Political warnings in southern Libya, a drone attack in Damazin, and the liberation of Egyptian sailors

Political parties in southern Libya warned against tribal considerations “overcoming” at the expense of party work, calling for maintaining a wider space for political forces in managing the next stage, and not devoting a model that redistributes influence on the basis of social and regional affiliations.

The warnings came during meetings held over the course of a week by representatives of registered political parties in southern Libya, with the UN envoy Hannah Tetteh and the French ambassador to Libya, Thierry Valla, at a time when partisan objections to political and legislative arrangements are mounting, which these forces believe may limit the presence of parties and give tribal and regional considerations greater weight in the public scene.

The head of the Libyan “Development and Peace” Party, Ahmed Hassan, one of the participants in the two meetings, told Asharq Al-Awsat that representatives of the political parties and forces in the south conveyed to the UN envoy and the French ambassador “a clear warning against ignoring the parties and the party list system” in the arrangements organizing the upcoming legislative elections.

He added that "political forces in the south believe that expanding the space for party action can limit the dominance of local and tribal considerations, and open the way for competition based on programs and citizenship issues," noting that reversing this path may lead to "tribal considerations taking over on a broader scale."

Hassan explains that this position “does not express the vision of the (Development and Peace) Party alone, but is also embraced by the political parties and forces that participated in these meetings,” noting that he belongs to the “Awlad Suleiman” tribe, one of the most prominent Arab tribes in Libya, which is historically spread in areas of Fezzan (south of Libya) and Sirte (north).

This position, according to the participants in the meetings, reflects broader fears among the southern parties that the decline in the role of political organizations will lead to reproducing patterns of competition based on social and regional ties, instead of building political blocs capable of expressing the interests of citizens through declared programs and positions.

These concerns are particularly important in southern Libya, where tribal and regional considerations overlap with political and security balances, while partisan forces seek to consolidate their presence in any future political arrangements.

On September 24, Tetteh met with representatives of a number of political parties registered in southern Libya. According to what the UN mission announced, the participants expressed their concern about “the diminishing role of political parties,” and called on the mission to raise the issue with the parties concerned.

A week later, the French ambassador held a meeting with representatives of political parties registered in the south, as part of what the embassy described as an ongoing dialogue with various Libyan parties, including the Fezzan region, which has “important historical and friendly relations” with France.

Hassan said, “Party representatives asked the French ambassador to support their demands during his country’s intervention in the upcoming Security Council session regarding Libya, especially with regard to ensuring the participation of parties in the political process, and not limiting political competition to individuals.”

Crisis backgrounds

The roots of the current objections go back to the agreement signed by the “4+4” committee at the end of last August, which political parties believe restores the electoral framework on which the current House of Representatives elections were previously held, under a system based primarily on electing individuals.

These parties say that the amended election law in 2023, which was prepared within the framework of the outcomes of the joint “6+6” committee between the House of Representatives and the Supreme Council of State, provided a wider space for the participation of political forces, compared to the system that they fear will reproduce individual competition.

Party leaders believe that the problem is not only related to the method of selecting candidates, but rather to the nature of the next parliament and its ability to form cohesive political blocs that compete on the basis of national programs, instead of focusing the competition on local, social, and tribal considerations.

According to Hassan, the party representatives had previously met with members of the “4+4” committee, and heard from them a proposal stating that the Libyan parties are “weak,” considering that this proposal raises a question about how to strengthen and revitalize the parties if at the same time the space for their participation in the political and electoral process is reduced.

Political parties have previously called on the UN envoy to ensure that the representation of parties is not less than 80 percent of the seats in the House of Representatives and the Senate, and also hinted at resorting to the constitutional judiciary to challenge any legislation or electoral arrangement that deprives them of participation through their lists, institutions, and approved political programs.

The list of participants in the party meetings in the south includes Ahmed Hussein Abu Bakr Shakl, head of the “Peace and Development” Party, Abdel Salam Ghurbal Al-Shawish, head of the “Pulse of the Nation” Party, and Ibrahim Adel Abaali Shaha, head of the “Peoples’ Democratic Party.” Also among those present were Suleiman Ali Suleiman Adhikil, head of the Libyan League Party, Ali Jibril Al-Mabrouk Al-Dhahabi, Secretary-General of the Libyan Al-Baraka Party, and Nouri Ali Muhammad Al-Ahwal, Vice-President of the Al-Huda Democratic Party.

Drones targeted the home of the Governor of the Blue Nile Region, Lieutenant General Ahmed Al-Omda, in the city of Damazin, early on Saturday morning, in an attack attributed to the “Rapid Support Forces,” without documented information available regarding the occurrence of casualties.

The mayor said, in a statement published on his official page on the Facebook platform, that the Air Defense Forces responded to an attack carried out by the Rapid Support Forces with suicide drones that targeted his house and some civilian objects in Damazin, the capital of the region. He stressed that the targeting will not deter him from continuing to defend the homeland until “the entire territory of the homeland is cleansed of rebellion and aggression.”

