The Libyan Parliament supports Paul's vision regarding punishing the parties to the political crisis

The Libyan House of Representatives joined the American warnings about punishing the parties to the political crisis who are obstructing the political process in the country. On Thursday evening, he called on the United Nations mission to “take deterrent measures against them,” in a position that intersects with the US President’s Advisor for Arab and African Affairs, Massad Boulos, threatening to “impose sanctions on the parties that obstruct the political settlement,” while the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the National Army, Saddam Haftar, affirmed his support for the American initiative to unify Libyan institutions and hold elections.

On Thursday evening, the head of the United Nations mission, Hannah Tetteh, discussed with political, military and development leaders in eastern Libya the latest developments in the political process and efforts to unify state institutions, in a series of meetings in the city of Benghazi, which followed the extension of the UN mission’s mandate for a year.

Tetteh met with Speaker of the House of Representatives, Salihin Abdel Nabi, Saddam Haftar, and his brother Balqasim Haftar, Director General of the Libya Development and Reconstruction Fund, as part of the UN mission’s moves to advance the path of political settlement and address the institutional division.

The House of Representatives stated that Abdel Nabi affirmed during his meeting with Tetteh “his openness to all Libyans, and his keenness to unify institutions, especially sovereign, supervisory and judicial institutions,” calling on the United Nations to “take deterrent steps against those obstructing the political process.”

The President of the Council affirmed his support for the Small Committee Agreement (4+4), stressing “the necessity of accelerating its implementation.” The meeting also discussed the repercussions of irregular migration on Libya, as a transit country, and the need for economic solutions in source countries to reduce migrant flows.

For her part, Tetteh said that there has been a noticeable rapprochement between Libyan institutions during the recent period, and she explained that a number of issues are on their way to being resolved, calling on the Libyan parties to “continue cooperation to achieve stability,” and stressing that “the role of the UN mission is to provide support and advice to the Libyan parties.”

On Wednesday, Boulos issued a direct warning to the parties obstructing the political transition in Libya, saying that “those who choose to disrupt or undermine the political process will face consequences, including the possibility of being placed on sanctions lists,” and holding them responsible for depriving an entire generation of opportunities for stability and prosperity because of “narrow personal interests.”

Saddam Haftar stressed during his meeting with Tita “the necessity of unifying the executive authority and ending the division in national institutions,” noting that “unifying the political, military, security and judicial authorities represents a basis for restoring the unity of the state and creating conditions for holding presidential and parliamentary elections.”

Saddam said that he supports the efforts of the UN mission, in parallel with his involvement in the American initiative, stressing “the necessity of building on the understandings of the mini-committee (4+4), and overcoming the obstacles that hinder their implementation, according to clear steps and a specific timetable.” Saddam added that the continued division exacerbates the economic and service crises, stressing the refusal to keep the country's future subject to differences and attempts to disrupt the political path.

For his part, the Director General of the Libya Development and Reconstruction Fund, Al-Qasim Haftar, discussed with Tetteh ways of cooperation in the fields of development and reconstruction, and reviewed the infrastructure projects and service facilities implemented in a number of cities, especially Benghazi and Derna. The two sides stressed the importance of continuing coordination, to support economic development and improve services provided to citizens. Tetteh also visited the University of Benghazi, where she was briefed on the development of educational facilities.

At a time when Egypt announced the killing of two senior army officers in confrontations with illegal gold mining gangs on the border with Sudan, former military personnel confirmed that the dangers of “ragging” had gone beyond the economy to “trying to threaten Egyptian national security.”

The military spokesman for the Egyptian Armed Forces, Colonel Staff Ahmed Etman, announced on Thursday that two Egyptian army officers were killed during a military campaign targeting illegal gold prospecting operations on the southern border, adding, “The campaign aims to extend Egyptian sovereignty over its entire territory.”

He pointed out, during a press conference, that the operations to confront the phenomenon witnessed an exchange of fire, which claimed the life of the Chief of Staff of the Border Guard in the southern region, in addition to another Egyptian officer.

The League of Arab States expressed its condemnation of “the armed attack against Egyptian border guard forces in the southern region of the country.” She said, in a statement on Friday, that she “offers my sincere condolences and sincere sympathy to Egypt’s leadership, government and people.”

It affirmed its “full support for Egypt and its support for the legitimate measures it is taking to protect its security, sovereignty, and territorial integrity,” stressing that “Egypt’s security and stability represent a fundamental pillar of Arab national security.”

The former Director of Morale Affairs in the Egyptian Army, Major General Samir Farag, said, “The dangers of prospecting gangs and so-called raiders have now exceeded the economic risks to Egypt, as extremely dangerous infiltrative elements who smuggle drugs and weapons, as well as illegal immigration elements, are infiltrating among them. “All of this represents a great danger to Egyptian national security.”

