Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga speaks to FRANCE 24

In tonight's bulletin: Raila Odinga reacts to the collapse of the ICC's case against William Ruto; Unicef says Boko Haram is using children as suicide bombers in one out of five attacks; Italy's foreign minister visits Tripoli to boost the unity government; and the deputy leader of South Sudan's rebels arrives in Juba under a peace deal. 

The UN highlights the plight of the growing number of children being used as suicide bombers by Boko Haram. Describing them as victims, not perpetrators, UNICEF reckons many are captives who are drugged or brainwashed by the Nigerian extremists exploiting them.

Also, in the hope that Libya's UN-backed unity government can make inroads into returning stability to the country, Italy's foreign minister heads to Tripoli in a show of support for the fragile administration.

And we are joined by Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga to discuss his take on the ICC's approach to Africa, the dropping of charges against Vice President William Ruto and his plans for 2017 elections.

South Africa imports U.S. white maize for first time since 2004

A hawker prepares a cob of corn at his makeshift shop in Soweto, January 27, 2016.

Reuters/Siphiwe Sibeko

JOHANNESBURG South Africa imported white maize from the United States last week for the first time since 2004, the country's Grain Information Service (SAGIS) said on Tuesday.White maize is the staple source of calories in South Africa and industry sources estimate imports of over a million tonnes of this variety of the grain in the coming marketing season between May and April next year after the domestic crop was scorched by drought.
In the current marketing year, which ends April 30th, South Africa has already imported over 70,000 tonnes of white maize from Mexico and Zambia, according to SAGIS data.
Last week it imported 1,330 tonnes from the United States, the data showed.
Wandile Sihlobo, economist with producer group Grain SA, said it was the first time South Africa had imported U.S. white maize since 2004.
He said the importers probably wanted to check the quality of the U.S. white maize and also ensure it was not genetically modified (GMO). Most of South Africa's maize crop is GMO but it differs from the U.S. varieties.
"If it's fine, we might see an increase in imports from the United States," Sihlobo said.
Zambia and other countries in the region have also been hit by drought and so will not be able to export enough white maize to meet South Africa's needs. That leaves Mexico and the United States as the main sources for the grain.
The white maize contract for July eased 1.57 percent on Tuesday to 4,440 rand ($310.90) a ton but remains within range of its historic peak of 5,165 rand a ton scaled in January, according to Thomson Reuters data.

South Sudan peace at risk - monitors

Image copyright AFP

Image caption Riek Machar (R) is to be vice-president in a new unity government led by President Salva Kiir (L)

South Sudan strife

The peace deal in South Sudan is at risk after the failure of rebel leader Riek Machar to return to the capital, Juba, the monitors who brokered the agreement have warned.

He had been due on Monday to take up the post of first vice-president in a new unity government.

This is a key part of the deal aimed at ending more than two years of conflict.

The US said it was disappointed by Mr Machar's "wilful decision" not to abide by his own commitments.

His team said the delay was caused by logistical and administrative issues and that he planned to return on Wednesday.

A statement from the government on Tuesday had said Mr Machar's return was delayed as "he wanted to come with an arsenal of arms... anti-tanks, laser guided missiles and heavy machine guns".

Chairman of the regional monitors, Botswana's former President Festus Mogae, urged both sides to "ensure that the spirit of reconciliation, compromise and dialogue embodied by the agreement" be protected.

This view had been echoed by US State Department spokesman John Kirby, who said that the US and other partners had gone to great lengths to facilitate Mr Machar's return.

"His failure to go to Juba despite efforts from the international community places the people of South Sudan at risk of further conflict and suffering," he said.

It also undermined "the peace agreement's reform pillars, which are demilitarising South Sudan, injecting transparency of public finances, and pursuing justice and reconciliation, all of which offer South Sudan a chance for renewal," the spokesman added.

The civil war broke out over tensions between President Salva Kiir and Mr Machar, who was sacked as vice-president in July 2013.

Then, in December 2013, Mr Machar was accused of trying to organise a coup. He denied the accusation but it set off a round of tit-for-tat killings, which developed into a full-blown conflict.

The government and the rebels have been slow to implement the peace deal, with reports of ceasefire violations on both sides.

