Region

TRIPOLI — Libya on Monday opened registration for candidates in presidential and parliamentary elections, as the country seeks to move on from a decade of war.

The North African nation’s first ever direct presidential elections, with a first round on December 24, come after a year of relative peace following a ceasefire between eastern and western camps in October 2020.

But the United Nations-backed elections process has been overshadowed by wrangling over the legal basis for the votes and the powers of whoever wins.

Candidates are able to lodge applications at offices of the High National Electoral Commission (HNEC) in the three main cities in Libya’s west, east and south until November 22, the HNEC said Sunday.

Parliamentary candidates have until December 7 to do so.

Speculation has been mounting for months over possible presidential bids by eastern-based military chief Khalifa Haftar and by Seif Al Islam, son of former dictator Muammar Qadhafi, whose fall in a 2011 NATO-backed revolt triggered the country’s fall into years of violence and political turmoil.

Former interior minister Fathi Bashagha has confirmed he will run, while others expected to do so include diplomats Aref Al Nayed and Ibrahim Dabbachi, as well as comedian Hatem Al Kour.

The opening of candidacies “is the real start of the electoral process,” the head of the electoral commission Imad Al Sayeh told reporters on Sunday.

Both presidential and parliamentary elections are slated for December 24, but in early October, parliament split the dates of the vote by postponing legislative elections until January.

However, foreign powers have been pushing hard for both elections to be still held on the same day, a date agreed at UN-led talks last year.

More than 2.8 million of Libya’s 7 million residents have registered with the HNEC for the vote.

International powers have been pushing elections as a key part of a roadmap out of years of violence between an array of Libyan and foreign armed groups, many backed by overseas powers.

But observers worry that the security situation will not allow a free and fair vote, while a disputed outcome could spark a return to conflict.

BAGHDAD — Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhemi escaped unhurt from an "assassination attempt" in which an explosives-packed drone hit his Baghdad residence early Sunday, a new escalation in the country's post-election turmoil.

Washington condemned the "apparent act of terrorism" while Iraqi President Barham Saleh called the attack, which was not immediately claimed by any group, an attempted "coup against the constitutional system".

Kadhemi, 54, and in power since May 2020, appealed for "calm and restraint" before chairing a meeting at his office in the high-security Baghdad Green Zone, where the overnight attack took place.

Three drones were launched from near a Tigris River bridge but two were intercepted, said security sources, adding that two bodyguards were wounded.

Gunfire rang out and smoke rose from the Green Zone after the strike, which the premier's office labelled a "failed assassination attempt".

Photos issued by Kadhemi’s office showed debris strewn on the ground below a damaged exterior stairway and a door that had been dislodged.

Kadhemi said in a short video that “my residence has been the target of a cowardly assault. Praise God, I am fine”.

The attack came two days after security forces clashed with supporters of Iran-backed parties that lost support in the October 10 parliament election, and who have charged they were the victims of vote irregularities.

The Conquest (Fatah) Alliance, the political arm of the pro-Iran Hashed Al Shaabi paramilitary network, suffered a substantial decline in seats, leading it to denounce the outcome as “fraud”.

After the drone attack, Qais Al Khazali, the head of Assaib Ahl Al Haq, one of the main pro-Iran groups of the Hashed, called for the perpetrators to be “brought to justice”.

‘Heart’ of state 

The United States, which has around 2,500 troops in the country, said it was “relieved to learn the Prime Minister was unharmed”.

“This apparent act of terrorism, which we strongly condemn, was directed at the heart of the Iraqi state,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said.

The European Union said the perpetrators “must be held accountable” while Britain and NATO both condemned the attack.

Iran urged “vigilance to foil plots aimed at the security and development” of Iraq, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Said Khatibzadeh.

He directed blame at the US, which led the 2003 invasion of Iraq that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein and kicked off years of sectarian conflict.

“Such incidents are in the interest of those who have violated the stability, security, independence and territorial integrity of Iraq over the past 18 years,” said Khatibzadeh.

“They have sought to achieve their sinister regional goals by creating terrorist groups that seek to cause sedition.”

Moqtada Sadr, an influential Shiite Muslim preacher whose political movement was the big election winner, condemned the drone attack as “against Iraq and the Iraqi people”.

Mounting tensions 

The strike came amid soaring tensions over the elections, the fifth such vote since the 2003 US-led invasion.

Hundreds of Hashed supporters clashed with police on Friday, while protesting near the Green Zone to vent their fury over the preliminary result.

One protester died of injuries in hospital, according to a security source, while a Hashed source said two demonstrators were killed.

Several hundred supporters of pro-Iranian groups returned to the edge of the Green Zone on Saturday to protest, and some burned a portrait of the prime minister, whom they called a “criminal”.

Final election results are expected in a few weeks.

Kadhemi brought forward the ballot, originally planned for next year, in a concession to anti-government protests over endemic corruption, unemployment, failing public services and the influence of Iran.

