arab Spring protests that led to the overthrow and killing of Muammar Qaddafi, who had ruled the North African nation for 42 years.

The nation is split between two rival governments that are backed by armed militias and international patrons. In the west of the country, Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah heads the internationally recognized Government of National Unity. In the east, Prime Minister Ossama Hamad heads the Government of National Stability, backed by powerful military commander Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army.

“Perhaps it is not by coincidence, but the discussion around reconstruction has also generated renewed debate and focus on electoral laws and the formation of an agreed caretaker government that would lead the country to elections,” Norland said during his briefing on Thursday, attended by Arab News.

There are concerns about funding for relief efforts and humanitarian aid actually reaching those most in need, he added, and moves to bring the divided country back together would help to ease them.

“We hope to see more progress in the coming days and weeks on a pathway to elections and concerted efforts to reconstruct and assist the people of Derna and eastern Libya,” Norland said.

But he added: “I don’t think that anybody believes that will happen overnight.”

Norland said US officials have spent weeks in Libya assessing the country’s needs in support of the international flood-relief effort. He and Gen. Michael Langley, the commander of US Africa Command, visited Tripoli and Benghazi on Sept. 20 and 21 “for meetings with Libyan military and political leaders to reiterate the importance of east-west cooperation in Libya to the long-term recovery and stabilization of the country.”

The international community is looking for a credible road map to elections in the country, Norland said, with the full engagement of all factions and key leaderships including the eastern-based House of Representatives; the High State Council, an advisory body formed under the terms of the 2015 Libyan Political Agreement; the Presidential Council; the Government of National Unity; and the Libyan National Army.

“Over the span of visits to Libya by myself and Gen. Langley, the United States airlifted more than 29 metric tonnes of critical life-saving humanitarian supplies to Benghazi to support the most urgent needs in flood-affected communities,” Norland said.

“We also discussed the urgent need for further progress in the political process, aiming to reach the stage of elections and the formation of a unified government capable of effectively serving all of the people across the country in the wake of this crisis.

“So, indeed, in addition to the immediate humanitarian relief needs of the people in flood-affected areas, a unified national mechanism is required to effectively and efficiently implement reconstruction efforts.”

The US, along with France, Germany, Italy and the UK, has endorsed a UN call for a “unified national mechanism” that can coordinate with local, national and international partners to help deliver relief as part of a transparent and accountable response to aid and reconstruction needs in Libya.

“Unifying relief efforts responds to the demands of the Libyan people and is crucial to facilitate additional support and technical assistance from both the United States and other international. Partners,” Norland said.

America has been the largest donor in the response to the flooding, he added, and the tragedy has created an opportunity for all sides to recognize that they must work together to move forward through a process of political consensus.

“In response to what has happened, the United States has committed $12 million in humanitarian aid, and a program of diplomacy, development and defense engagement, which are ongoing,” Norland said.

“We are the largest donor to the humanitarian response for people affected by the floods in Derna and eastern Libya. Our embassy declared a disaster emergency on the day of the flood, and USAID’s (the US Agency for International Development) Tunis-based director from the Disaster Assistance Response team was activated on Sept. 13 and continues to coordinate with humanitarian partners and Libyan officials across the country to deliver support.”

Norland touched briefly on questions about efforts by Russia to engage in the relief effort in the country. He noted that the controversial Russian state-funded private military company Wagner Group is operating in Libya and said it had “contributed” to the divisions and problems there. But he added that it is up to the Libyan people to “decide for themselves” whether or not Russia can be helpful to them.

The US will support Libya in its efforts to unify its military and government to help ensure the most effective international response to the humanitarian crisis in the country, he added.


