Thailand's surge in crude oil Imports from Azerbaijan: A Win-Win for both nations [ANALYSIS]

22 August 2024

By Zara Araz, AZERNEWS

In a notable shift in global oil trade dynamics, Thailand is poised to import 376.88 thousand tons, or approximately 2.87 million barrels, of crude oil from Azerbaijan during the first seven months of 2024. This represents a substantial increase from previous years, reflecting both a burgeoning partnership and significant economic implications for both countries.

Economic benefits for Thailand

Diversification of Supply Sources: By increasing its imports of Azerbaijani crude oil, Thailand is diversifying its sources of energy supply. This move reduces the country's reliance on its traditional suppliers—namely, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and the United States—mitigating risks associated with geopolitical tensions or supply disruptions from these regions.

Strategic Stockpiling: The considerable increase in oil volume enables Thailand to build up strategic reserves, which can be crucial for managing price volatility and ensuring energy security. The nearly eightfold increase in import volume from last year provides Thailand with a more robust supply cushion.

Cost Efficiency: Despite the overall increase in oil prices—rising from $536 per ton in 2022 to $621 per ton in 2024—Thailand benefits from the competitive pricing relative to its other suppliers. This can help stabilize domestic fuel prices and potentially provide a buffer against higher costs from its primary suppliers.

Economic benefits for Azerbaijan

Increased Revenue: The surge in exports to Thailand has significantly boosted Azerbaijan's crude oil revenues. The value of these exports has risen to $234.24 million, a striking increase from $26.1 million in the same period last year. This enhanced revenue stream is vital for Azerbaijan's economy, which heavily relies on oil exports.

Market Expansion: By surpassing traditional buyers like Turkey and gaining a leading position in the Asian market, Azerbaijan has expanded its market footprint. This strategic positioning enhances its influence in the global oil market and opens opportunities for further trade agreements and partnerships.

Economic Stability: The substantial increase in export volume contributes to economic stability for Azerbaijan. With its oil industry playing a pivotal role in its economy, securing a major buyer like Thailand helps balance trade deficits and support national fiscal policies.

Mutual gains

Enhanced Bilateral Relations: The increased trade in crude oil fosters stronger bilateral ties between Thailand and Azerbaijan. Such partnerships can extend beyond oil trade to include other sectors such as infrastructure, technology, and investment, offering broader economic benefits.

Balanced Trade Dynamics: For Thailand, importing from Azerbaijan balances its trade dynamics, while Azerbaijan benefits from a diversified customer base. This reciprocal arrangement reduces the impact of fluctuations in global oil prices and strengthens economic resilience for both nations.

Strategic Energy Cooperation: The enhanced trade relationship underscores the strategic importance of energy cooperation between nations. Both Thailand and Azerbaijan are leveraging their respective strengths—Thailand's growing energy needs and Azerbaijan's oil production capacity—to achieve mutual economic goals.

In conclusion, Thailand’s increased imports of Azerbaijani crude oil reflect a mutually beneficial relationship that supports economic growth and stability for both nations. As global energy markets evolve, such strategic partnerships will likely play a crucial role in shaping the future of international trade and economic cooperation.

Oil tanker ‘Sounion’ 'poses environmental risk' after Red Sea attack

August 22, 2024 

An abandoned oil tanker, at risk of sinking due to poor maintenance, is anchored off Yemen’s southern port city of Aden on July 21, 2021

 [SALEH OBAIDI/AFP via Getty Images]

A Greek-flagged oil tanker carrying 150,000 tonnes of crude that was evacuated by its crew after being attacked in the Red Sea now poses an environmental hazard, the EU’s Red Sea naval mission “Aspides” said on Thursday, Reuters reports.

“Sounion” was targeted on Wednesday by multiple projectiles off Yemen’s port city of Hudaydah, where the Houthis have been attacking ships in solidarity with Palestinians in the war between Israel and Palestine in Gaza.

“Carrying 150,000 tonnes of crude oil, the MV SOUNION now represents a navigational and environmental hazard,” “Aspides” said in a post on social media platform X.

The Houthis, who control Yemen’s most populous regions, have yet to claim responsibility for the attack.

The “Sounion” was the third vessel operated by Athens-based Delta Tankers to be attacked in the Red Sea this month. The attack caused a fire onboard, which was extinguished by the crew, Delta Tankers said in a statement.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency reported on Wednesday that the attack led to the loss of engine power. The vessel was now anchored between Yemen and Eritrea, a maritime security source told Reuters on Thursday.