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South Sudan: The world's youngest country

• Split from Sudan in July 2011 after an independence referendum
• One of Africa's least-developed economies. Highly oil-dependent
• Relations with Sudan strained by disputes over oil revenue sharing and borders
• Power struggle led to civil war in December 2013
• An estimated 2.2 million fled their homes during conflict
• A tentative, internationally mediated, peace agreement signed in August 2015

Zambia xenophobic riots: Two burned alive in Lusaka

 

               Shops have been broken into and looted

                

Two people were burned to death on Monday during xenophobic violence in Zambia's capital, Lusaka, police have said in a statement.

The riots started after rumours that Rwandans were behind recent ritual killings in the city.

The two were Zambian nationals killed "in the confusion" Home Affairs Minister Davies Mwila reportedly said.

More than 250 people have been arrested after more than 60 Rwandan-owned shops were looted in two days of violence.

The two Zambians had been burned with firewood and vehicle tyres, according to police quoted by the AFP news agency.

Six people have been murdered since March and their body parts removed.

Rumours circulated that the body parts would be used as charms to ensure success in business.

Police spokeswoman Charity Munganga urged Zambians not to believe "false rumours".

"No baby or human body parts were found in any fridge belonging to any foreign national. These statements are coming from people with criminal minds to create alarm among the members of the public and justify their criminality," she said in a statements.

          

She warned that it was an offence to spread rumours that caused alarm and the police would not hesitate to arrest those doing so "regardless of the medium they are using".

"We are appealing to the members of the public not to believe any statement they see on social media which is not confirmed by the police."

Rwandans are the largest group of immigrants in Zambia, owning shops in the densely populated areas which have been affected by the riots.

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Why are 6,000 Rwandans living in Zambia?

BBC Great Lakes service analysis:
In the aftermath of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, two million ethnic Hutus fled as the Tutsi-led Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) rebels captured the capital Kigali in July, ending 100 days of ethnic killings. Some 800,000 people had been slaughtered by Hutu extremists.
Many of those who left settled in camps set up across the border in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
But others continued walking - some across the vast country into Angola, before settling in neighbouring Zambia, in the Meheba refugee camp in north-west of the country where many stayed for nearly two decades.
In July 2013, the UN said it was safe for Rwandans across Africa to go back home, and revoked their refugee status, encouraging voluntary repatriation.
Despite diplomatic efforts and assurances, about 4,000 Rwandans in Zambia do not want to go back - and are trying to get Zambian citizenship.
In the last five years, they have been joined by several hundred Rwandans who say Zambia is more conducive for business, as taxes are not as high as at home.
Rwanda: 100 days of slaughter

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The BBC's Meluse Kapatamoyo in Lusaka says the riots began in two poor neighbourhoods on Monday and spread to other areas on Tuesday.
Young men ransacked shops, possibly reflecting growing frustration at the high levels of unemployment and the rising cost of living, our correspondent says.
Riot police had to be deployed and many Rwandans fled to police stations to take shelte              
Ms Munganga said police officers were still deployed to all areas. No rioting has been reported on Wednesday.
The violence shocked many Zambians, who say they cannot recall such hostility towards foreigners, our reporter says.
Ritual killings are also rare in in the southern African nation, she says.
The home affairs minister said on Tuesday, after visiting areas hit by the riots, that 11 people had been detained on suspicion of being involved in ritual killing

French & UK envoy's visit Libya for the first time since 2014

The ambassadors of Britain, France and Spain arrived in the Libyan capital on Thursday to support the new unity government seeking to end the country’s turmoil, an AFP journalist said.

It is the first visit by the European envoys to Tripoli since European Union member states decided to close their embassies in mid-2014 because of unrest.

French ambassador Antoine Sivan, British envoy Peter Millet of Britain and Spain’s Jose Antonio Bordallo arrived at Tripoli’s Mitiga airport before heading to the naval base where the unity government has set up operations.

World powers see the establishment of the unity cabinet as vital to tackling a raging jihadist insurgency and rampant people smuggling in the North African state.

The oil-rich country has had two rival administrations since mid-2014 when a militia alliance overran Tripoli, setting up its own authority and forcing the recognised parliament to flee to the remote east.