Activists accuse the Hashed’s armed forces, whose 160,000 fighters are now integrated into Iraq’s state security forces, of being beholden to Iran and acting as an instrument of oppression against critics.

Other drone attacks in Iraq have occurred over the last few months, particularly against American interests.

TEHRAN — The Iranian army began on Sunday drills in the southwest of the country, near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, where it said a stand-off with the US recently took place.

"The exercise of the army of the Islamic Republic of Iran on an area of more than one million square kilometres east of the Strait of Hormuz and the Sea of Oman and north of the Indian Ocean has begun," state television said.

It broadcast images of the military exercises which involved helicopters, tanks, drones, ships and speedboats.

"This exercise is a serious warning to our enemies and those who have ill intentions towards Iran," the spokesman for the drills, Admiral Mahmoud Moussavi, was quoted as saying by Irib News Agency.

The elite Revolutionary Guard Corps announced on Wednesday it had thwarted an attempt by the US navy to seize a vessel carrying its oil in the Sea of Oman the previous week.

But US defence officials offered a contrasting version of events, saying the Iranians had seized the tanker, while US forces "monitored" the incident without engaging.

The Strait of Hormuz is a chokepoint for global oil shipments, where US and Iranian naval vessels have faced off in the past.

The latest tanker incident took place amid protracted efforts to revive a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers that the US unilaterally pulled out of in 2018 under then-President Donald Trump.

The deal would offer Iran vital relief from debilitating sanctions in return for severe limits in its nuclear activities.

In 2019, a series of attacks on tankers in the Gulf threatened to further drive US-Iran tensions.

Nuclear talks are expected to resume on November 29 in Vienna, after they had been suspended since June after the election of Iran's hardline President Ebrahim Raisi.

KHARTOUM — Sudanese security forces on Sunday fired tear gas at multiple anti-coup rallies, with protesters in several cities joining a call for two-days of civil disobedience against last month's military takeover.

Hundreds of anti-coup protesters rallied Sunday in the capital Khartoum, as well as in its twin city of Omdurman, Wad Madni to the south, and the northern city of Atbara.

"The authority belongs to the people", protesters chanted, calling "no, no to military rule", and demanding a "civilian government".

Nationwide anti-coup protests have occurred since the October 25 power grab by the army, but have been met by a deadly crackdown.

At least 14 demonstrators have been killed and about 300 wounded, according to the independent Central Committee of Sudan's Doctors.

"Protesters barricaded the streets, set car tyres ablaze, called out against the military rule, and chanted that civilian government is the people's choice," said Hoda Othman, who witnessed protests in Omdurman on Sunday.

Almost two weeks ago Sudan's top general Abdel Fattah Al Burhan dissolved the government, as well as the ruling joint military-civilian Sovereign Council, that was supposed to lead the country toward full civilian rule.

Burhan also declared a state of emergency and detained Sudan's civilian leadership.

Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok was briefly detained, but later placed under effective house arrest.

Teachers arrested 

Sunday's rallies followed calls for two-days of civil disobedience made by the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), an umbrella of unions which were also instrumental in the 2018-2019 protests which led to the ouster of longtime strongman Omar Al Bashir in April 2019.

"The Sudanese people have rejected the military coup," the SPA said, vowing "no negotiation, no partnership, no legitimacy".

In Khartoum eastern Burri district, protesters built burning barricades of tyres.

“Security forces later dispersed the protest by firing tear gas and began removing the barricades,” said protester Mosab Abdalla.

Earlier on Sunday, dozens of teachers rallied against the army outside the education ministry in Khartoum.

“We organised a silent stand against the decisions by Burhan,” said geography teacher Mohamed Al Amin, who took part in the protest.

“Police came and fired tear gas at us, though we were simply standing on the streets and carrying banners.”

There were no confirmed reports of casualties but about 87 teachers have been detained, according to the SPA.

The teachers’ rally came after the military leadership replaced heads of department at the education ministry, as part of sweeping changes it made in multiple sectors.

“The protest rejects the return of remnants of the old regime” linked to now jailed ex-resident Bashir, the teachers’ union said.

Internet outages 

The SPA’s appeals for the civil disobedience were circulated via text messages to bypass internet outages since the putsch.

On Sunday there appeared to be mixed compliance with the call among retailers.

Some shops were still open but others were shuttered in Khartoum, as well as in the neighbouring cities of Omdurman and Khartoum-North, according to witnesses.

The military takeover sparked international condemnation, including punitive aid cuts and demands for a swift return to civilian rule.

Burhan insists it “was not a coup” but a move to “rectify the course of the transition”.

On Thursday, the military released four civilian members of the government.

But other key officials are still under guard and, on that same day, security forces arrested other civilian leaders near a United Nations building in Khartoum, following their meeting with UN Special Representative for Sudan Volker Perthes.

“We call upon the military leadership to cease arresting politicians and activists and to stop committing human rights violations,” Perthes said afterwards.

