Regional and local developments: BRICS summit, tribal tensions in Libya, and a drowning accident off Alexandria

Egyptian aspirations to gain gains from her third participation in the BRICS summit hosted by the Indian capital, New Delhi, amid promotion of investment, benefiting from its promising opportunities, and her aspiration to chair the grouping, which she joined in 2024.

An economic expert who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat sees these moves as feasible in light of Egypt’s strategic location, which is capable of reaching markets with more than 1.3 billion consumers. He called for quick measures in this regard, most notably the launch of specialized investment promotion platforms directed to business communities in the BRICS countries, accelerating the pace of digital transformation, and simplifying bureaucratic procedures.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said in his speech at the summit: “Egypt views BRICS as a promising opportunity and an effective framework for building practical partnerships and developing an international economic system that is more balanced and capable of meeting the aspirations of our countries and peoples.” Al-Sisi affirmed “Egypt’s readiness to continue to contribute constructively, by supporting joint projects, strengthening partnerships, and benefiting from Egypt’s strategic location in supporting trade and investment, and linking Africa, Europe, and Asia.”

Egypt can transform its membership in the BRICS bloc into a powerful economic tool to attract capital and stimulate productive investments, benefiting from the significant expansion of its economic relations with the countries of the group, according to the estimate of the head of the Capital Center for Economic Studies, Khaled Al-Shafi’i.

Tribal tensions recently reared their head in the city of Kufra, southeastern Libya, against the backdrop of disputes between the “Zawi” and “Tebu” tribes, following the promotion of organizing a celebration on the occasion of the “National Day of Tebawi Culture” in the city, in a scene that brought back to the fore memories of a bloody armed conflict for months between the two parties about 11 years ago.

Sheikh Ibrahim Abu Bakr Nasr, head of the Supreme Council of Fezzan Sheikhs and Notables, links the current tensions in Kufra to a broader context, considering that they resulted from “inherited accumulations since the overthrow of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s regime in 2011, in light of the weak state presence.” The dispute escalated after the circulation of a video clip of the head of the “Social Council of the Zwai Tribe,” Al-Senussi Al-Haliq, in which he criticized the holding of a Tabu festival in Kufra.

An Egyptian and two Sudanese were killed after an “illegal immigration” boat sank near the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in Alexandria Governorate, on Saturday, while 27 others were rescued, including 7 injured. The Egyptian authorities received notification of a drowning accident, and when river rescue forces moved to the report site, it became clear that an illegal immigration boat carrying about 30 people had sunk, and a cargo ship that was on its way to the port of Alexandria succeeded in retrieving them.