Somalia

Eleven years after the overthrow of dictator Moammar Gaddafi, Libya's transition process continues as Libyans find themselves with two prime ministers, a situation that threatens to unleash a new power struggle in the war-torn nation. Just weeks after national elections scheduled for December 24 were postponed indefinitely, the East-based parliament voted to appoint the influential former Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha to replace the Provisional Unity Government. Incumbent Prime Minister Abdul Hamid…

The appointment of a new prime minister before an official session of the Supreme Council is an "inappropriate move and does not help build trust between the two councils," Libya's president said in an early statement. Wednesday. The High Council of State (HCS) - a Tripoli-based body equivalent to a Senate - competes with the House of Representatives (HoR), based in the eastern city of Tobruk. The HoR this week "unanimously" approved former Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha to lead the government, a…

As the coronavirus pandemic is now in its second year, the growing inequality between vaccines remains a major stumbling block in the fight against covid-19. However, the European Union thinks differently. On Monday, the EU stood firm in its refusal to lift patent protection for covid-19 vaccines, just days before a summit with countries in the African Union that see the issue as a priority.Since October 2020, India and South Africa have been calling on the World Trade Organization (WTO) to temporarily…

Fathi Bashagha, who was recently appointed interim prime minister by Libya's Tobruk-based parliament to lead the country to elections last week, has launched talks to form a new government, he said in a video posted on Facebook on Sunday. In his statement, Bashagha said that he promised not to run as a candidate in the election and that he would transfer power through peaceful and constitutional means. He claimed that his initial talks with the military and security units were positive and that he had…

Leaders and revolutionaries of the force that supports the Libyan army on Saturday condemned the election of Fathi Bashagha as head of the new government, a move that risks triggering a new power struggle in the war-torn nation. In a statement read on Martyrs' Square in the capital Tripoli, they said that the support force condemned "the absurd situation that contradicts the results of the political dialogue forum and wants the country to enter a new transition phase." Decisions taken in the House of…

Libya's western-based upper house on Saturday defended a decision by lawmakers in the country's east to appoint a new prime minister as institutional chaos prevails. The High Council of State (HCS) - a Tripoli-based body equivalent to a senate - usually competes with the House of Representatives (HoR), based in the eastern city of Tobruk. The HoR this week "unanimously" approved former Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha to lead the government, a move that left Libya with two prime ministers and…

Tunisian President Kais Saied consolidated his grip on the judiciary on Sunday with a decree allowing him to remove judges or block their promotion, helping to consolidate his power after he seized executive power last summer in a move his enemies call a coup. Saied outraged his opponents and intimidated democratic foreign allies with his announcement last week that he was dissolving the Supreme Judicial Council, a body that guaranteed the independence of the judiciary. A former constitutional lawyer…

Türkiye Scholarships, Turkey's immensely popular scholarship program for international students, have attracted the attention of Somali youths who plan to take advantage of their country's strengthening ties with Turkey. Since Turkey and Somalia revived their ties with a landmark visit in 2011 by then-Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, thousands of Somalis have benefited from the Türkiye Scholarships program and realized their dream of graduating. More than 10 years later, a large number of Somali…

The United Nations has said it still recognizes Libya's interim prime minister, Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, after the eastern parliament in the war-torn country on Thursday appointed a former interior minister. Dbeibah escaped unharmed from an assassination attempt early on Thursday in the capital Tripoli. "We have seen press reports about the assassination, but we have not received any confirmation," Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, told a news conference. Dujarric…

Reduced water resources are becoming an imminent cause of conflict in the regions of the world hardest hit by climate change. The East African country of Tanzania is grappling with clashes between farmers and herders, who have often killed each other in the hunt for grazing land and shrinking water resources. In the midst of rising population growth and the worsening effects of climate change, the country's natural resources have come under increasing strain, which has put enormous pressure on land,…