Italy’s Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said during a visit to Libya on Tuesday that embassies would be reopened in the capital in “the near future”.

Famine threats parts of sub-Saharan africa

Many parts of Asia, Africa and the Americas are scorching in heat caused by a cyclical phenomenon known as El Niño. The unusually warm waters that come up to the surface in the Pacific Ocean every three to six years cause extreme weather conditions. The resulting drought is especially hard on the poorest people of sub-Saharan Africa.

Somaliland is one of the poorest African regions. Its rural population is struggling to make a living in the best of times, but drought makes it impossible. 

"I am 80. In the 80 years of my life, I've never seen such severe drought. It has killed so many animals and caused so much famine. Our lives are in danger," said Mohamed Omar, a farmer.

The situation is similar in the neighboring Puntland region and parts of Ethiopia. The United Nations last month called for urgent aid to save 1.7 million people in the affected parts of Somalia.

"Communities are losing their means for survival, and we need to stop this loss of lives and forced displacement as people have no other option than to move in search of food, water and income," said Peter de Clercq, a U.N. humanitarian coordinator.

But when there is no food and water for miles and miles around, moving may be futile. Some Ethiopian farmers have crossed the border to try to escape famine.

"The drought has been raging for three years in Ethiopia. We were told that there were pastures on the other side of the border. But when we got here, we found nothing," said farmer Hawo Rayab.

Ethiopia, Africa's second most populous country, is in the grip of its worst drought in decades. The government is appealing for aid to help 10 million affected people. 

The food shortage is also grave in Malawi, which has not yet recovered from last year's record flooding.

"Before the floods, my child was doing well. But after we lost our crops, my child got sick and became malnourished. That is what made me come to this hospital for treatment and food," said Liza Fatchi, a Malawian woman.

Malawi's president has declared a state of national disaster. But the food crisis in parts of Africa could get worse yet.

“The peak of the crisis is still to come. So, I think we will see the situation getting worse before it will get better. We talk about maybe a small improvement around mid-2016 or shortly after this," said Echo Ethiopia’s Johan Heffinck.

Experts say people in the affected areas depend on aid to survive and are calling for an urgent step-up of humanitarian efforts.

Somalia executes journalist turned Al-Shabaab terrorist

For years, Hassan Hanafi was a trusted source of news in Somalia. As the voice of Holy Quran Radio in Mogadishu, listeners across the capital tuned in to hear him report the latest political news.

But at some point, Hanafi turned his interest from journalism to terrorism -- and joined Al-Shabaab.

He used his media connections to spy on and betray fellow journalists, identifying reporters with negative opinions of Al-Shabaab and facilitating assassinations. He even carried out assassinations himself, a military court ruled.

Why Al-Shabaab is a growing threat 01:37

Hanafi was convicted of murder and sentenced to death. On Monday, shortly before a firing squad executed him, Hanafi released a statement saying he wanted to die as a martyr.

"Today, I'm being killed in the way I chose, which was to die for the sake of Allah," he said. "I don't fear execution."

What is Al-Shabaab, and what does it want?

From reporter to militant commander

Hassan Hanafi Hajji Abdi, 36, worked for Holy Quran Radio as a reporter and presenter from 2003 to 2005 before joining Al-Shabaab in late 2006.

Four years later, Al-Shabaab overtook Holy Quran Radio in 2010, allegedly spreading propaganda over the airwaves.

The next year, in 2011, Somali troops and those from the African Union Mission in Somalia forced Al-Shabaab out of Mogadishu.

As it turned out, Hanafi wasn't just a media officer for Al-Shabaab; he was also a senior commander in the battlefields against Somali and AU troops.

He was actually promoted to midlevel militant commander by Ahmed Godane, the now deceased leader of Al-Shabaab. Hanafi was critically injured fighting Somali and AMISOM troops in 2010.

Four years later, Hanafi suffered blast wounds to his head and fled to Kenya, seeking treatment under a fake name. But he was captured and extradited to Somalia.

Plotting to kill journalists

Who are Africa's most dangerous terror groups? 01:55

During his time with Al-Shabaab, Hanafi helped the Al Qaeda-linked terror group kill reporters in south and central Somalia.

