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The conflict in Sudan could deteriorate into one of the worst civil wars in the world if not stopped early, the North African nation's former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok said. "God forbid if Sudan is to reach a point of civil war," he said in a conversation with philanthropist Mo Ibrahim Saturday at an event in Nairobi. The conflicts in Syria, Yemen, Libya would seem small by comparison, Hamdok said. Sudan is a huge, diverse country with various ethnic and religious groups, and a full-scale war "would be a nightmare for the world," he said. Hamdok spoke as fighting in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, continued despite cease-fire pledges from both the army led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the rival Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group, under Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. The ex-prime minister has largely kept a low profile since he quit in January 2022.

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'Full-blown Sudan civil war can be worse than Syria, Yemen and Libya' - Economic Times

As a young man Khaled Alwadawi picked up the remnants of a rocket that had landed near his house in Misrata and took it to the local police station. He had no idea of the risks this posed to his life and others, and was lucky. Not everyone is, which is why he finds his work to train adults and children about the risks of unexploded ordnance so important.

After being trained by Handicap International to teach others about the risks, Alwadawi has spent the last seven years working with the UN Mine Action Service leading Libya Mine Action Services awareness work as Head of the Risk Education Section. He is focused on spreading the word to as many people as possible on the dangers of unexploded ordnance.

The need for our work is greater than the resources we have available, he says. I also need more people to report things to us we hear about injuries and conflicts, but a lot of the time we do not know the cause. Different devices require different education materials.

More than 1 million explosive remnants of war (ERW) which includes 82% projectiles and 4% small arms ammunitionhave been removed in Libya since 2011. With support from the United Nations Mine Action Service, Alwadawi and his team have facilitated training for over 300,000 children, 125,000 men and 71,000 women across Libya in risk awareness since 2011.

In the first few years of his tenure at the Libya Mine Action Service Alwadawi says most accidents were caused by munition with mines being rare. But after the conflict in Sirte in 2016, there was a clear rise in the number of accidents from mines. This then dropped again, until recent conflicts in Tripoli have seen injuries from mines and wider munitions increase once again.

He recounts the sleepless night he spent with colleagues following the return of civilians to southern Tripoli on 22 May 2019 after the conflict that April. The team were unable to speak to the approximately 250,000 citizens ahead of their return, and unlike their previous successful work in Sirte where they worked with officials to close the city and educate the population, people returned to Tripoli while it was still littered with munitions. Many people were injured.

We couldnt stop the return. It was beyond us he says, calling it the worst day of his career. We were blamed for the accidents, when could do nothing to prevent people returning. Libya is a highly contaminated country, and we shouldnt underestimate the danger, he adds.

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Mine Action Week Libya: Educating as Many People as Possible on the Risks of Unexploded Ordnance - ZAWYA

Seasonal strawberry cultivation in Libya is a thriving economic resource. From early spring to early to mid-summer, strawberry sellers litter roadsides. Its eaten fresh but also whizzed into smoothies and milkshakes.

Libyan Arable land in general is very limited and does not exceed 10 percent of the countrys area, which is approximately 15.4 million hectares out of the size of Libyas area, estimated at 176 million hectares.

More than 5,000 hectares used for strawberry cultivation in western LibyaThe areas cultivated seasonally with strawberries in the west of the country are estimated at more than five thousand hectares. These are distributed over the cities of Misrata, Zliten, the areas of Qasr Khiar, Al-Qarabouli and Tajoura east of Tripoli, Qasr Bin Ghashir and Sidi Al-Sayeh to the southeast of it, in addition to the south of Janzour and the cities of Saadia, Nasiriyah, Al-Zawiya, Surman and Sabrata.

Strawberries yield a good economic returnSpeaking exclusively to Libya Herald, agricultural engineer Hatem Saad al-Magri, who specializes in growing strawberries and seasonal crops, said that strawberries are crops with a good economic return. This return can be increased by working on producing the crop at the right time for export, which starts from November to April.

Fruits must reach consumer in optimal conditionHe stressed the need to take care of producing fruits with desirable horticultural specifications that are free from biological and chemical pollution. There is also the need to take care of collection, packaging, cooling and transport operations, which leads to the fruits reaching the consumer in an attractive way and raising their marketing value.

Small frozen quantities are exported to TunisiaHatem al-Magri referred to the cultivation of strawberries with locally produced seedlings under the supervision of agricultural engineers of the recommended varieties. The needs of farmers are provided by agricultural seed companies in Libya. Small frozen quantities are also provided for export annually to Tunisia, through companies specialized in delivery, packaging and freezing.

Winter v summer cultivationHe added that fresh strawberry seedlings are planted in September and October to produce the early crop for export, which begins in November until May. This system is called winter cultivation. As for the other system, which is called summer cultivation, it is cultivated with frozen seedlings that were stored in refrigerators for about seven months, where planting begins in August, and harvesting begins in March until July.