The governor of the region published pictures showing the collapse of parts of the walls, and the scattering of rubble in one of the courtyards, in addition to traces of burning on another building, and said that they document the damage resulting from the attack.

The mayor called on the residents of the Blue Nile to unity and cohesion, to give priority to the national interest, and to stay away from division and strife, saying: “Our unity and cohesion are the bulwark in the face of aggression,” and that the cohesion of the people of the region represents the guarantee of its protection and the preservation of its gains and capabilities. He also urged the sons and daughters of the region to stand behind the armed forces and the forces supporting them, and to rally around state institutions, renewing his pledge to continue performing his responsibilities towards the people of the region and the nation despite the attacks.

Over the past few days, Al-Damazin, which is under the control of the army, has been subjected to repeated drone attacks attributed to the Rapid Support Forces, resulting in casualties and material damage in civilian areas.

In a related field development, media reports, citing military sources, reported that the army and its supporting forces responded to ground attacks launched by the Rapid Support Forces and its allies on the towns of Minza, Jabal al-Nimr, and Kadawulo in Blue Nile State. There was no immediate comment from the army regarding these battles. The region, located in southeastern Sudan and adjacent to the Ethiopian border, is witnessing an escalation in military operations, after the Rapid Support Forces took control months ago of the cities of Kurmuk and Qaisan, which are two of the largest cities in the state. Media platforms affiliated with it reported confrontations with the army in various locations in the region.

Humanitarian truce

In another context, the governor of the Darfur region, Minni Arko Minawi, confirmed that the state does not reject the humanitarian truce, saying: “We want the truce today before tomorrow,” while he renewed the government’s refusal to expand the arms embargo imposed on Darfur to include all parts of Sudan. Minawi said, in a press conference at Khartoum International Airport after his return from New York, that they had previously called for a humanitarian truce before the fall of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, pointing to the “horrific violations” witnessed in the city against civilians, which he accused the Rapid Support Forces of committing.

In recent days, Washington has renewed its call for a humanitarian truce for a period of 90 days, according to the road map proposed by the “Quadrilateral Mechanism,” which includes the United States, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the UAE. But the head of the Transitional Sovereignty Council, Commander-in-Chief of the Army, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, rejected the proposal, pledging to continue the war until the Rapid Support Forces rebellion is ended. Minawi accused countries, which he did not name, of influencing the US administration by not granting Al-Burhan an entry visa to New York to participate in the recently held United Nations General Assembly meetings.

He also renewed the Sudanese government's rejection of the American proposal before the UN Security Council to expand the arms embargo imposed on Darfur to include the entire country. He said: “We are defending ourselves in the face of crimes of ethnic cleansing and violations,” accusing the Rapid Support Forces and the countries supporting them of being responsible for their continuation against civilians.

Minawi leads the “Sudan Liberation Army” movement, one of the most prominent factions that make up the “Joint Force” in Darfur, which sided with the army against the “Rapid Support Forces” about a year after the outbreak of the war in April 2023.

The eight Egyptian sailors, who were kidnapped on board the ship “MT EUREKA” off the coast of the Puntland region in Somalia since May 2, will leave for Cairo after their liberation.

On Saturday, the Egyptian ambassador to Somalia, Mohamed Salah, received the Egyptian sailors upon their arrival at Mogadishu airport, where they were immediately transferred to the embassy headquarters under tight security, and accommodation was provided for them, in preparation for their travel accompanied by the Egyptian ambassador to Cairo.

The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported on Saturday that this was based on the directives of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, and with continuous follow-up by Foreign Minister Badr Abdel-Ati on the return of Egyptian sailors from Somalia to Egypt.

On Wednesday, Cairo announced the end of the crisis of the eight sailors. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was then directed to receive the Egyptian sailors, check on them, and facilitate their return to Egypt on the nearest flight.

Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nader Zaki said on Saturday that “the Egyptian embassy in Mogadishu has been keen, since the beginning of the detention process, to maintain constant communication with the sailors and their families.”

He continued: “It also made numerous contacts with officials of the federal government and the Puntland regional government, in addition to the owners of the ship and its cargo, to follow up on developments in the situation, in addition to the contacts made by the Egyptian embassy in Yemen with the authorities there under the guidance of the Minister of Foreign Affairs.”

According to Zaki, “the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ greatest interest throughout the detention period was primarily focused on ensuring the security and safety of the sailors, and pushing for their speedy release.” He expressed his sincere congratulations to the sailors' families for their safe return.

It is noteworthy that the tanker “MT Eureka” and its crew members, consisting of 8 Egyptians and 4 Indians, were being held by Somali pirates, after it was intercepted on May 2 last year near the coast of the Yemeni governorate of Shabwa, before the ship headed to the Gulf of Aden, and then to the waters opposite the Somali coast.