He added to Asharq Al-Awsat that “Egypt has suffered a lot, and is still suffering from the shared borders with Libya and with Sudan, because it is not controlled by the other side, and the confrontation becomes solely the responsibility of the Egyptian side, and the coming period will witness a strong response from the Egyptian authorities to cleanse this region, with the aim of protecting national security, and not just protecting wealth.”

The Egyptian military spokesman revealed, in a press conference on Thursday, “the launch of the fourth phase of the massive campaign to combat illegal exploration for gold ore in the Eastern Desert, starting from Saturday until its goals are achieved,” noting that “the armed forces have so far implemented 3 phases of the campaign.”

He explained that the results of the campaign resulted in the seizure of 4,488 tents and tents used in illegal excavation activities, in addition to the arrest of 691 people, including 151 Egyptians and 540 foreigners.

The Egyptian forces were also able to seize 34 weapons and 63,79 rounds of ammunition of various calibres, in addition to carrying out “several pre-emptive strikes” to cut off the supply of weapons and ammunition to the involved elements.

The military spokesman confirmed, “There is coordination between the armed forces and the Ministry of Interior to impose security control and tighten the noose on criminal elements operating in illegal exploration areas.”

The Egyptian army had announced, in a statement during the last week of last month, that the Border Guard forces, in cooperation with the main branches of the armed forces, had seized “27” incidents in the field of weapons and ammunition, resulting in the seizure of “1,149” weapons and about “187,000” rounds of different calibers within 3 months.

The head of the “Regional Security and Risk Analysis” group, Brigadier General Khaled Okasha, said, “The great efforts undertaken by the Egyptian authorities in the country’s southern border region in the recent period clearly demonstrate that the risks coming from those borders are not only economic, although the economic risks and the plundering of Egypt’s wealth are present in the scene, but also the security risks are the most important, as Egypt is very keen to prevent the penetration of its borders to engage in illegal activities.”

He pointed out to Asharq Al-Awsat that “gold prospecting represents one of the illegal activities of these gangs, but the most important strategic goal of the Egyptian authorities is to prevent the infiltration of non-Egyptian nationalities with the help of elements with goals seeking to create an area characterized by fluid security, near these borders, that represents a major threat to Egyptian national security.”

He explained, “The announcement of the arrest of more than 500 people of different nationalities, as well as the announcement of the killing of two senior officers in the security campaign, demonstrates that there are fierce confrontations and powerful weapons being used with the aim of threatening Egyptian stability, which the Egyptian forces are working to confront with determination and without any complacency.”

The intensity of violent battles in western Sudan escalated for the second day in a row, after the army launched a simultaneous attack on Thursday on areas under the control of the Rapid Support Forces in the north and west of the Kordofan region, at a time when there were conflicting reports about the extent of the progress of the two parties on the ground.

While the Sudanese army did not publish official details about those battles, the spokesman for the “Joint Force” (allied with the army), Major Mutawakkil Ali Wakil, said: “The (Joint Force) and the Sudanese Armed Forces carried out extensive military operations in the Kordofan axis, and recovered the areas of Umm Samima, Kazkel, Al-Hammadi, and Abu Qoud, and inflicted heavy losses in lives and equipment on the (Rapid Support Forces).”

He added in a press statement: “Our forces were able to destroy 40 combat vehicles and seize 43 other vehicles with full equipment, and continue to pursue the forces that fled the battlefield.”

He stressed that the Joint Force is continuing military operations in coordination with the army and supporting forces to recover all the lands controlled by the Rapid Support Forces.

It was not possible to independently verify the Joint Force’s statement regarding control of these areas.

The joint force of the armed struggle movements, which had previously joined the fight in the ranks of the Sudanese army against the Rapid Support Forces, consists of the forces of the Justice and Equality Movement, led by Jibril Ibrahim, and the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army, led by the governor of the Darfur region, Minni Arko Minawi.

On the other hand, media platforms loyal to the Rapid Support Forces reported that their forces set up ambushes for the attacking force, killed large numbers of them, seized combat vehicles with full military equipment, and regained control of the areas again.

It was likely that the army would withdraw to the city of El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan State, after the strikes it received in the various axes of Kordofan.

Usually, the two sides of the war do not acknowledge the loss of any region until one of them declares full control over it.

These military developments come after the army forces and the forces supporting them were able in the past months to recover important areas in North Kordofan state, and at the same time they are trying to advance to control the oil-rich state of West Kordofan.

Several days ago, there were reports that the army was preparing to launch large-scale counterattacks to regain the lands controlled by the Rapid Support Forces in West Kordofan.

Earlier, the army and the Rapid Support exchanged control of the towns of Kazkel and Al-Hammadi more than once.

The army did not officially announce its movements, but its leaders spoke earlier about expected battles in several axes to recover the areas controlled by the Rapid Support, indicating that the goal is to recover the cities of West Kordofan state, to open the way to the Darfur region, in the west of the country.