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Sisi: Libya Can Only Restore Sovereignty by Withdrawal of Foreign Forces

The French and Egyptian presidents before the international conference on Libya in Paris, on Friday, November 12, 2021. (AP)
The French and Egyptian presidents before the international conference on Libya in Paris, on Friday, November 12, 2021. (AP)
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Sisi: Libya Can Only Restore Sovereignty by Withdrawal of Foreign Forces

The French and Egyptian presidents before the international conference on Libya in Paris, on Friday, November 12, 2021. (AP)
The French and Egyptian presidents before the international conference on Libya in Paris, on Friday, November 12, 2021. (AP)

Libya can only restore its sovereignty, unity and aspired stability by addressing the primary issue impeding this, namely the presence of foreign forces and mercenaries on its territories, said Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

Their presence in Libya violates Security Council Resolutions 2570 and 2571, as well as the internationally and regionally approved outcomes of the Second Berlin Conference on Libya, decisions of the Arab League, the African Union, and Libya’s neighboring countries regarding the withdrawal of all foreign forces and mercenaries without exceptions, discrimination or further procrastination, he stressed.

Sisi’s remarks were made in his speech during the Paris international conference on Libya, which was held in the French capital on Friday.

“Certain requirements for restoring long-term stability, achieving social peace, and preserving identity and national fabric cannot be ignored,” Egypt’s state-run Middle East News Agency (MENA) quoted Sisi as saying.

These requirements include “completing comprehensive national reconciliation among all Libyans and ensuring equitable distribution of resources to achieve comprehensive development across Libya.”

The situation in Libya is improving, Sisi affirmed, adding that the Libyan political process is passing through a decisive phase that aims to hold elections as scheduled on Dec. 24.

He hailed the procedures followed by the Libyan Presidential Council and the Government of National Unity to prepare for the elections.

“I also commend the parliament’s efforts and coordination with the Libyan High National Election Commission, which is working hard in this regard,” he stated.

Friday’s meeting comes almost two years after the Berlin summit on Libya, when parties pledged to protect the country’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity and committed to support the UN efforts in launching a comprehensive and sustainable political process under a Libyan leadership and sovereignty, in an attempt to end the conflict and restore stability.

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MSF Suspends Operations at Key Hospital in Sudan's Capital

FILE - South Sudanese people sit outside a nutrition clinic at a transit center in Renk, South Sudan, on May 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick, File)
FILE - South Sudanese people sit outside a nutrition clinic at a transit center in Renk, South Sudan, on May 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick, File)
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MSF Suspends Operations at Key Hospital in Sudan's Capital

FILE - South Sudanese people sit outside a nutrition clinic at a transit center in Renk, South Sudan, on May 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick, File)
FILE - South Sudanese people sit outside a nutrition clinic at a transit center in Renk, South Sudan, on May 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick, File)

Medical aid agency MSF said on Friday it has been forced to suspend its activities at one of the few remaining hospitals in southern Khartoum due to repeated attacks, cutting off yet another lifeline for those who remain in the Sudanese capital.
War has been raging in Sudan since April 2023, sparked by a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) ahead of a planned transition to civilian rule, triggering the world's largest displacement and hunger crisis.
The hospital, which lies in territory controlled by the RSF, helped treat the victims of frequent airstrikes by the Sudanese Armed Forces, as well as hundreds of malnourished women and children in an area where two neighborhoods have been judged at risk of famine, reported Reuters.
"In the 20 months MSF teams have worked alongside hospital staff and volunteers, Bashair Hospital has experienced repeated incidents of armed fighters entering the hospital with weapons and threatening medical staff, often demanding fighters be treated before other patients," MSF said in a statement.
"Despite extensive engagements with all stakeholders, these attacks have continued in recent months. MSF has now taken the very difficult decision to suspend all medical activities in the hospital."
The fighting in Sudan has cut off up to 80% of hospitals in conflict areas, where millions who cannot afford to escape the violence remain. Civilians face frequent air and artillery fire and hunger as supplies are blocked by both warring parties and prices skyrocket.
Medical facilities, including MSF-supported ones that have suspended operations, have frequently come under attack by RSF soldiers demanding treatment or looting supplies. Bashair Hospital has served more than 25,000 people, MSF said, including 9,000 hurt by blasts, gunshot wounds, and other violence.
"Sometimes dozens of people arrived at the hospital at the same time after shelling or airstrikes on residential areas and markets," MSF said in the statement, citing an incident on Sunday where an airstrike one kilometer away drove 50 people to the emergency room, 12 of them already dead.