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Sarraj Calls for Selecting Successor by End of October

Fighters loyal to the Government of National Accord (GNA) patrol an area south of the Libyan capital Tripoli on January 12, 2020. (File photo: AFP)
Fighters loyal to the Government of National Accord (GNA) patrol an area south of the Libyan capital Tripoli on January 12, 2020. (File photo: AFP)
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Sarraj Calls for Selecting Successor by End of October

Fighters loyal to the Government of National Accord (GNA) patrol an area south of the Libyan capital Tripoli on January 12, 2020. (File photo: AFP)
Fighters loyal to the Government of National Accord (GNA) patrol an area south of the Libyan capital Tripoli on January 12, 2020. (File photo: AFP)

Four years after assuming office, the head of Libya’s Government of National Accord (GNA) Fayez al-Sarraj announced on Wednesday that he intends to step down by the end of October and make way for a new leader elected by the dialogue committee.

Sarraj also welcomed the results of UN-sponsored negotiations to unite the North African state divided by war and foreign military interventions.

"I declare my sincere desire to hand over my duties to the next executive authority no later than the end of October," Sarraj said while delivering a speech on state television.

"Hopefully, the dialogue committee will complete its work and choose a new presidential council and prime minister," he added.

“Today, we are witnessing meetings and deliberations between Libyans sponsored by the UN, and we welcome the principal recommendations made,” Sarraj said, adding that he is hopeful that those recommendations bring about further agreement among warring parties.

Sarraj said the UN-brokered talks between the country's rival factions have led to a "new preparatory phase" to unify Libyan institutions and prepare for parliamentary and presidential elections.

Although Sarraj supports direct elections as means to a comprehensive solution, he said he would support other understandings established at negotiations.

Despite declaring his wish to resign, Sarraj still defended his government’s performance, saying that it was working under “unnatural” circumstances and that it faced internal and foreign conspiracies on a daily basis.

This, according to Sarraj, inhibited the government from performing its duties in an exemplary fashion.

In other news, the press office of the GNA’s High State Council on Wednesday said its head Khalid al-Mishri had met with Turkey’s Ambassador in Tripoli Serhat Aksen to discuss the latest developments in Libya.

Last November, Turkey and Libya’s GNA signed a maritime, as well as a security and military cooperation agreement.

Oil-rich Libya was plunged into chaos when a NATO-backed uprising in 2011 toppled longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi, who was later killed. The country has since split between rival east- and west-based administrations, each backed by armed groups and foreign governments.

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Inadequate Food Consumption Worsens in 7 Yemeni Governorates

The United Nations plans to reach 12 million Yemenis in need of assistance this year. (dpa)
The United Nations plans to reach 12 million Yemenis in need of assistance this year. (dpa)
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Inadequate Food Consumption Worsens in 7 Yemeni Governorates

The United Nations plans to reach 12 million Yemenis in need of assistance this year. (dpa)
The United Nations plans to reach 12 million Yemenis in need of assistance this year. (dpa)

Inadequate food consumption worsened in seven Yemeni governorates, mostly in Houthi-controlled areas, UN data revealed.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned that the suspension of US funds for some aid organizations is likely to impact the delivery humanitarian assistance in Yemen, potentially escalating food insecurity in the coming months.

Food insecurity remained alarmingly high in Yemen, reflecting a minimal increase of about 1% in January compared to December 2024 levels, the UN agency said in its High-Frequency Monitoring (HFM) Snapshot.

“Food insecurity remained alarmingly high in both areas under the control of the legitimate government Yemen and in Houthi-controlled areas, with inadequate food consumption scores of 53% and 43.7%, respectively,” it added.

Compared to last month, inadequate food consumption worsened in seven governorates. Five of them, Al Jawf, Hajjah, Hodeidah, Sanaa and Amran, are under the control of the Iran-backed Houthi militias, in addition to the governorate of Maarib, which is partly controlled by the militias. Only Lahj is under the control of the legitimate government.

The FAO report also showed that among the food insecure population, approximately 20% experienced severe food deprivation, measured by poor food consumption score, with 24% in government areas, which is a 2% increase from the previous month.

In Houthi-controlled areas, severe food deprivation remained steady at 19%.

It said food insecurity is projected to likely worsen in February, coinciding with the peak of the lean season and worsening economic crisis marked by depreciating local currency and increasing food prices in areas under the control of the legitimate government.

Suspension of US aid

FAO expected that the suspension of USAID funds for some aid organizations is likely to impact the delivery humanitarian assistance in Yemen, potentially escalating food insecurity in the coming months.

Before the Trump administration said it is eliminating more than 90% of its USAID foreign assistance, Washington had announced in mid 2024 it is providing nearly $220 million in additional humanitarian aid to help the people of Yemen, including nearly $200 million through USAID and nearly $20 million through the Department of State.

The humanitarian assistance brought the US total assistance to the humanitarian response in Yemen to nearly $5.9 billion since the conflict began in September 2014.

The US State Department said these additional funds will support humanitarian partners to continue to reach millions of vulnerable Yemenis, as well as refugees and asylum seekers in Yemen, with treatment of malnutrition, support primary healthcare, safe drinking water, gender-based violence care and psychosocial support for crisis-affected populations.

Maternal deaths

Other data released by the UN Population Fund (UNPF) said that Yemen still has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the region, at 183 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births.

Some 40% of health facilities are partially functioning or completely out of service because of shortages in staff, funds, electricity, medicine and equipment, leaving millions without adequate care.

UN research showed that midwives could avert around two thirds of all maternal and newborn deaths and stillbirths globally, and deliver some 90% of all essential sexual, reproductive, maternal and newborn health services.

Yet the profession has for too long been marginalized within health systems, an imbalance UNFPA is working to rectify by investing in midwifery training and deployment to reach more women and save more lives, quickly and at scale.

In 2020, with funding from the European Union, UNFPA established a series of three-year training programs at seven institutes in remote and hard-to-access areas, where rates of maternal and newborn deaths in Yemen are the highest.

As a result, the Fund said over 400,000 women benefitted recently from the programs, of whom more than 50,000 had safe home deliveries with community midwives, and more than 77,000 received family planning services.