Coastal region suitable for strawberry cultivationWith regard to the lands most suitable for strawberry cultivation, he said that the areas of Tajura, Al-Garabouli, Gaser Khiar east of Tripoli, the Sidi Al-Sayeh area, Gasr Ben Ghashir south of it and the whole coastal region are good for strawberry production. This is due to suitable soil, humid Mediterranean climate, and abundance of groundwater.

High demand for strawberriesAl-Magri said strawberry cultivation has a good economic return, as it is a source of livelihood for many farm owners as well as marketers and sellers in the local market, with high demand for it, especially from cafes, restaurants, natural juice shops, as well as home consumption.

He stressed that the cultivation of strawberries is carried out by Libyan hands, to a large extent, for ease of handling and care, noting the lack of use of medicines and chemical fertilizers, which makes local strawberries safer for the consumer than the imported frozen varieties.

Supply can meet local demandRegarding the ability of local farms to provide the required quantities to consumers locally, he said that it is possible to cover the local market to a large extent, and a surplus can be achieved for export abroad, provided that the supply of electric power to farms is stable, along with the provision of refrigerators, preservation materials, and packaging at good prices.

No government supportOn the role of the Ministry of Agriculture and the government in supporting this activity, he said that the Libyan farmer lacks the support and encouragement of the successive Libyan governments, especially the Ministry of Agriculture. He said this type of agriculture does not require large material costs and can be carried out with minimal capabilities.

Strawberry cultivation, he explained, is an economic cultivation that achieves a quick and large return, especially if other industries are established on it, such as the manufacture of juices and natural jam.

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Strawberry cultivation in Libya is a thriving economic resource - Libya Herald

The United States continues to look at every conceivable option to help Americans get out of Sudan amid deadly clashes in the country, but is not considering peacekeeping troops,according to White House national security adviserJake Sullivan.

Sullivan said the U.S. has placed intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets over the land evacuation route to help facilitate safe travel by land from Khartoum to the Port of Sudan, but does not have any U.S. troops on the ground.

It is not standard practice for the United States to send in the U.S. military into war zones to extract American citizens, Sullivan said, speaking at a press briefing at the White House on Monday.

We didnt do it in Libya. We didnt do it in Syria. We didnt do it in Yemen, and no we didnt do it in Ukraine. Afghanistan was a unique case involving the end of the 20-year war that the United States was centrally involved in, he added.

According to the Associated Press, an estimated 16,000 private U.S. citizens are registered with the embassy as being in Sudan. The figure is rough because not all Americans register with embassy or say when they depart.

Sullivan said the U.S. will go to great lengths to support and facilitate the departure of Americans but also noted that the State Department has been cautioning Americans in Sudan to leave the country for years.

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We didn't do it in Libya: US will not send military to evacuate ... - Libya Update

By Faraj Aljarih

The escalating number of irregular migrants entering Libya has sparked concerns among several nations. With land boundaries spanning approximately 4,348 kilometers and sea borders extending over 1,700 kilometers, Libya has emerged as a preferred transit point for migrants seeking to reach Europe.

In recent months, migration activity to Europe through Libya has surged. A boat carrying around 80 irregular migrants sank off the coast of Castelverde, east of Tripoli, with only five surviving. The remaining individuals are either deceased or missing at sea. This incident highlights the perils of irregular migration and the pressing need for action to prevent further loss of life.

Last Saturday, 36 bodies were discovered washed up on the shore of Sabratha after their boat sank. The Libyan Red Crescent recovered the bodies over a period of three days, with the fate of others still unknown. This is another tragic incident that underscores the risks that migrants face when attempting to cross the Mediterranean.

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), over 15,000 Bangladeshi migrants arrived in Italy from Libya in 2022, double the number from the previous year. This has prompted Italy to take action to curb irregular migration. The Italian Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, stated that Italy is working from inside Libya and Tunisia to reduce the number of migrants leaving, emphasizing that Italy cannot become a waiting hall for those who want to go elsewhere.

The latest statistics from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Libya (UNHCR) show that over 4,261 irregular migrants are currently detained in Libya since the beginning of 2023. The detention centers in Libya include the Abu Salim detention center in Tripoli, which has been the site of several protests and riots due to poor conditions, and the Zintan detention center in the western part of the country. The conditions in these centers have been a source of concern for human rights organizations, with reports of overcrowding, poor sanitation, and abuse. This underscores the necessity for a well-coordinated international endeavor to tackle the underlying reasons for migration and establish secure and lawful channels for individuals seeking to improve their lives.

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Italy takes action from inside Libya to curb migration influx - Libya Update