Libyan Authorities Recover Bodies of Beheaded Copts

Neighbors and friends of relatives of the Egyptian Coptic men killed in Libya sit at the courtyard of the Virgin Mary Church in the village of el-Aour, near Minya, 220 kilometers south of Cairo, Egypt, Feb. 16, 2015. Reuters photo
Neighbors and friends of relatives of the Egyptian Coptic men killed in Libya sit at the courtyard of the Virgin Mary Church in the village of el-Aour, near Minya, 220 kilometers south of Cairo, Egypt, Feb. 16, 2015. Reuters photo
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Libyan Authorities Recover Bodies of Beheaded Copts

Neighbors and friends of relatives of the Egyptian Coptic men killed in Libya sit at the courtyard of the Virgin Mary Church in the village of el-Aour, near Minya, 220 kilometers south of Cairo, Egypt, Feb. 16, 2015. Reuters photo
Neighbors and friends of relatives of the Egyptian Coptic men killed in Libya sit at the courtyard of the Virgin Mary Church in the village of el-Aour, near Minya, 220 kilometers south of Cairo, Egypt, Feb. 16, 2015. Reuters photo

Libyan authorities have recovered the bodies of 21 Coptic Christian workers, mostly Egyptians, beheaded in 2015 by ISIS in the coastal city of Sirte.

Sadiq Al-Sour, head of investigations for the Attorney General’s office, said last week that Libyan authorities had arrested a senior ISIS commander who supervised the beheadings.

“He gave details on the incident and indicated their place of burial,” Sour said.

“We are seeking with military authorities in the central region to discover where the bodies are, and hopefully we will find them, despite the time that has passed,” he added.

The beheaded bodies in orange uniforms were reportedly found with their hands cuffed to the backs. They included 20 Egyptians and one African.

The killings were documented in a grisly video released online by the terrorist organization that shocked Egypt and led it to launch punitive airstrikes.



Sudan's RSF Says It Has Not Been Officially Notified of Humanitarian Truce in El Fasher

RSF fighters in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur (File photo – Telegram)
RSF fighters in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur (File photo – Telegram)
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Sudan's RSF Says It Has Not Been Officially Notified of Humanitarian Truce in El Fasher

RSF fighters in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur (File photo – Telegram)
RSF fighters in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur (File photo – Telegram)

Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said it had not received any official request from international actors to implement a humanitarian truce in the city of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, where thousands of civilians remain trapped and at risk of famine.

The statement came a day after Sudanese army chief and head of the ruling Sovereign Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, agreed to a week-long ceasefire in El Fasher at the request of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

RSF legal adviser Mohamed al-Mukhtar al-Nour told Asharq Al-Awsat that the group rejects any partial or full ceasefire, whether in El Fasher or elsewhere. He said the RSF had not received formal communication from the UN or the United States regarding the proposed truce.

According to al-Nour, El Fasher is now largely deserted, with most civilians having fled to areas such as Tawila, Karma, and Jebel Marra.

Those remaining in the city, he claimed, are Sudanese Armed Forces personnel and allied fighters from armed movements supporting the army.

El Fasher has been the focal point of intense fighting in recent weeks, raising alarm among humanitarian agencies about the safety of civilians and the worsening humanitarian crisis in Darfur.