Delta Tankers said it is working on a plan to move “Sounion” to a safer destination for further checks and repairs.

The EU Red Sea naval mission said it responded to a request from the captain of the “Sounion” and dispatched a ship to rescue the crew to Djibouti, the “Aspides” said.

“While approaching the area, the EUNAVFOR ASPIDES ship destroyed an Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) that posed an imminent threat to the ship and the crew,” “Aspides” added.

The Greek shipping ministry said the vessel was sailing from Iraq to Agioi Theodoroi in Greece with a crew of two Russians and 23 Filipinos.

In dozens of attacks in the Red Sea since November, the Houthis have sunk two vessels and seized another, killed at least three sailors and upended global trade by forcing ship owners to avoid the popular Suez Canal trade shortcut.

In another incident on Thursday, a vessel reported an explosion close to it that caused minor damage after an encounter with an uncrewed vessel, 57 nautical miles south of Yemen’s port of Aden, the UKMTO said. The vessel and its crew were safe and it was proceeding to its next port of call.

Greek Shipping Minister, Christos Stylianidis, condemned on Wednesday the attack on the “Sounion”, saying it was “a flagrant violation of international law and a serious threat to the safety of international shipping”

Greek-flagged oil tanker drifting ablaze in Red Sea after apparent Houthi attack

Sounion’s 25 sailors rescued after worst assault by Yemeni group since Israel struck Hodeida in July in response to Tel Aviv drone; 2nd ship attacked in Aden Gulf, no damage

By Jon Gambrell

Today, 

Armed Yemenis lift placards and flags during a rally in the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa in solidarity with Palestinians amid the war in Gaza, August 16, 2024. (Abdallah Adel / AFP)


DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A Greek-flagged oil tanker traveling through the Red Sea came under repeated attack Wednesday, leaving the vessel “not under command” and drifting ablaze after an assault suspected to have been carried out by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, the British military said.

The crew of the Sounion, made up of two Russians and 23 Filipinos, abandoned the vessel and was rescued by the European Unions’s Red Sea naval mission “Aspides,” an official in the mission told Reuters on Thursday.

The attack, the most serious in the Red Sea in weeks, comes during a monthslong campaign by Houthis targeting ships over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip that has disrupted a trade route through which $1 trillion in cargo typically passes each year.

In the attack, men on small boats first opened fire with small arms about 140 kilometers (90 miles) west of the rebel-held Yemeni port city of Hodeida, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said.

Four projectiles also hit the ship, it added. It wasn’t immediately clear if that meant drones or missiles.

“The vessel reports being not under command,” the UKMTO said, likely meaning it lost all power. “No casualties reported.” Later, the UKMTO warned that the ship was drifting while on fire in the Red Sea.

The Greek shipping ministry later identified the vessel as the tanker Sounion, with 25 crew members on board at the time of the attack as it traveled from Iraq to Cyprus.

Later Wednesday, the UKMTO reported a second ship being targeted in the Gulf of Aden by three explosions that occurred in the water close to it, though they caused no damage. That ship, the Wind I, came under attack again Thursday with two more explosions striking in the water, the UKMTO said.

The Houthis did not immediately claim responsibility for the attacks, though it can take them hours or even days before they acknowledge their assaults. However, they did acknowledge US airstrikes in Hodeida, which the American military’s Central Command said destroyed a Houthi surface-to-air missile and radar system.

The Houthis have targeted more than 80 vessels with missiles and drones since the war in Gaza was sparked by Hamas’s thousands-strong October 7 assault on southern Israel that left nearly 1,200 people dead and saw 251 kidnapped. Since November, the Yemeni rebels have also seized one vessel and sank two in the campaign that also killed four sailors.

Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by a US-led coalition in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets.

The Houthis maintain that they target ships linked to Israel, the United States or the UK to force an end to Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran.

The Houthis have also launched drones and missiles toward Israel, including an attack on July 19 that killed one person and wounded 10 others in Tel Aviv. Israel responded the next day with airstrikes on Hodeida that hit fuel depots and electrical stations, killing and wounding a number of people, the rebels say.

