Sarraj Promises Merkel to Help Ease Migrant Suffering

Fayez al-Sarraj (R) and Angela Merkel arrive for a joint press conference at the Chancellery in Berlin on December 7, 2017. Maurizio Gambarini / dpa / AFP
Fayez al-Sarraj (R) and Angela Merkel arrive for a joint press conference at the Chancellery in Berlin on December 7, 2017. Maurizio Gambarini / dpa / AFP
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Sarraj Promises Merkel to Help Ease Migrant Suffering

Fayez al-Sarraj (R) and Angela Merkel arrive for a joint press conference at the Chancellery in Berlin on December 7, 2017. Maurizio Gambarini / dpa / AFP
Fayez al-Sarraj (R) and Angela Merkel arrive for a joint press conference at the Chancellery in Berlin on December 7, 2017. Maurizio Gambarini / dpa / AFP

The head of Libya’s Government of National Accord (GNA), Fayez al-Sarraj, vowed during a visit to Berlin on Thursday to take action to ease the suffering of tens of thousands of migrants stranded in his country, even though his cabinet has partial control over Libya, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said.

Speaking after talks with Merkel, Sarraj said the numbers of migrants are "staggering -- we are talking about 500,000 migrants outside holding centers and 20,000 in the 42 centers run by the Interior Ministry."

"We are open to working with all regional and international organizations to end the suffering of the migrants and to help them return to their countries," Agence France Presse quoted Sarraj as saying.

He made his pledge although a large part of Libya falls outside Sarraj’s control.

Merkel urged Sarraj to give "better access" to international organizations to the holding camps that are based in territories falling under the GNA’s control, AFP said.

Sarraj also said a commission of inquiry will soon deliver findings on whether migrants being sold into slavery are substantiated.

Meanwhile, the African Union has upped its goal to repatriate stranded migrants from Libya, saying in a statement that it aims to bring 20,000 Africans home in the next six weeks.



Palestinian Authority Says Internet Down in Gaza After Attack on Fibre Optic Cable

Palestinians charge their mobile phones from a point powered by solar panels provided by Adel Shaheen, an owner of an electric appliances shop, as electricity remains cut during the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip October 19, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed
Palestinians charge their mobile phones from a point powered by solar panels provided by Adel Shaheen, an owner of an electric appliances shop, as electricity remains cut during the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip October 19, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed
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Palestinian Authority Says Internet Down in Gaza After Attack on Fibre Optic Cable

Palestinians charge their mobile phones from a point powered by solar panels provided by Adel Shaheen, an owner of an electric appliances shop, as electricity remains cut during the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip October 19, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed
Palestinians charge their mobile phones from a point powered by solar panels provided by Adel Shaheen, an owner of an electric appliances shop, as electricity remains cut during the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip October 19, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed

The Palestinian Authority said internet and fixed-line communication services were down in Gaza on Thursday following an attack on the territory's last fibre optic cable it blamed on Israel.

"All internet and fixed-line communication services in the Gaza Strip have been cut following the targeting of the last remaining main fibre optic line in Gaza," the PA's telecommunications ministry said in a statement, accusing Israel of attempting to cut Gaza off from the world, AFP reported.

"The southern and central Gaza Strip have now joined Gaza City and the northern part of the Strip in experiencing complete isolation for the second consecutive day," the ministry said in a statement.

It added that its maintenance and repair teams had been unable to safely access the sites where damage occurred to the fibre optic cable.

"The Israeli occupation continues to prevent technical teams from repairing the cables that were cut yesterday", it said, adding that Israeli authorities had prevented repairs to other telecommunication lines in Gaza "for weeks and months".

The Palestinian Red Crescent said the communication lines were "directly targeted by occupation forces".

It said the internet outage was hindering its emergency services by impeding communication with first responder teams in the field.

"The emergency operations room is also struggling to coordinate with other organisations to respond to humanitarian cases."

Maysa Monayer, spokeswoman for the Palestinian communication ministry, told AFP that "mobile calls are still available with very limited capacity" in Gaza for the time being.

Now in its 21st month, the war in Gaza has caused massive damage to infrastructure across the Palestinian territory, including water mains, power lines and roads.