Portugal police arrest crime ring over fraudulent permits for 10,000 foreigners

Updated 08 May 2025
Follow

Portugal police arrest crime ring over fraudulent permits for 10,000 foreigners

  • The foreigners paid to obtain bogus labor contracts that allowed them to stay in the
  • Portugal’s center-right government has toughened some immigration rules in the past year

LISBON: Portuguese police have arrested 13 people they believe provided an estimated more than 10,000 foreigners with residence permits and documents allowing them to stay in Portugal and the European Union in exchange for bribes, police said on Thursday.
A spokesperson for the Judicial Police force said the bribes paid to the group, which included a foreign ministry employee, a lawyer and several entrepreneurs, averaged 15,000 euros ($16,950) per person.
The foreigners paid to obtain bogus labor contracts that allowed them to stay in the country and then get residence permits, open bank accounts and access the social security system. Many of them have since left for other EU member states, police said.
Portugal’s center-right government has toughened some immigration rules in the past year, reflecting attempts elsewhere in Europe to fend off the rise of the far-right, and on Saturday vowed to deport 18,000 illegal migrants in the coming months.
It was not immediately clear if those who benefited from the illegal scheme counted among those.
Still, the country remains relatively open to migrants, particularly from Portuguese-speaking countries in Africa and from Brazil. Many experts argue that growing immigration has stoked economic growth.
While anti-immigration sentiment is expected to play a role in an early election on May 18, far-right party Chega has been steady or declining in opinion polls after a surge in the previous election last year. The center-right Democratic Alliance of Prime Minister Luis Montenegro looks set to win the most votes.


IMF says Nigeria repays $3.4 billion COVID-19 funding

Updated 08 May 2025
Follow

IMF says Nigeria repays $3.4 billion COVID-19 funding

  • In April 2020, the IMF provided the financing to help Nigeria
  • “Nigeria is expected to honor some additional payments,” Ebeke added

LAGOS: Nigeria has repaid $3.4 billion in emergency funding it received from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to help the country cope with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic five years ago, the global lender said on Thursday.
In April 2020, the IMF provided the financing to help Africa’s largest oil exporter cope with a collapse in crude prices, which hit its finances and tipped the economy into recession.
IMF resident representative to Nigeria Christian Ebeke said in a statement that, as of April 30, the country had “fully repaid the financial support” it received under the Fund’s Rapid Financing Instrument, a facility that provides urgent balance of payments funding to member nations.
“Nigeria is expected to honor some additional payments in the form of Special Drawing Rights charges of about $30 million annually,” Ebeke added.
The most recent data from the Debt Management Office shows that Nigeria last year spent $4.66 billion to service its foreign debt, of which $1.63 billion was to the IMF.


Greenpeace Denmark launches fake tourism ad to highlight pollution

Updated 08 May 2025
Follow

Greenpeace Denmark launches fake tourism ad to highlight pollution

  • “We are inviting Europeans to discover the wonders of Denmark’s agricultural landscape,” Fromberg told
  • Greenpeace believes that Denmark has repeatedly violated the EU Water Framework Directive

COPENHAGEN: Discover a dying sea or cycle through protected natural areas covered in asphalt? A tourism campaign by Greenpeace’s Danish branch seeks to highlight environmental pollution in the Nordic country.
“Through the campaign, which is available on social networks as well as on billboards in Brussels and Warsaw, we are inviting Europeans to discover the wonders of Denmark’s agricultural landscape,” Christian Fromberg, head of agriculture and nature at Greenpeace Denmark, told AFP Thursday.
With a tone of sarcasm Fromberg went on to describe the sights: “Here we find asphyxiated seas littered with mysterious brown sludge, car parks and golf courses that are in officially protected natural areas.”
In the Scandinavian country, which prides itself on being a leader in the combating climate change, human activities, particularly waste from agriculture, have suffocated marine ecosystems.
The equivalent of 7,500 square kilometers (2,896 square miles) of the waters around the country, or 17 percent of the surface area of mainland Denmark, has been affected by deoxygenation, leading to the disappearance of marine flora and fauna, according to the Danish Environmental Protection Agency.
“The campaign is a cry for help to the European Union to enforce the environmental regulations systematically violated by the Danish government,” Fromberg said.
Greenpeace believes that Denmark, which takes over the presidency of the European Union in July, has repeatedly violated the EU Water Framework Directive, which requires member states to implement measures to ensure healthy aquatic ecosystems.
“The current government will not take the necessary measures to revitalize our seas and protect our environment,” Fromberg said.
At the same time, a broad majority of Danish politicians have agreed to introduce a carbon tax on livestock farming by 2030.
Denmark has also committed to make agriculture greener, aiming to reduce nitrogen emissions by 13,780 tons a year by 2027.