After the strikes, the Houthis paused their attacks until August 3, when they hit a Liberian-flagged container ship traveling through the Gulf of Aden. A Liberian-flagged oil tanker came under a particularly intense series of attacks beginning August 8, likely carried out by the rebels. A similar attack happened on August 13.

The last three recent attacks, including Wednesday’s, targeted vessels associated with Delta Tankers, a Greek company.

As Iran threatens to retaliate against Israel over the July 31 assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran — which Israel neither confirmed nor denied carrying out — the US military told the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to sail more quickly to the area.

Early Thursday, the US military’s Central Command said the Lincoln had reached the Mideast’s waters, without elaborating.

America has also ordered the USS Georgia-guided missile submarine into the Mideast, while the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier strike group was in the Gulf of Oman.

Additional F-22 fighter jets have flown into the region and the USS Wasp, a large amphibious assault ship carrying F-35 fighter jets, is in the Mediterranean Sea.

Reuters and Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

French destroyer rescues 29 mariners from oil tanker attacked in Red Sea

The Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion was under attack (David Mackinnon via AP)

Thu, 22 Aug, 2024 - 10:03

Jon Gambrell, Associated Press

A French destroyer has rescued 29 mariners from an oil tanker that came under repeated attack in the Red Sea, officials said on Thursday.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels are suspected to have carried out the assault on the Sounion. The attack, the most serious in the Red Sea in weeks, comes during a months-long campaign by Houthis targeting ships over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip that has disrupted trade routes.

The Sounion is now at anchor in the Red Sea and no longer drifting, the European Union’s Operation Aspides said. However, it was not clear if the vessel was still on fire. The vessel had been staffed by a crew of Filipinos and Russians.

Military officials did not name the French destroyer involved in the rescue.

In the attack on Wednesday, men on small boats first opened fire with small arms about 90 miles west of the rebel-held Yemeni port city of Hodeida, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said.

Houthi rebels are suspected to have carried out the assault on the Sounion (David Mackinnon via AP)

Four projectiles also hit the ship, it added.

The Houthis did not immediately claim responsibility for the attacks, though it can take them hours or even days before they acknowledge their assaults. However, they did acknowledge US air strikes in Hodeida that the American military’s Central Command said destroyed a Houthi surface-to-air missile and radar system.

The Houthis have targeted more than 80 vessels with missiles and drones since the war in Gaza started in October. They seized one vessel and sank two in the campaign that also killed four sailors.

Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by a US-led coalition in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets.

The rebels maintain that they target ships linked to Israel, the United States or the UK to force an end to Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran.

As Iran threatens to retaliate against Israel over the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, the US military told the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to sail more quickly to the area. Early on Thursday, the US military’s Central Command said the Lincoln had reached the Middle East’s waters, without elaborating.

America has also ordered the USS Georgia-guided missile submarine into the Middle East, while the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier strike group was in the Gulf of Oman.

U$A

Boom, now bust: Budget cuts and layoffs take hold in public health

State governments are slashing budgets that feed local health departments.

ByJazmin Orozco Rodriguez | KFF Health News
August 22, 2024,


Rural Americans are at higher risk of early death than urbanites: CDC

The risk was higher for all of the five leading causes of death.


This is a KFF Health News story.

Even as federal aid poured into state budgets in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, public health leaders warned of a boom-and-bust funding cycle on the horizon as the emergency ended and federal grants sunsetted. Now, that drought has become reality and state governments are slashing budgets that feed local health departments.

Congress allotted more than $800 billion to support states' COVID-19 responses, fueling a surge in the public health workforce nationwide.

Local health department staffing grew by about 19% from 2019 to 2022, according to a report from the National Association of County and City Health Officials that studied 2,512 of the nation's roughly 3,300 local departments. That same report explained that half of their revenue in 2022 came from federal sources.

MORE: Rural hospitals built during baby boom now face baby bust

But those jobs, and the safety net they provide for the people in the communities served, are vulnerable as the money dries up, worrying public health leaders – particularly in sparsely populated, rural areas, which already faced long-standing health disparities and meager resources.

Officials in such states as Montana, California, Washington and Texas now say they face budget cuts and layoffs. Public health experts warn that the accompanying service cuts – functions like contact tracing, immunizations, family planning, restaurant inspections, and more – could send communities into crisis.

