Libya Parliament Seeks to Work with UN to Form ‘National Unity’ Govt.

Libyan MPs visit the Egyptian parliament. (Libya parliament)
Libyan MPs visit the Egyptian parliament. (Libya parliament)
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Libya Parliament Seeks to Work with UN to Form ‘National Unity’ Govt.

Libyan MPs visit the Egyptian parliament. (Libya parliament)
Libyan MPs visit the Egyptian parliament. (Libya parliament)

Libyan lawmakers concluded on Saturday a series of meetings in Cairo aimed at forming a liaison committee to work with the United Nations mission in Libya to form a national unity government.

The MPs welcomed all international efforts aimed at resolving the Libyan crisis, reiterating, however, their rejection of attempts to undermine the authority of the parliament, given that it represents the people.

They urged the parliament speaker to kick off discussions with local and external forces to clarify the legislature’s stance, discuss various proposals and initiatives and work on garnering the greatest national consensus over a solution.

This should all culminate in elections “as soon as possible,” they said, while hoping that the parallel parliaments in Libya would eventually be united.

Some 90 lawmakers, including 35 from the western region, visited on Friday the Egyptian parliament where they met with first undersecretary Al-Sayyed al-Sharif and deputy Speaker of the Arab parliament Saadeddine al-Jamal.

In a concluding statement, the lawmakers underscored the unity of Libyan territory, expressing their support for the operation waged by the Libyan National Army to liberate Tripoli from criminal gangs and militias.



Four Moroccan Truck Drivers Kidnapped in Burkina Faso Are Released

A general view of the Moroccan capital Rabat. (File photo/AFP)
A general view of the Moroccan capital Rabat. (File photo/AFP)
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Four Moroccan Truck Drivers Kidnapped in Burkina Faso Are Released

A general view of the Moroccan capital Rabat. (File photo/AFP)
A general view of the Moroccan capital Rabat. (File photo/AFP)

Four Moroccan truck drivers who were kidnapped in West Africa over the weekend were released in Niger, officials said, according to AP.

The drivers were the latest victims of insecurity in the Sahel, an arid swath of land south of the Sahara where militant groups such as ISIS - Sahel Province have in recent years exploited local grievances to grow their ranks and expand their presence.

The four were transporting electrical equipment from Casablanca to Niamey, the capital city of Niger, and had been on the road for more than 20 days traveling the 3,000-mile (4,950-kilometer) truck route when they were reported missing on Saturday, said the secretary-general of Morocco's Transport Union and a Moroccan official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment on the kidnapping.

The Moroccan Embassy in Burkina Faso late on Monday informed the union that the four drivers had been freed and were safe in Niamey.

“They will be brought back soon,” said Echarki El Hachmi, the union's secretary-general.

Their trucks and hauls remain missing, he added.

Burkina Faso and Niger are battling extremist militant groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIS, whose insurgencies have destabilized Sahel states in West Africa over the past decade.

A Moroccan diplomatic source earlier said the embassy was working together with Burkina Faso authorities to find the drivers.

Authorities in Burkina Faso have been organizing security convoys to escort trucks in the border area to protect against militant attacks, the source said.

El Hachmi had told Reuters that the trucks set off after waiting for a week without getting an escort.

He urged more protection in high-risk areas as the number of Moroccan trucks crossing the Sahel continues to rise.

Earlier this month, a convoy of Moroccan trucks was attacked on the Malian border with Mauritania. There were no casualties, El Hachmi said.