Hanafi admitted to killing Sheikh Nur Abkey, an editor at Somali National News Agency. He also confessed to facilitating the deaths of four other journalists, but he denied actually murdering them.

"I personally killed one journalist, and that was Sheikh Nur Abkey, while the four others were murdered by my fellow Al-Shabaab fighters," Hanafi said during his court hearing. "But I contributed to the all assassinations."

But a military court found him guilty for his role in the deaths of the other four journalists: Mahad Ahmed Elmi, Ali Iiman Sharmaake, Said Tahliil Ahmed and Muktar Mohamed Hirabe.

South Sudan: Sanctions delay Riek Machar's return

Juba, South Sudan - The future of South Sudan has been thrown into limbo, as the expected return of South Sudan's rebel leader Riek Machar has been repeatedly delayed.

Machar was due to return to Juba on Monday and be sworn in as first Vice President of South Sudan.

Since December 2013, South Sudan has been engulfed in a bloody civil war that has killed at least 50,000 and displaced 2.3 million people.

A peace deal signed in August between President Salvia Kiir and Machar laid the framework for peace, but it has yet to be implemented.

Machar's return is widely seen as essential to form a unity government, an important step in ending the country's civil war.

"The return of Machar is a significant moment for the future of South Sudan ... The Transitional Government of National Unity provides the opportunity to unite and stabilise the country," a Western diplomat in South Sudan told Al Jazeera on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity around the subject.

Dispute over troop numbers

Machar's arrival in Juba has been delayed because of a disagreement over the number of opposition troops traveling with Machar and his chief of staff, Simon Gatwech Dual, who is under United States and United Nations sanctions.

The opposition has demanded that Dual return to Juba along with the return of Machar.

It was proposed that Dual be flown from Gambella, Ethiopia, by an Ethiopian Airlines flight that was funded by the US government, according to Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth, head of foreign affairs for the SPLA-IO.

Because the US cannot fund an individual under its own and UN sanctions, that plan was scrapped, Gatkuoth and other sources told Al Jazeera.

The UN mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) was then supposed to fly Dual along with 45 troops to Juba on Saturday, April 16, according to Gatkuoth.

"He was ready to be flown with two helicopters to Juba, one was taking 23 (troops) and the other 22 (troops). All of the sudden they were saying the flights were not available until April 20," Gatkuoth said over the phone from Gambella, Ethiopia.

"There is no such plan with UN aircraft," said Ariane Quentier, Spokesperson for UNMISS in an email.

The opposition says that it found a "good samaritan" to charter a plane for Dual on Monday, before the expected arrival of Machar.

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Q&A: The future peace in South Sudan

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Dual was supposed to fly to Juba with 45 troops, and Machar was scheduled to arrive later with 162 troops, as part of his presidential guard, according to Gatkuoth.

None of the planes arrived on Monday, and the county has been thrust into a political waiting game.

South Sudanese Minister of Information and Broadcasting Micheal Makuei Lueth said on Tuesday that Dual's plane did not get clearance to land because it did not go through the proper channel. He said that Dual could only arrive with 40 troops, and Machar cannot travel with any troops.

Machar’s protection force "is already on the ground with all of their armaments. He does not need any additional armed forces or arms in Juba," Lueth said in a statement to journalists on Tuesday.

Both parties agreed to have 1,410 troops located in Juba, Lueth said, and there are already 1,370 opposition soldiers in the capital.

Lueth also said that a joint military committee between the rebels and opposition, known as JMCC, must approve the armament of the 40 troops, and be verified by a group of international monitors, CTSAMM.

As of Tuesday night, the resolution of the disagreement over the number of troops traveling with Dual and Machar is unknown, but a spokesperson for Machar said he "will be arriving (In Juba) on April 20 if all goes well".

Protests against French forces in Mali turn deadly

Demonstrators stormed an airport runway in northern Mali on Monday to protest against arrests by French forces of people suspected of links to Islamist militants who operate in the region, local officials and witnesses said.

Security forces fired warning shots and teargas to deter the mostly female protesters in the town of Kidal who also ransacked and set fire to airport facilities, said a local official, witnesses and the U.N. mission in Mali, MINUSMA.