In California, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed cutting the state's public health funding by $300 million. And the Washington Department of Health slashed more than 350 positions at the end of last year and anticipated cutting 349 more this year as the state's federal COVID-19 funding runs dry.

"You cannot hire firefighters when the house is already burning," said Brian Castrucci, president and CEO of the de Beaumont Foundation, an organization that advocates for public health policy.

In some places, that pandemic cash did little more than keep small health departments afloat. The Central Montana Health District, the public health agency for five rural counties, did not receive the same flood of money others saw but did get enough to help the staff respond to an increased workload, including testing, contact tracing and rolling out COVID-19 vaccines.

The department filled a vacancy with a federal grant funneled through the state when a staffer left during the pandemic. The federal funding allowed the department to break even, said Susan Woods, the district's public health director.

Now, there are five full-time employees working for the health district. Woods said the team is getting by with its slim resources, but a funding dip or another public health emergency could tip the balance in the wrong direction.

"Any kind of crisis, any kind of, God forbid, another pandemic, would probably send us crashing," Woods said.

 Less staff, longer delays and fewer options: Rural America confronts a health care crisis

Adriane Casalotti, chief of government and public affairs for the National Association of County and City Health Officials, said she expects to see layoffs and health department budget cuts intensify. Those cuts will come as health officials address issues that took a back seat during the pandemic, like increases in rates of sexually transmitted diseases, suicide, and substance misuse.

"There's tons of work being done right now to pick up the pieces on those types of other public health challenges," she said. But it'll be hard to catch up with whittled resources.

From 2018 to 2022, reports of chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis and congenital syphilis increased by nearly 2% nationwide, adding up to more than 2.5 million cases. A recent KFF report found that routine vaccination rates for kindergarten-age children have not rebounded to pre-pandemic levels, while the number of families claiming exemptions has increased. Nearly three-quarters of states did not meet the federal target vaccination rate of 95% for the 2022-23 school year for measles, mumps, and rubella, increasing the risk of outbreaks.

Amid these challenges, public health leaders are clinging to the resources they gained during the past few years.

The health district in Lubbock, Texas, a city of more than 250,000 people in the state's Panhandle, hired four disease intervention specialists focused on sexually transmitted diseases during the pandemic due to a five-year grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The positions came as syphilis cases in the state skyrocket past levels seen in the past decade and the increases in congenital syphilis surpass the national average, according to the CDC. State officials recorded 922 congenital syphilis cases in 2022, with a 246.8 rate per 100,000 live births.

But federal officials, facing their own shrinking budget, cut the grant short by two years, leaving the district scrambling to fill a nearly $400,000 annual budget gap while working to tamp down the outbreak.

"Even with the funding, it's very hard for those staff to keep up with cases and to actually make sure that we get everybody treated," said Katherine Wells, director of public health for Lubbock.

Wells said state officials may redirect other federal money from the budget to keep the program going when the grant ends in December. Wells and other health leaders in the state consistently plead with state officials for more money but, Wells said, "whether or not we'll be successful with that in a state like Texas is very much in the air."

Making public health a priority in the absence of a national crisis is a challenge, Castrucci said. "The boom-and-bust funding cycle is a reflection of the attention of the American public," he said; as the emergency sunsetted, so too did enthusiasm wane for public health issues.

And rural health departments, like the one in central Montana, deserve more attention, said Casalotti, the advocate for county and city health officials. That's because they serve a critical function in communities that continue to see hospital closures and lose other health services, such as maternity and women's care. Local health departments can function as a "safety net for the safety net," she said.

‘Great danger’: Greece stretched beyond capacity by overtourism, warns expert

Greek islands and even Athens have exhausted their capacity to host tourists, says Katerina Kikilia, a tourism management professor

Ahmet Gencturk |22.08.2024 -


- Overtourism is worsening Greece’s housing and cost-of-living crises, says Kikilia

- Greece needs ‘a master plan’ and must ‘be more selective’ to ensure tourist spending rises as much as arrivals, says expert


ATHENS

While all indicators point to a record-breaking year for tourism in Greece, a prominent Greek expert has warned that the economic windfall from this boom comes with “a heavy cost.”

The problem of overtourism is a stark reality for Greece and represents a “a great danger,” Katerina Kikilia, head of the Department of Tourism Management at the University of West Attica, told Anadolu.

Greek islands and even the capital Athens have already exhausted their capacity to host tourists, she warned.

