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Tunisia Plans to Join BRICS Nations

Tunisian President Kais Saied (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Tunisian President Kais Saied (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Tunisia Plans to Join BRICS Nations

Tunisian President Kais Saied (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Tunisian President Kais Saied (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Tunisia said on Saturday that it intends to join the BRICS countries bloc of emerging economies that includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.

Mahmoud bin Mabrouk, spokesman for the pro-presidential July 25 Movement in Tunisia and pro-Tunisian President Kais Saeid, said his country plans to join the BRICS nations bloc.

“We will accept no dictates or interference in Tunisia’s internal affairs. We are negotiating the terms, but we refuse to receive instructions and the EU’s agenda,” said bin Mabrouk in remarks to the Arab News Agency.

Tunisian President Kais Saied had earlier expressed rejection of what he described as “dictates” of the International Monetary Fund to grant Tunisia $1.9 billion in loans.

Mabrouk described the BRICS nations as “a political, economic and financial alternative that will enable Tunisia to open up to the new world.”

He stressed that Tunisia's accession to the group would give it major economic gains, which would positively affect the social conditions in the country.

In 2018, Tunisia signed an agreement to join the "Belt and Road" initiative, which was established by China in 2013.

Bin Mabrouk went on to say: "After Algeria announced that it will join the group, we will also announce our intention to join BRICS."

Alegria had earlier announced plans to join the BRICS group next year.

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Arab World

8 Arab and Islamic Countries Deeply Concerned About Deteriorating Humanitarian Situation in Gaza

Nanaa Abu Jari cooks outside her tent after it was flooded by rainwater in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Nanaa Abu Jari cooks outside her tent after it was flooded by rainwater in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
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8 Arab and Islamic Countries Deeply Concerned About Deteriorating Humanitarian Situation in Gaza

Nanaa Abu Jari cooks outside her tent after it was flooded by rainwater in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Nanaa Abu Jari cooks outside her tent after it was flooded by rainwater in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

The foreign ministers of eight Arab and Islamic countries, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Qatar urged on Friday the international community to pressure Israel to lift constraints on the distribution of aid in the Gaza Strip.

In a joint statement the eight countries “expressed their deepest concern regarding the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, which has been exacerbated by severe, harsh, and unstable weather conditions, including heavy rainfall and storms, and compounded by the continued lack of sufficient humanitarian access, acute shortages of essential life-saving supplies, and the slow pace of the entry of essential materials required for the rehabilitation of basic services and the establishment of temporary housing.”

They "urged the international community to pressure Israel, as the occupying power, to immediately lift the constraints on the entry and distribution of essential supplies" to Gaza.

The statement also called for the immediate delivery of humanitarian aid in the Palestinian enclave through the UN and its agencies, the rehabilitation of infrastructure and hospitals, and the opening of the Rafah Crossing in both directions as stipulated in US President Donald Trump’s Comprehensive Plan.

The Rafah border crossing was set to be reopened under the ceasefire in effect in Gaza since October, but has so far remained closed.

Friday’s statement “commended the tireless efforts of all United Nations organizations and agencies, especially UNRWA, as well as humanitarian international NGOs, in continuing to assist Palestinian civilians and deliver humanitarian assistance under extremely difficult and complex circumstances.”

The eight countries “demanded that Israel ensure the UN and international NGOs are able to operate in Gaza and the West Bank in a sustained, predictable, and unrestricted manner, given their integral role in the humanitarian response in the Strip.”

“Any attempt to impede their ability to operate is unacceptable,” they added.

Arab World

MSF Calls Israeli Ban a 'Grave Blow' to Gaza Aid

Nanaa Abu Jari cooks outside her tent after it was flooded by rainwater in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Nanaa Abu Jari cooks outside her tent after it was flooded by rainwater in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
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MSF Calls Israeli Ban a 'Grave Blow' to Gaza Aid

Nanaa Abu Jari cooks outside her tent after it was flooded by rainwater in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Nanaa Abu Jari cooks outside her tent after it was flooded by rainwater in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

International charity Doctors Without Borders Friday condemned a "grave blow to humanitarian aid" after Israel revoked the status it needs to operate in Gaza for refusing to share Palestinian staff lists.