The protests appear to mark a deterioration in relations between foreign forces and the local community in Kidal, a town at the centre of a separatist movement and violence by Islamist militants, some of whom are linked to al Qaeda.

One person died and six were injured, said Ahmoudane Ag Ikmasse, who represents Kidal in the national assembly. Ikmasse said he was in the capital Bamako but was in contact with people in Kidal.

A doctor in Kidal’s health centre said two died from gunshot wounds.

It was not clear why the airport was targeted or why women were the main participants in the protest.

The U.N. mission was not immediately able to confirm the death toll and it was not clear how many people were involved in the protests. A French military spokesman declined to comment.

“MINUSMA is contact with the Malian authorities and leaders of local communities as well as those from civil society, aiming to ease tensions and understanding the circumstances of the events,” the mission said in a statement.

MINUSMA and French forces have been stationed in northern Mali for about three years since separatists joined jihadists to seize the region from the government in Bamako.

Although France drove jihadists out of key towns in 2013, they have regrouped. In November, al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb attacked a luxury hotel in the capital, killing 20 people and demonstrating a reach beyond their base.

Protests targeting MINUSMA broke out once before in January 2015.

Rwanda jails ex-politician who incited genocide of 'Tutsi cockroaches’

A Rwanda court handed a life sentence on Friday to a former senior politician for hate speech aimed at stirring up killings of minority Tutsis during the central African country’s genocide more than two decades ago.

An estimated 800,000 Tustis and moderate Hutus were killed by extremist forcesin the then Hutu-dominated regime over a period of 100 days in 1994.

The high court convicted Léon Mugesera, 64, who was then a regional vice chairman in the ruling party, of genocide and crimes against humanity.

During the trial, Mugesera was accused of having referred to the Tutsis as “cockroaches” who should be sent back to Ethiopia.

“The court finds that Mugesera is guilty of ... public incitement to commit genocide, persecution as crime against humanity and inciting ethnic-affiliated hatred,” judge Antoine Muhima said.

In 2012 Mugesera, also a former university lecturer, was extradited to Rwandafrom Canada where he had lived in exile for years and resisted efforts to return him to face trial on genocide charges.

He said he would appeal the sentence because the court had not heard any of his witnesses or been “impartial and independent.”

Ghana bolsters security amid warnings of attack

Ghana is bolstering its border protection as part of new security measures after reports that a potential attack by an armed group is "real".

A leaked intelligence memo published in Ghanaian media warned the West African country and its eastern neighbour, Togo, could be targeted by armed groups following deadly attacks in Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast in recent months

"Intelligence gathered by the ... NSCS [National Security Council Secretariat] indicates a possible terrorist attack on the country is real. ... The choice of Ghana according to the report is to take away the perception that only Francophone countries are the target," said the memo, dated April 9.

The memo reportedly referred to the confessions of a suspect who was interrogated by Ivorian authorities after an attack last month on Grand-Bassam, a popular tourist destination, that killed dozens. 

It ordered immigration agents on the northern border with Burkina Faso to be extra vigilant and said patrols should be stepped up along informal routes between the two countries.

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Francis Palmdeti, director of public affairs for Ghana's immigration service, told the DPA news agency on Friday the country is increasing border patrols and cooperation among security agencies.

Immigration authorities are also stepping up collaboration with managers of hotels, lodges and guest houses to obtain information on foreigners coming to the country, Palmdeti added, without commenting, however, on the leaked memo.

Speaking to local media, Ghanaian President John Mahama expressed disappointment about the leak and urged people in the country to remain calm.

"I think that we must deal with this without creating panic among our people, and that is why the stories that we see in the papers are most unfortunate," the website citifmonline quoted the president as saying.

Mahama also called for public vigilance and said Ghana was at risk from home grown fighters too, while adding that countries in the region share intelligence on attack threats.

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Ghana is one of Africa's most stable and peaceful democracies and has not suffered an attack by an armed group.

Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb has claimed responsibility for attacks on a hotel in the capital of Mali, Bamako last November, a restaurant and hotel in Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou in January and the Ivory Coast attack.

In all, more than 65 people have died, many of them foreigners.