“Greece succeeded in attracting more tourists and extending the tourism season, consequently boosting its tourism income, which is of profound importance for the economy, in the post-pandemic period. But this came with a heavy cost,” said Kikilia.

Athens, now a year-round destination which was visited by some 7 million people in 2023, is among the places feeling the burden of overtourism the most, she said.

One of the primary and most obvious consequences of overtourism in Athens is the housing crisis, she said.

“So many areas and neighborhoods of Athens have been occupied by short-term rental accommodation and have become tourist accommodation hubs, resulting in a shortage of houses for rent for workers, students and families,” she explained.

The problem, she added, has been exacerbated by the influx of golden visa investors who purchased real estate in the capital.

“For example, in the central neighborhood of Koukaki, school headmasters complain about the significantly decreasing number of pupils, as many families who couldn’t afford the skyrocketing rents had to move out,” said Kikilia.

Elaborating on the cascading effects of overtourism, she said it leads to increased prices in supermarkets, restaurants and cafes, as well as other essential services, pilling more pressure on a local population already struggling with a serious cost-of-living crisis.

Another area under threat is the sphere of culture and heritage, said the expert.

“We are in danger of losing our cultural elements. We have very strong cultural heritage and traditions. Yet, as part of efforts to satisfy the needs of tourists, we’re starting to change and adjust all that to what tourists want,” she said.

“That is a great danger for Greece.”

Need for ‘a master plan’

The tourism sector is absolutely essential for the Greek economy, which is “exactly why we need to make it more sustainable,” said Kikilia, a professor of tourism management.

“Greek authorities are already aware of the problem and working to develop solutions, like stricter regulations for short-term rentals,” she said.

“However, what is required is a master plan that entails closer cooperation between local and central state authorities in many domains, including health and transportation infrastructure and environmental protection.”

Kikilia stressed the need to involve the EU in planning for sustainable tourism policies, particularly since “overtourism is a phenomenon faced by many other countries … such as Spain, Italy and Croatia.”

One of the issues being seen currently is that tourist numbers are increasing but the spending per tourist is not, said Kikilia.

“A huge number of tourists does not mean huge revenues for the country or for the businesses in the sector,” she explained.

“So, we need to restrict the tourism flows. We need to be more selective. We need to attract more tourists from middle and high-income classes, instead of those coming with a tight budget.”

She warned, however, that simply increasing prices of goods and services to ward off people with less spending power would not be a sustainable solution.

One way to make the Greek tourism sector more sustainable is to promote other alternatives, such as wellness, culture or rural and mountain tourism, along with the lesser known places in the country that have strong tourism potential, said Kikilia.

Blood Feuds Declining in North Caucasus as Society Changes, Religion Increases, and People Fear Their Nations will Disappear, Historian Says

 

Blood Feuds Declining in North Caucasus as Society Changes, Religion Increases, and People Fear Their Nations will Disappear, Historian Says

            Staunton, Aug. 19 – Blood feuds in the North Caucasus, part of an almost universal human urge to take revenge for crimes against family members, were once widespread but are now declining, although there is little likelihood that they will disappear however much they may change in form, an anonymous historian tells Ingushetia’s Fortanga news agency.

            Many make the mistake, he says, of seeing North Caucasus blood feuds as something unique. That is a mistake. Almost all cultures and religions have injunctions about responding to crimes on the basis of the principle of “an eye for an eye” (fortanga.org/2024/08/krovnaya-mest-na-severnom-kavkaze-transformacziya-drevnego-obychaya-i-ego-sovremennoe-znachenie/).

            The situation in the North Caucasus often involved serious and long-standing violence, the historian says; and it was played up by outsiders who wanted to present the North Caucasians as wild peoples who had to be subjugated and civilized, even though these societies too had traditions of taking revenge of one kind or another for criminal acts.

            The number and violence of blood feuds in the North Caucasus has declined over the last century, the result of efforts by the state and by Islamic leaders to wipe it out. But an even more important factor, the historian says, is that North Caucasians are increasingly concerned about the danger that their peoples are at risk of being wiped out.

            He recounts that “during the Stalinist deportation of 1944, at different stations people got out of the car, ran along the train and announced loudly so that others could hear, they say, I forgive such and such a bloodline. Then there was an understanding that the nation was on the verge of extinction, and this was an act to keep more people alive.”

