FILE PHOTO: Pipes are pictured at the El Sharara oilfield December 3, 2014. REUTERS/Ismail Zitouny/File Photo
Libya's biggest oilfield, El Sharara, will reopen, after the head of the Government of National Accord (GNA), Fayez al-Sarraj, flew there to persuade protesters to end a blockage.
Production had not restarted yet as oil workers were waiting for orders from state oil firm NOC.
During his visit on Wednesday, Sarraj met with the representatives from the “Fezzan Rage Movement” and leaders from Battalion 30 affiliated with the oil facilities guards.
The Tripoli-based government had earlier announced a development fund worth 1 billion Libyan dinars ($717 million) for the long-neglected south in a bid to appease the protesters.
The GNA’s announcement came despite warnings made by NOC Chairman Mustafa Sanalla against paying a ransom to the “Fezzan Rage Movement” that had halted crude production at the country's largest oilfield.
NOC said the guards had facilitated the protest.
"Any attempt to pay a ransom to the group which shut down El Sharara (oilfield) would set a dangerous precedent that would threaten the recovery of the Libyan economy," Sanalla said in a statement last week.
The protesters had demanded better state services for the south, which produces around 400,000 bpd of day, but lacks basic facilities such as hospitals or electricity.
Sarraj’s visit Wednesday came as the US State Department announced in a statement that Washington “continues to monitor the situation at the Sharara oil field and supports the call for immediate and unconditional withdrawal of armed elements in the area, which is crucial to allow oil production for the benefit of all Libyans to resume.”
“We call on all parties to resolve issues through constructive dialogue and peaceful means in the spirit of compromise, rather than through threats of violence,” it said.
Houthis Link Educational Support to Loyalty and Affiliationhttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5297113-houthis-link-educational-support-loyalty-and-affiliation
Houthis Link Educational Support to Loyalty and Affiliation
School supplies distributed to the children of Houthi fighters killed in combat, excluding other poor families, in Sanaa. (X)
The education system in areas under Houthi control is facing a fresh wave of criticism as the group launched the new academic year during the summer. The Houthis are accused of limiting the distribution of school supplies and cash assistance to their supporters and to the families of fighters killed or missing on the front lines, while also requiring private schools to grant tuition exemptions to the same groups.
The developments come as debate continues over the secondary school examination results announced by the Houthi authorities, with education experts questioning the unusually high pass rates and raising concerns about the impact of these policies on educational equity and the future of education in Yemen.
The controversy unfolds as millions of Yemeni families continue to face worsening economic conditions, leaving many unable to afford even the most basic educational expenses, including tuition fees, school bags, textbooks, and uniforms, amid declining purchasing power and widening poverty caused by the war and the economic crisis.
According to education sources, the Houthi-run so-called Zakat Authority oversaw the distribution of school bags and cash assistance through supervisors affiliated with the group. The sources said the mechanism prioritized the families of Houthi fighters and supporters, while excluding thousands of impoverished families unable to provide basic school supplies for their children.
The distribution process sparked widespread frustration among parents and education advocates, who argued that educational assistance should be allocated according to humanitarian need rather than political considerations or organizational affiliation.
Inequality
"Ibrahim," a parent in the Houthi-held Yemeni capital, Sanaa, told Asharq Al-Awsat that none of his three children received any educational support despite being registered on lists of families in need, while he witnessed school bags and uniforms being distributed to families linked to the group.
He said his family was living under severe financial hardship, yet their needs had been ignored. He argued that if charitable initiatives had supervised the distribution of the aid themselves, some of it would have reached his children.
Other parents in rural areas around Sanaa voiced similar complaints, saying the cost of preparing their children for the new school year had exceeded their financial means, while assistance remained limited to specific groups, deepening their sense of inequality.
Meanwhile, humanitarian sources said Houthi authorities responsible for aid operations and the Zakat Authority had recently confiscated quantities of school bags, notebooks, pens, uniforms, and cash that charitable initiatives had allocated to support poor students at the start of the academic year.
Education sources also said the Houthis had required private schools to waive tuition fees this year for the children of their supporters, as well as the families of fighters killed or captured on the front lines, without providing any compensation to the schools.
The principal of a private school on the outskirts of Sanaa, who requested anonymity, said the administration had no choice but to comply with the directives for fear of punitive measures. She noted that the exemptions did not extend to other students from the poorest families, despite their urgent need for assistance.
Education experts warned that imposing additional financial burdens on private schools without compensation threatens their financial stability and undermines their ability to continue providing educational services under the country's difficult economic conditions.
School supplies allocated by the Houthis for the children of their members. (Facebook)
Secondary School Results Raise Questions
Alongside the controversy over aid distribution, the secondary school examination results announced by the Houthi authorities have prompted widespread debate within education circles after reporting high pass rates and scores exceeding 99 percent for a number of students, despite years of decline in the education sector during the war.