AÏN OUSSERA, Algeria — Hakim Alileche left a successful career in graphic design and moved to the Algerian countryside to produce “magic potion” — organic olive oil that has won him international recognition.

The 48-year-old says he chose the Ain Oussera plateau for its cheap land and water supply.

His oil won first prize at the Dubai Olive Oil Competition in the Extra Virgin Early Harvest category in February 2021 and in May he won silver at the Japan Olive Oil Prize.

“These honours really reassured us because it means we were right,” he said.

The farm of some 40 hectares has over 15,000 olive trees, and so far 9,000 have started producing.

“I started planting them bit by bit from 2005. I like farming and I’ve been fond of olive trees since I was little,” he said.

“In Algeria, it’s a sacred tree.”

Producing organic olive oil “puts me right into this mood of respect and protection for the planet”, he said.

He has visited several other producing countries — Bosnia-Herzegovina, Greece, France and Italy to learn about production methods.

“These trees have never had any chemical treatment and I will do everything to make it stay that way,” he said, clasping a goblet of oil freshly extracted from his modern Italian press.

“It’s really food and medicine,” he said, taking a sip of the fragrant liquid before heading out to supervise workers harvesting olives in the orchard.

‘Very high quality’ 

As with every year since entering into production, Alileche is picking his olives early, in a country where the harvest doesn’t start until mid-November.

“An early harvest allows you to get all the benefits of the olives, all the natural anti-oxidants,” he said.

The olives are scraped off the branches by hand to avoid damaging the trees, and fall on a tarpaulin on the ground to then be scooped into crates and hauled off to the press.

“Crushing them the same day avoids the olives oxidising,” Alileche said.

Picked this early, the olives give a meagre amount of oil — just eight litres per 100 kilogrammes. That compares to 18 litres for fully mature fruits.

“Our oil is a very high quality that we want to get certified in Europe” as organic, Alileche said.

He has labelled his oil Dahbia, the name of both his mother and his wife.

The production process “respects the entire ecological system: No pollution, no fertilisers”.

The oil’s free acidity — a measure of quality whereby the lower the figure, the better the oil — is 0.16 per cent, just a fifth of the 0.8 per cent limit for Extra Virgin oil.

“At the mill, we don’t touch the olives much,” he said. “We wash them, press them and finally bottle the oil.”

That breaks with more traditional practices, he added.

“Before, people wouldn’t wash the olives and they would sit exposed for long periods in bags in the open air, which changed the taste of the oil.”

Alileche’s farm benefits from a drip irrigation system, but he fears that climate change could threaten his livelihood, bringing both drought and early summer hailstorms.

“A quarter of an hour of hail and it’s all gone,” he said. “You’d have to wait five years for the olive tree to recover.”

SFAX, Tunisia — Residents and activists in Tunisia’s industrial hub of Sfax are warning of an “environmental catastrophe” as mountains of uncollected garbage litter the streets of the Mediterranean port city.

“The situation is catastrophic,” Mohamed Boujalabane, a resident of Sfax, Tunisia’s second city with a population of over one million, told AFP.

“We can’t have a normal life any more, there’s garbage everywhere and we’re afraid for the health of our children and families,” he said, a mask covering his face.

For the past 40 days, the trash has piled up in the streets, attracting clouds of flies, even around hospitals and schools.

And the stench is unbearable.

“We’ve complained to the municipality but so far they’ve done nothing!” Rabeh Abid, a butcher, said angrily.

Hamdi Chebaane, a waste management expert and environmental activist with Tunisie Verte, said the garbage woes started after authorities closed the province’s main landfill at Aguereb in late September.

Since then, he said, “the municipality has refused to collect the rubbish unless the government” finds a solution.

As a result, the region faces “an environmental catastrophe”, warned Chebaane.

‘Toxic waste’ 

Local media reports said the landfill was closed following protests by residents who charged that “toxic waste” was also being dumped at the site, where only household rubbish is allowed.

Environment Minister Leila Chikhaoui travelled to Sfax in October to discuss the crisis with city officials.

She proposed the toxic waste be moved to a temporary landfill away from urban and residential areas in Sfax.

But local residents rejected any such temporary solution.

Tunisia, which is home to 12 million people, has repeatedly struggled with waste management problems.

Around 2.5 million tonnes of waste is collected annually, international experts say, and the majority is dumped in landfills without being treated, recycled or incinerated.

According to a recent World Bank report, just 61 per cent of waste in the capital Tunis is collected and most ends up in open-air landfills.

Authorities have tried since Tunisia’s 2011 revolution to try to crack down on illegal waste dumps but they have limited means to enforce rules.

Divisions among cabinet ministries have also sparked rows between the government and local officials, especially over who should collect toxic waste from places such as hospitals.

In 2020, the North African nation was hit by a scandal involving hundreds of containers of waste shipped from Italy.

They were declared to be carrying plastic for industrial recycling — but were instead filled with mixed, putrid household waste, which is barred from import under Tunisian law.