Such people “wanted to save the life of even a blood enemy whom you previously hated. This was typical not only for Ingushetia and Chechnya, but also for other deported peoples.” That fear continues to inform many in the region and explains why people who might have engaged in blood feuds in the past no longer do.

The modernization of these societies has also reduced the amount of this phenomenon, although sometimes it has only changed the form. In 2005, for example, a man took revenge against an air traffic controller who failed to prevent the crash of a plane in which the man’s family lost their lives (svoboda.org/a/106542.html).

Because the human desire for revenge isn’t going to disappear, the historian concludes, blood feuds of one kind or another aren’t going to disappear entirely, although they may take ever softer forms, including keeping the threat of revenge alive for decades even though no direct action is ever taken. 

‘Moscow Times’ Writer Launches First-Ever English-Language Weekly Newsletter on Non-Russians in Russian Federation

            Staunton, Aug. 19 – Leila Latypova, an independent Tatar journalist who writes frequently for The Moscow Times, has launched a weekly newsletter reporting developments in the non-Russian republics and indigenous nations in the Russian Federation and a biweekly longread version with articles examining particular stories more deeply.

            The first issue of From the Republics has now appeared, and one can subscribe by going to its website at fromtherepublics.com/. The first issue features an article about Moscow’s increasing repression of non-Russians and their efforts to defend themselves (themoscowtimes.com/2024/08/20/in-russia-indigenous-activism-is-an-extremist-affair-a86076).

            In that article, Latypova argues that the Kremlin’s post-Soviet war on non-Russians began not recently with the rise of Putin’s authoritarianism but much earlier with Moscow’s actions against the Chechens. She dates that from 2001 but a better date would be 1991 when Yeltsin wanted to send the Russian army to Chechnya but was blocked by the parliament.

            On the basis of conversations with non-Russian activists, Latypova concludes that Moscow’s efforts are already backfiring, encouraging more non-Russians to think about distancing themselves one way or another from Moscow and encouraging ever more of them to back ethnic activists, including many who have been forced to emigrate.

Opinion

Memories of the fall of Tripoli 13 years ago and the striking similarities to what is going on today


August 22, 2024

Two Libyan flags at Martyrs square in Tripoli, Libya [Getty]

by Dr Mustafa Fetouri
MFetouri

13 years ago, on 20 August, 2011, the fall of Tripoli, the Libyan capital, began. It was not a swift end to the battle for the capital and the seat of power in a country already at war with itself. It was not slow, either. Rebels fighting under the umbrella collation led by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) were surrounding the city while their propaganda machine in Doha, Washington, Paris and London kept propagating one message: “Gaddafi forces have encircled the capital with rockets and, at the right moment, they will press a button and Tripoli is gone.” None of that happened, and Gaddafi himself only left Tripoli at the end of August, days after his own relative, Major-General Al-Barani Ashkal in charge of defending the capital, said to have betrayed him and let the rebels in without a fight.

But, to many people, Tripoli had already fallen a day earlier, when many loudspeakers in mosques began to blare out the call to prayer as if it were Eid. However, the voices were not of the well-known Libyan muezzins, nor were their accents Libyan. They sounded strange, instilling fear instead of reassuring people, as they are supposed to. In between calls for prayer, they would play pre-recorded hymns which were completely alien to Libya’s songs of praise and culture of worshipping. In later years, we would learn that those hymns were actually those of Al-Qaeda and Daesh—something the about-to-end Gaddafi regime shielded Libyans from, for years.

READ: France-UK campaign to oust Gaddafi from Libya a disaster, says spy chief

However, the desperate population in the even more desperate city missed the connotation such anthems carry. They were ushering in more extreme Islamic context in everyday life that people were not used to under the former regime. In later years, Daesh itself will find its way into Tripoli.

Capitals in civil wars usually fall with a bang, when one side prevails over the other. We have seen this in Beirut, Baghdad, Mogadishu after that and Addis Ababa, long after. But not in Tripoli. The city appeared as if it was mesmerised, somehow.

The worst thing wars do to people is make them mean and selfish. The daily pressures of life and the threats it amplifies suppressed the usual traits associated with the Libyan personality, like helping out, generosity, sharing and self-sacrifices.