Mali arrests third suspect in Ivory Coast beach attack

Authorities in Mali have arrested a third man believed to be linked to last month’s deadly al Qaeda attack on a beach resort in neighbouring Ivory Coast, military officials said on Sunday.

Gunmen shot swimmers and sunbathers before storming hotels in the town of Grand Bassam, killing 19 people 40 km (25 miles) from the commercial capital, Abidjan, on March 13.

One source said Alou Doumbia was arrested on Saturday in the Malian capital of Bamako and suspected of driving the gunmen from Mali to Ivory Coast.

A second police source confirmed the arrest but was unable to provide further detail.

Saturday’s arrest was the third reported in Mali linked to the Grand Bassam attacks, that were claimed by Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), the Islamist group’s North African branch..

Eleven Ivorians, including three special forces’ soldiers, died in the attack. Four French citizens were killed and other foreign victims included citizens of Germany, Lebanon, Macedonia and Nigeria.

Ivory Coast authorities have also arrested 15 people and say the ringleader, who they named as Kounta Dallah, was still at large.

A spokesman for the Mali security services was not immediately available for comment.

(AFP)

Two years on, new Boko Haram video 'shows missing Chibok girls'

Three mothers of schoolgirls abducted from Chibok in northeast Nigeria two years ago said they had identified their daughters in a video released by Islamist group Boko Haram, the first possible sighting of the girls since a video in May 2014.

About 15 girls featured in the video released to local officials on Tuesday, saying they were from the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok and pleading with the Nigerian government to cooperate with Boko Haram on their release.

The girls were filmed saying they were being treated well but wanted to go home and be with their families.

Boko Haram militants abducted 276 schoolgirls from Chibok on April 14, 2014, with 57 students managing to escape but 219 still missing despite a global campaign #bringbackourgirls involving celebrities and U.S. first lady Michelle Obama.

Various false leads have raised hopes of finding the girls but their whereabouts remains unknown.

Mothers Rifkatu Ayuba and Mary Ishaya said they recognized their daughters, Saratu and Hauwa, in the video, while a third mother, Yana Galang, identified five of the missing girls. Local officials said more identifications were needed.

“The girls were looking very, very well,” Galang said in a telephone interview with the Thomson Reuters Foundation after viewing the video at a screening organized by local officials in Maiduguri, capital of Borno state in northeast Nigeria.

The three mothers were invited to the viewing by the chairman of Chibok local government area, Bana Lawan, who confirmed that he had paid their travel costs to Maiduguri, the state capital.

The kidnapping of the girls has become a political issue in Nigeria with the government and military criticized for their handling of the incident and failing to track down the girls.

“They were definitely our daughters ... all we want is for the government to bring back our girls,” said Galang, adding all the girls were wearing hijabs in the video.

No member of Boko Haram was visible in the video and local officials were not immediately available to give details on how they received the video.

“We only heard a man’s voice and saw his finger pointing at the girls one after the other,” Galang said.

She said the girls in the video spoke in Hausa, a language widely spoken in Nigeria, and Kibaku, the local Chibok language.

Galang said one mother, Ayuba, was relieved to see her daughter as she had heard a rumor shortly after the kidnapping that her daughter had been killed by Boko Haram.
“She was very happy to see her in the video ... her daughter is alive,” Galang said.

About 2,000 girls and boys have been abducted by the Boko Haram since 2014, with many used as sex slaves, fighters and even suicide bombers, according to Amnesty International.

This week a report from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said Boko Haram child suicide bombings have surged 11-fold in West Africa over the last year, with children as young as 8, mostly girls, used to bomb schools and markets.

UNICEF said there were 44 child suicide bombings in West Africa in 2015, up from four in 2014, mostly in Cameroon and Nigeria.

Boko Haram’s six-year campaign to set up an Islamic emirate in northeastern Nigeria has killed some 15,000 people, according to the U.S. military.

(REUTERS)

Date created : 2016-04-14

Europeans ready to fight IS group in Libya, but with which government?

Alarmed by the expansion of the Islamic State group in Libya, European governments are throwing their support behind the embattled "unity" government.

The foreign ministers of France and Germany, Jean-Marc Ayrault and Frank-Walter Steinmeier, made an unannounced visit on Saturday to the Libyan capital, Tripoli, to shore up support for the UN-backed government of Fayez Serraj.