The Education Ministry in the unrecognized Houthi administration announced an overall pass rate of 88.12 percent among more than 210,000 students who sat the examinations. Education specialists said the figure raises questions given the reality facing schools, which continue to suffer from teacher shortages, unpaid salaries, limited resources, and a decline in educational standards.
Education experts believe the conditions facing the education sector make it difficult to explain such a sharp increase in pass rates without releasing data detailing the grading and assessment process in a way that would strengthen confidence in the results and dispel the doubts surrounding them.
Several teachers also expressed surprise at the high scores, saying the level of academic achievement they observed throughout the school year did not correspond with the announced results, particularly in light of repeated student absences and disruptions to the education process.
Cheating Allegations
Yemeni education sources say the high pass rates recorded in Houthi-controlled areas do not reflect an improvement in educational standards. Instead, they attribute the results to widespread cases of organized cheating at some examination centers, along with the circulation of answer keys before and during the exams, which they consider a primary factor behind the higher scores.
Education activists also accused the Houthis of failing around 25,000 male secondary school students this year, claiming the move was part of a policy aimed at pressuring students and encouraging them to join the group's ranks in exchange for better chances of passing. The Houthi authorities have not commented on the allegations.
Several teachers said they had documented irregularities at some examination centers, including weak oversight and allowing certain students to receive assistance while taking the exams. They said such practices undermine the credibility of the examination process and compromise the fairness of student assessment.
In one case, a student from Sanaa said he was surprised to receive a score of 72 percent despite missing most of the school year because he had to work to help support his family. He said he attended only the final examinations, prompting him to question how the results had been calculated.
Meanwhile, a number of high-achieving students expressed dissatisfaction with the announced results, calling for greater transparency in grading procedures and the publication of detailed marks to safeguard students' rights and strengthen confidence in the secondary school certificate.
Deadly Algeria Orphanage Fire Caused by Air Conditioner, Police Sayhttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5297092-deadly-algeria-orphanage-fire-caused-air-conditioner-police-say
Rescuers and police officers work at the site of a fire at an orphanage near Algiers, Algeria, July 16, 2026. Algerian Civil Protection/Handout via REUTERS
Deadly Algeria Orphanage Fire Caused by Air Conditioner, Police Say
Rescuers and police officers work at the site of a fire at an orphanage near Algiers, Algeria, July 16, 2026. Algerian Civil Protection/Handout via REUTERS
Algerian police on Friday said a fire that killed 11 people at an orphanage in the capital was caused by an electrical spark from an air conditioning unit.
The blaze broke out before dawn on Thursday at the childcare facility in the Mohammadia suburb of Algiers.
A 52-year-old caregiver was among the dead, police said Friday, but it remains unclear how many children were killed.
Algeria's President Abdelmadjid Tebboune posted online Thursday that "several children" had died.
Nineteen others were injured during the fire, according to Algeria's civil defense.
Forensic experts determined that the blaze originated from an air conditioner that had been running continuously as Algeria endures a heatwave.
The civil defense has said nearly a thousand fires have broken out across the country's north during the past week, with the majority contained.
A municipal worker earlier died battling a fire in the northern province of Setif, according to a local mayor.
Every summer, northern Algeria is struck by forest fires, a phenomenon exacerbated by drought and climate change.
The fires have killed dozens of people in recent years and destroyed thousands of hectares of forest or farmland, along with numerous homes.
Germany Proposes EU Force to Replace UN Mission in Lebanonhttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5297001-germany-proposes-eu-force-replace-un-mission-lebanon
15 July 2026, Finland, Helsinki: Johann Wadephul, German Minister of Foreign Affairs, speaks during a press conference following a meeting with his Finnish counterpart in the Finnish capital. (dpa)
TT
TT
Germany Proposes EU Force to Replace UN Mission in Lebanon
15 July 2026, Finland, Helsinki: Johann Wadephul, German Minister of Foreign Affairs, speaks during a press conference following a meeting with his Finnish counterpart in the Finnish capital. (dpa)
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has proposed replacing the expiring United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon with an EU-mandated force to prevent a security vacuum, he told the RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland.
"We should examine in the EU whether we can ensure that no security vacuum arises with a European mandate following the UNIFIL mission," Wadephul said in an interview published on Friday.
The UN Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) mission expires on December 31, 2026. Germany's parliament extended the country's participation in the mission for the final time just weeks ago.
Wadephul said Lebanon, with a stabilizing government, represented "one of the most hopeful developments in the region at the moment."
Lebanon and Israel held ambassador-level talks at the US embassy in Rome on Tuesday and Wednesday — their sixth round of face-to-face negotiations since a new war erupted on March 2 between Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, triggered by the wider regional conflict.
An EU-mandated force could "create the conditions for the Israeli army to withdraw without Hezbollah returning with its terror," the minister added.
The proposal comes as European nations seek to maintain regional stability while balancing relations with Israel and Lebanon.
لم تشترك بعد
انشئ حساباً خاصاً بك لتحصل على أخبار مخصصة لك ولتتمتع بخاصية حفظ المقالات وتتلقى نشراتنا البريدية المتنوعة