Tripoli’s fall came like the slow death of a city that was once vibrant and full of life, but has grown desperate every day. All basics of life had disappeared and prices of the little available had skyrocketed. Fuel, for example, was rationed and it would take two days of queuing in front of the few gas stations that stayed open. Brawls and fights would break out among desperate motorists. Cooking gas was nowhere to be found and, when found, a cylinder would be ten times the usual price of less than half a dollar.

NATO provided air cover while the rebels pushed forward on the ground, controlling new neighbourhoods everyday, but not the entire city. What happened was, really, the city fell in a kind of incremental way: everyday an armed militia would appear in a district gaining control, and so on.

Desperate to find out what was happening, on August 20 I left home, heading to the Rixos Hotel, some five kilometres westwards. The night before, and again that morning, we had no power, no internet and sporadic access to the mobile phone networks. The Rixos has been the media centre for the government where my friend, spokesman Dr. Moussa Ibrahim, his wife and child lived and worked. All foreign journalists covering the war also camped in same hotel, where Mr. Ibrahim would make his announcements in excellent English and, sometimes, in a very emotional way.

Less than a hundred meters from my house is the National Number Network; it is the computer nerve of the country’s population register of all Libyans, their identities, families and everything else relating to a person, whether Libyan or not. The place was closed and its usually jammed car park was empty. A seemingly innocent unarmed young chap was sitting on a black swivel-chair facing the burning sun. I asked him what he was doing. He said “I am guarding the place. Nobody is here.”

Around the corner, a few more meters as I turned westwards, a group of kids as young as eleven years old, had erected a roadblock. It was no more than a pile of bricks and a few discarded construction steel bars. At least two of the kids had a Kalashnikovs! I asked the older one, about fifteen years old, what they were doing. He said “we are guarding the neighbourhood.” Along the short road, I counted five more similar road blocks, but no Kalashnikovs.

READ: Gaddafi funded Sarkozy’s campaign, Libya spy chief tells French judges

It was a hot and very humid Ramadan day; I was fasting and walking under the scorching sun was going to be hard, but I was determined to find out what happened to friends and colleagues at the Rixos. I was there the previous night after Iftar, and everything seemed normal, but today things had dramatically changed. Weeks earlier, I got an ID card allowing me to enter the hotel where power and internet access were guaranteed. I frequent the place almost every night to see friends, chat and, sometimes, send my reports to the outside world. A few friends were there, including a couple of foreign journalist who came to cover the war.

I never got to the hotel, as fighting around it was on going and never knew what happened to my friends, until weeks later.

Tripoli those days was waiting for the unknown, just as it does now as more sporadic clashes are more frequent inside the capital. The country has been in chaos since NATO bombed it 13 years ago, helping to topple the Gaddafi government and, ultimately, murdering him.

Nowadays, the country is divided under two governments controlling parts of its vast territories. For NATO, it is “a mission accomplished”, despite the fact that Libya today is an almost divided country, has no sovereignty, its people struggle to feed their families, its freedom scene is far worse than it was under Gaddafi and the country has not had elections for the last ten years—a country where militias still roam almost freely, while they are paid by the government in Tripoli.

For Tripoli, the mood of waiting for the unknown goes on. Many think war is coming, while others try to make the best of the moment, hardly paying attention to what the corrupt and overstaying politicians ever say.

The fall of Tripoli represented the first NATO war in North Africa, after France was defeated in Algeria, decades before. But it does not mean it is the last as the biggest military alliance in human history grows into a more exclusive club and ever more aggressive.

500 days of war in Sudan: Why has the world forgotten its largest humanitarian crisis?

August 22, 2024 

Sudanese refugees cook food over fires outside their makeshift shelters at a relocation camp near Adre, Chad on April 24, 2024 

[Dan Kitwood/Getty Images]

by Anadolu Agency
anadoluajansi


Nearly 500 days of violence and conflict have left Sudan in the wake of a humanitarian crisis many say is one of the largest in the world.

Almost 52,000 people have been killed or wounded and tens of millions displaced since April 2023, when a battle for power erupted between Sudan’s army, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) headed by his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.

The magnitude of the crisis is apparent from the repeated warnings by aid groups and even the UN, which has gone as far as to say that Sudan is now at a “cataclysmic breaking point”.

Despite the scale and severity of the Sudan war, analysts point out that it has not received the kind of global attention as other conflicts, particularly from the West.

