Cautious Calm Returns to Libya’s Gharyan After Armed Clashes

GNU Chief of Staff General Mohamed Haddad meets with the Libyan mayors. (Chief of Staff)
GNU Chief of Staff General Mohamed Haddad meets with the Libyan mayors. (Chief of Staff)
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Cautious Calm Returns to Libya’s Gharyan After Armed Clashes

GNU Chief of Staff General Mohamed Haddad meets with the Libyan mayors. (Chief of Staff)
GNU Chief of Staff General Mohamed Haddad meets with the Libyan mayors. (Chief of Staff)

A temporary calm has settled over the city of Gharyan in northwestern Libya following armed clashes involving medium-caliber weapons between two factions aligned with Tripoli authorities.

Violent clashes erupted in the city of Gharyan, south of Tripoli, between a militia loyal to Ghnewa al-Kakli, commander of the Stability Support Apparatus that is affiliated with the Presidential Council, and the 444 Combat Brigade, which is part of the Government of National Unity (GNU).

The fighting was triggered by the arrest of eight members of the 444 Combat Brigade from Gharyan by the 555 Brigade, a force under al-Kakli's command. The 444 Combat Brigade is led by Mahmoud Hamza, the head of military intelligence in western Libya.

The clashes have ceased for now, but tension remains high as armed militias continue to vie for control and expand their influence on the ground.

In an update on security matters, GNU Chief of Staff General Mohamed Haddad, met with mayors from Zuwara, Nalut, Jadu, Yefren, and Al-Qalaa, along with several officers and military personnel, to discuss security issues in these areas.

Haddad assured the mayors that the military supports the legitimate demands of the people in these regions and is committed to helping stabilize them and all of Libya.

In a separate development, the UN mission in Libya stated that its head, Hanna Tetteh, accompanied by Deputy Special Representative and Resident Coordinator Aeneas Chuma, met with a group of African ambassadors in Tripoli on Wednesday as part of their initial round of consultations with the diplomatic corps.

The mission’s statement explained that the meeting, hosted by the Ghanaian Ambassador in Tripoli, focused on the work of the mission and provided an update on the Advisory Committee's activities.

It also reviewed regional challenges influenced by the developments in Libya.

The consultations emphasized enhancing coordination between the United Nations and the African Union to strengthen cooperation on shared issues, including regional security, migration, and supporting national reconciliation in Libya.



UNICEF: Funding Cuts Drive Sudan's Children to the Brink of Irreversible Harm

This picture taken on September 1, 2023 shows a view of destruction in a market area in al-Fasher, the capital of Sudan's North Darfur state. (Photo by AFP)
This picture taken on September 1, 2023 shows a view of destruction in a market area in al-Fasher, the capital of Sudan's North Darfur state. (Photo by AFP)
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UNICEF: Funding Cuts Drive Sudan's Children to the Brink of Irreversible Harm

This picture taken on September 1, 2023 shows a view of destruction in a market area in al-Fasher, the capital of Sudan's North Darfur state. (Photo by AFP)
This picture taken on September 1, 2023 shows a view of destruction in a market area in al-Fasher, the capital of Sudan's North Darfur state. (Photo by AFP)

Funding cuts are driving an entire generation of children in Sudan to the brink of irreversible harm as support is scaled back and malnutrition cases persist across the country, the UN children's agency said on Tuesday.

UNHCR and other UN agencies face one of the worst funding crises in decades, compounded by US and other donor states' decisions to slash foreign aid funding, Reuters reported.

"Children have limited access to safe water, food, healthcare. Malnutrition is rife, and many good children are reduced to just skin, bones," said Sheldon Yett, UNICEF's Representative in Sudan, speaking via video link from Port Sudan.

Sudan's conflict between the army and rival Rapid Support Forces has displaced millions and split the country into rival zones of control with the RSF still deeply embedded in western Sudan.

Several areas to the south of Sudan's capital Khartoum are at risk of famine, the World Food Program said in July.

Children were being cut off from life-saving services due to funding cuts, while the scale of need is staggering, UNICEF said.

"With recent funding cuts, many of our partners in Khartoum and elsewhere have been forced to scale back... We are being stretched to the limit across Sudan, with children dying of hunger," Yett said.

"We on the verge of irreversible damage being done to an entire generation of children in Sudan."

Only 23% of the 4.6 billion dollar global humanitarian response plan for Sudan has been funded, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Access to areas in need also continues to be a challenge, with some roads rendered inaccessible due to the rainy season, hampering aid delivery efforts, UNICEF said. Other areas continue to be under siege, such as Al-Fashir.

"It has been one year since famine was confirmed in ZamZam camp and no food has reached this area. Al-Fashir remains under siege. We need that access now," said Jens Laerke of OCHA.