Russia and Ukraine report attacks despite Moscow-declared truce as Kyiv ratifies minerals deal

Updated 08 May 2025
Follow

Russia and Ukraine report attacks despite Moscow-declared truce as Kyiv ratifies minerals deal

  • Russian bombs meanwhile struck northeast Ukraine in the opening hours of Moscow’s unilateral ceasefire
  • Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha accused Russia of violating its own ceasefire 734 times between midnight and midday Thursday

KYIV: Russia and Ukraine both reported attacks on their forces on the first day of a 72-hour ceasefire called by Russian President Vladimir Putin, while Ukraine’s parliament unanimously approved a landmark minerals deal with the US.
The ratification is a key step in setting the deal in motion. It would allow Washington access to Ukraine’s largely untapped minerals, deepen strategic ties and create a joint investment fund with the US for the reconstruction of Ukraine.
Parliament approved the agreement with 338 members voting in favor out of the required 226 votes, Ukrainian lawmaker Yaroslav Zheleznyak wrote on his Telegram account. No lawmaker voted against it or abstained.
“This document is not merely a legal construct, it is the foundation of a new model of interaction with a key strategic partner,” Ukrainian Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko wrote on X.


Russian bombs meanwhile struck northeast Ukraine in the opening hours of Moscow’s unilateral ceasefire, killing at least one civilian, Ukrainian officials said. Artillery assaults took place across the 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, although with less intensity than in the previous 24 hours, officials said.
The ceasefire coincides with Russia’s biggest secular holiday, the 80th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany. Kyiv has pressed for a longer-term ceasefire.
Putin on Thursday welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping in the Kremlin. Xi, who Putin earlier described as “our main guest” at Friday’s Victory Day festivities, arrived in Russia on Wednesday for a four-day visit.
Both sides list attacks since the Moscow-declared truce
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha accused Russia of violating its own ceasefire 734 times between midnight and midday Thursday. He called the ceasefire a “farce” on the social media platform X.
He said Russia carried out 63 assault operations along the front line, 23 of which were still ongoing as of midday. Ukraine “responds appropriately” and is actively sharing information about the attacks with the U.S, the European Union and others. “We will not let Putin fool anyone when he does not even keep his own word,” Sybiha said.
Russian attacks also took place near Chasiv Yar in the Donetsk region on Thursday morning, a press officer of Ukraine’s 24th Mechanized Brigade, Oleh Petrasiuk, told The Associated Press via phone.
One person died and two were wounded when Russian forces dropped guided air bombs on residential areas near the border in the northeast Sumy region, the regional prosecutor’s office said.
Large-scale missile and drone attacks, which have been a near-daily occurrence in Ukraine in recent weeks, were not recorded since 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Ukraine’s air force said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had previously cast doubt on the ceasefire, calling it “manipulation” as US-led peace efforts stalled. “For some reason, everyone is supposed to wait until May 8 before ceasing fire — just to provide Putin with silence for his parade,” Zelensky said.
In March, the United States proposed a 30-day truce in the war, which Ukraine accepted, but the Kremlin has held out for ceasefire terms more to its liking.
Russia’s Defense Ministry meanwhile accused Ukrainian forces of attacking its positions and said its forces would continue to “mirror” Ukraine’s actions during the Kremlin’s ceasefire.
The regions of Belgorod, Lipetsk, Orenburg, Ryazan and Tambov came under a drone threat alert overnight, but there were no reports of any drones being shot down or intercepted. Russia’s civil aviation authority Rosaviatsia also briefly imposed restrictions on flights to and from the airport in Nizhny Novgorod.
Putin praises relations with Xi
In welcoming Xi, Putin said that “the brotherhood of arms between our peoples, which developed during the harsh war years, is one of the fundamental foundations of modern Russian-Chinese relations of comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation.”
He added that Moscow and Beijing were developing ties “for the benefit of the peoples of both countries and not against anyone.”
Xi, in turn, said that “history and reality have fully proved that the continuous development and deepening of China-Russia relations is a necessity for the friendship between the two peoples from generation to generation.” He also called for safeguarding “international fairness and justice.”
Putin and Xi have met over 40 times and developed strong personal ties that bolstered the countries’ “strategic partnership” as both face tensions with the West.
China has offered robust diplomatic support to Moscow after its 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine and has emerged as a top market for Russian oil and gas, helping fill the Kremlin’s war coffers. Russia has relied on China as the main source of machinery and electronics to keep its military machine running after Western sanctions curtailed high-tech supplies.