Ambassadors from France, Britain, and Spain also visited earlier the same naval base where the UN-backed cabinet has set up his fledgling administration. During a joint press conference in Tripoli on April 14, the group of diplomats even pledged to re-open embassies closed back in 2014, when the Libyan capital descended into chaos.

Since the downfall of late Libyan leader Muammar Ghaddafi, who was killed in a popular uprising, the country has descended into near-anarchy, ruled by rival militias vying for power while the Islamic State group has gained influence.

"We are all ready to deliver the necessary support to the unity government based on its request," said the French envoy, Antoine Sivan, from the Tripoli naval base where the new UN-brokered Libyan government, known as the GNA (Government of National Accord), is trying to establish itself.

The ambassadors’ trip comes as the European Union prepares to discuss sending security personnel into Libya to help stabilise the country. EU foreign and defence ministers are set to hold talks by videolink on April 18 with the head of the GNA, Fayez Serraj, about possible police and border training for Libya.

"A possible civilian ... mission could support Libyan efforts ... through advice and capacity building in the fields of police and criminal justice," says the draft, referring to counter-terrorism, border management and tackling the smuggling of migrants across the Mediterranean to Europe.

Fighting IS group in Libya

The document, still under discussion by diplomats, is the latest signal that the international community is getting serious about assisting Libya. The country is currently a launch pad for illegal immigration to Italy and a key security concern because of the presence of a powerful IS affiliate in the key central region of Sirte.

"They [EU diplomats] may say that the training mission is about people smuggling, but it’s really about fighting IS. The [GNA and EU]’s priority is to fight the IS group, human traffickers come second", Jason Pack, an expert on Libya and founder of EyesOnISISinLibya.com, told FRANCE 24.

"Of course the GNA doesn’t have any security forces. But neither do any of the other governments. They just use temporarily loyal militias (…) Militias will usually cooperate, they’re happy to get training, especially if that comes with arms. But that doesn’t mean they will be willing to fight IS", said Jason Pack.

The EU is not the only organisation waiting for a phone call from the head of the GNA, Serraj. NATO’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, said on Thursday that the alliance was ready to assist the new Libyan government fight IS militants as soon as the country’s new government asked for help.

"We are ready to help. But they have to request it – so we will not send in troops and we will not do any activities in Libya at all without a request from the Libyan government", Stoltenberg told the UK’s Sky News television.

One country, three governments
Despite Western desires for unity, Libya is now a country with three “governments” – including two in the capital. Serraj’s UN-backed GNA managed to get support from several militias and take control of the Central Bank and the National Oil Corporation, but it remains mostly confined to the Tripoli naval base where the would-be prime minister arrived by the sea on March 30.

The head of the rival Tripoli-based administration, Khalifa Ghweil, has refused to recognise the "unity" government’s authority. The internationally-recognised legislature that rules over most of eastern Libya from the city of Tobruk has yet to endorse the GNA as discussions continue over the future role of the East’s military chief, general Khalifa Haftar.

Libya's ability to fight Islamic State group has depended largely on the country's two main loose military alliances, which are aligned with rival power bases.

The situation could get even more complicated as France and Italy have developed good relations with Haftar, who styled himself as a would-be secular strongman. Libyan sources reported earlier this year that a common operations room had even been set up to coordinate military actions between French special forces and Haftar’s troops.
Paris is now throwing its diplomatic support behind another administration, the GNA.

“France and Italy face the problem [of cooperating with both the GNA and Haftar’s forces] much more than the US or UK”, Jason Pack told FRANCE 24.

“They should stop their cooperation with Haftar’s forces and only back the GNA. But France is close to Egypt and the UAE, key backers of Haftar’s forces, and Paris may wish to double down on its connections and try to play both cards to connect Haftar and the GNA”, said Jason Pack.

Serraj’s unity government is coming under pressure to secure a deal with the Tobruk legislature and general Haftar – who wants to be appointed head of the future national army. A failure to get the GNA legally endorsed when the Tobruk representatives next meet, on April 18, could well trigger fresh opposition elsewhere in the fractured country.

Date created : 2016-04-16