Photo : Reuters
NIAS Area Studies
AFRICA MONITOR
Photo : Reuters
IN BRIEF
by Anu Maria Joseph
Egypt hosts Arab summit, GERD on agenda
On 23 August, BBC reported, according to Egyptian media, Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al- Sisi is hosting a five-nation Arab summit in the Mediterranean coastal city of New Alamein. The leaders of Bahrain, the UAE, Iraq and Jordan are reportedly attending the summit. The summit is expected to discuss the conflicts in Yemen, Syria and Libya and Egypt and Sudan’s dispute with Ethiopia over the Grand Renaissance Dam. (Israel Campos, “Egypt hosts Arab summit with Nile Dam row on agenda,” BBC, 23 August)
Nigeria: military reportedly kills 25 Islamist militants
On 23 August the Nigerian military reported that it killed 25 militants belonging to Islamic State West Africa Province (Iswap) in a series of air strikes in the north-east of the country. Nigeria military spokesperson said that Iswap’s local leader Fiya Ba Yuram was also targeted, but it is not confirmed if he was killed. The military also said it killed an unidentified number of militants in another attack on 20 August, in Tunbuns area on the shores of Lake Chad and in Borno state. Iswap broke away from Boko Haram in 2016. The two groups continue to carry out attacks in the region. (Ishaq Khalid, “Dozens of Islamists killed in Nigeria, military says,” BBC, 23 August 2022)
Libya: UN raises concerns over political tensions
On 23 August, the UN said it is deeply worried about the ongoing clashes between armed groups in Libya and the threat of using force in solving the country's political crisis. Libya has been in a political crisis for months after the country's eastern based parliament appointed a new prime minister, in spite of the fact that there was already a prime minister who refused to cede power without an election. There have been multiple armed fights between the supporters of both men, which the UN says concerned, having capability to reignite wider conflict after two years of comparative peace. (Mike Thomson, “UN fears Libya violence could reverse progress,” BBC, 23 August 2022)