Israel on Thursday confirmed it had banned access to the Gaza Strip to 37 foreign humanitarian organizations for refusing to share lists of their Palestinian employees.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF), which has 1,200 staff members in the Palestinian territories, the majority of them in Gaza, said in a statement that "denying medical assistance to civilians is unacceptable under any circumstances".

The medical organization argued that it had "legitimate concerns" over new Israeli requirements for foreign NGO registration, specifically the disclosing of personal information about Palestinian staff.

According to AFP, it pointed to the fact that 15 MSF staff had been "killed by Israeli forces", and that access to any given territory should not be conditional on staff list disclosure.

"Demanding staff lists as a condition for access to territory is an outrageous overreach," the charity said.

MSF also denounced "the absence of any clarity about how such sensitive data will be used, stored, or shared", charging that Israeli forces "have killed and wounded hundreds of thousands of civilians" in Gaza during the course of the war.

It also charged that Israel had "manufactured shortages of basic necessities by blocking and delaying the entry of essential goods, including medical supplies".

Israel controls and regulates all entry points into Gaza, which is surrounded by a wall that began to be built in 2005.

Felipe Ribero, MSF head of mission in the Palestinian territories, told AFP that all of its operations were still ongoing in Gaza.

"We are supposed to leave under 60 days, but we don't know whether it will be three or 60 days" before Israeli authorities force MSF to leave, he said.

Prominent humanitarian organizations hit by the Israeli ban include the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), World Vision International and Oxfam, according to an Israeli ministry list.

The ban, which came into effect on December 31, 2025 at midnight, has triggered widespread international condemnation.

Israel says the new regulation aims to prevent bodies it accuses of supporting terrorism from operating in the Palestinian territories.

MSF says it currently supports one in five hospital beds in Gaza and assists one in three mothers in the territory, and urged the Israeli authorities to meet to discuss the ban.

Arab World

Sources to Asharq Al-Awsat: National Shield Forces Control Al-Khasha Camp

National Shield forces are seen in Hadhramaut. Photo: National Shield forces
National Shield forces are seen in Hadhramaut. Photo: National Shield forces
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Sources to Asharq Al-Awsat: National Shield Forces Control Al-Khasha Camp

National Shield forces are seen in Hadhramaut. Photo: National Shield forces
National Shield forces are seen in Hadhramaut. Photo: National Shield forces

Sources confirmed that the National Shield forces, led by the Governor of Hadhramaut in Yemen, have taken control of the “37th Strategic Brigade Camp” in the Al-Khasha area.

Field sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the National Shield forces tightened their grip on Al-Khasha camp after clashes with the Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces, which subsequently retreated.

The sources added that National Shield forces continue to secure and completely clear the areas adjacent to the camp.

According to military sources in Hadhramaut, STC forces “had positioned themselves in areas on the outskirts of the camp early on, fearing airstrikes.”

“These forces were dealt with,” and efforts are underway to secure the area, the sources said.

They confirmed that National Shield forces will continue advancing toward Seiyun to liberate the remaining camps and areas.

Those forces, “with support from brothers in the Kingdom (Saudi Arabia), are proceeding according to clear plans to secure all military camps in the governorates of Hadhramaut and Al-Mahrah.”

The forces “are now present in some areas on the outskirts of Seiyun.”

The sources did not confirm reports about the withdrawal of STC forces from the First Military Region in Seiyun.

“Some STC forces are stationed at Seiyun Hospital and the Republican Palace, while the rest of the locations have been completely evacuated and their forces have withdrawn toward Al-Qatn," they added.