King Charles leads UK service to mark end of WWII

Britain’s King Charles III and Queen Camilla arrive to attend a Service of Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey on V-E Day.
Updated 08 May 2025
Follow

King Charles leads UK service to mark end of WWII

  • Eighty years ago on May 8, 1945, central London was thronged with huge crowds celebrating the end of the war
  • In a radio address to the nation Churchill announced that the day would be “Victory in Europe Day”

LONDON: King Charles III on Thursday joined veterans and other members of the royal family at London’s Westminster Abbey for a service to mark 80 years since the end of World War II.
Arriving at the abbey, Charles and his eldest son Prince William laid wreaths at the church’s tomb of the unknown warrior.
The King’s message on the wreath read simply: “We will never forget” and was signed Charles R.
William’s message, which was signed “William” and “Catherine,” added: “For those who made the ultimate sacrifice during the Second World War. We will remember them.”
This year’s commemorations have had an extra poignancy due to the great age of the dwindling numbers of surviving veterans.
War-time prime minister Winston Churchill’s 10-year-old great-great-grandson Alexander lit a candle of peace during the service, which was preceded by a nationwide two-minute silence.
“It feels really amazing that I can represent my family and also the younger generation to know and remember everyone involved in World War II,” the younger Churchill said.
Other younger members of the congregation handed out white roses to veterans.
Charles, who is undergoing treatment for an unspecified cancer, was also accompanied by Queen Camilla, William’s wife Princess Catherine, also known as Kate, and other senior members of the royal family.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer and other politicians and dignitaries also attended.
Eighty years ago on May 8, 1945, central London was thronged with huge crowds celebrating the end of the war.
In a radio address to the nation Churchill announced that the day would be “Victory in Europe Day.”
He added: “We may allow ourselves a brief period of rejoicing,” despite the conflict with Japan not yet having ended.
Later that day the crowds even included the late Queen Elizabeth II, then a 19-year-old princess, and her younger sister Margaret, who were allowed to leave Buckingham Palace and join the jubilant crowds incognito.
The Westminster Abbey service featured a rendition of the favorite 1940s song “The White Cliffs of Dover,” readings of wartime letters to loved ones, and an excerpt of Churchill’s 1945 victory speech.
Before leaving, Charles and other members of the royal family spent time chatting to veterans and their families, some of whom are now over 100 years of age.
Kate and Camilla then led other royals in laying flowers at the Innocent Victims’ Memorial in tribute to all victims of war and oppression.
This year’s anniversary events will be the last major commemoration for which “anyone will still be alive who actually served in the Second World War,” monarchy specialist Robert Hazell of University College London told AFP earlier.
The four-day celebration which began on Monday was set to wrap up later Thursday with a concert at London’s Horse Guards Parade, with pubs allowed to stay open two hours later than usual.