“The conflict in Sudan is very high in intensity but is not as geopolitically important as Ukraine or Gaza for the West,” said Francois Sennesael, an academic and expert on African affairs.

WHO: Sudan’s escalating conflict is destroying its health system

“Ukraine is of vital interest for the security of Europe – Sudan is not … This alone explains why Ukraine receives all the West’s attention, and not Sudan. This reasoning is similar, looking at Israel.”

Various other factors for this lack of attention to Sudan include the UN’s waning influence in global affairs and a growing unwillingness of Western countries to directly intervene in the internal affairs of other nations, he said.

Sudan has been “forgotten” mostly by Western media, and there is also the element of “fatigue of Western populations towards Africa and its intractable conflicts and, quite importantly, the regionalisation of security issues,” he said.

Western populations are not pushing their governments to act on Sudan, while this conflict is also “not high on the agenda of left-wing parties, which was the case in 2004 during the Darfur crisis, because Gaza is their top priority,” he added.

When it comes to Sudan, he believes Western countries “are not willing to start an interventionist adventure”.

“The West is pursuing an approach already seen in South Sudan or Ethiopia, which consists of attempting to quickly get power-sharing agreements signed between warring elites and ‘leave’, unwilling to commit soldiers or money to maintain peace in Africa,” Sennesael, a doctoral candidate at the University of Oxford, told Anadolu.

“Nobody is mentioning any intention to create a new peacekeeping mission for Sudan … Sudan is actually an excellent case of the waning influence of multilateralism in security issues and the somewhat disengagement of Western countries in Africa.”

Western governments are “cautiously engaged” and “trying to ‘fix’ Sudan without getting their feet on the ground,” he said.

“Gulf countries, but also Egypt and Turkiye, have shown a willingness – supported by some Western countries – to be the new ‘guardians’ of the region in terms of peace and security,” said Sennesael.

“Their approach has, however, not been very vigorous, and they seem element of what their role should be. They seem unable to put their regional differences and personal interests aside to speak with one voice … despite a common vital interest to maintain Sudan afloat.”

READ: UAE ramps up humanitarian aid to Sudan amid ongoing conflict
Massive human suffering ‘barely breaking the headlines’

British-Sudanese commentator and activist, Mohanad Elbalal, also believes that Sudan’s humanitarian crisis remains “very low on the global conscience”.

“Sudan is the world’s largest displacement crisis. The toll of human suffering is massive and it’s barely breaking the headlines,” he told Anadolu.

The Sudanese people want to see “greater global awareness of what is actually happening in Sudan” and particularly the humanitarian aid situation, as very little aid is arriving, he said.

“Yes, there are other conflict areas … around the world which have significant or massive human suffering, such as Gaza, but Sudan is a country of 50 million people and we have over 10 million people displaced,” he said.

“I think that needs global attention from the political side, but primarily from the humanitarian side because there needs to be more aid coming into Sudan.”


War in Sudan continues… – Cartoon [Sabaaneh/Middle East Monitor]
‘Shaky’ peace talks

A new round of US-sponsored negotiations that began in Geneva on 14 July are continuing this week.

Although the Sudanese army is not participating, there are delegations from the RSF, UN, African Union, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE, US and Switzerland, according to US Special Envoy for Sudan, Tom Perriello.

However, both Elbalal and Sennesael pointed out that previous rounds of talks, led by Saudi Arabia and the US, have largely been unfruitful.

Elbalal said the likelihood of an agreement in Geneva is “extremely low” because “you can’t have a negotiation when only one party shows up.”

“Even if a ceasefire is achieved, without strict measures to ensure that the terms of the ceasefire are met, it’s rather pointless,” he said.

Citing past examples closer to the start of the war, he said when the RSF is not fighting the army, “they turned to looting and targeting civilians”.

When it comes to humanitarian aid, a lot of the time, it is “simply too dangerous … to cross into RSF areas,” he said.

OPINION: Sudan’s game plan aims to avoid political and military pitfalls as ceasefire talks stall

“So, ceasefires are not a solution in itself, because if a truce is achieved, it doesn’t bring any improvement in the humanitarian situation,” he added.

Sennesael also believes that the current peace push in Switzerland “seems somewhat shaky, especially because the Burhan camp refused to come.”

“It takes two to tango, so I am not very sure any peace dance will start in the next few weeks,” he said.

“Of course, the RSF promised to increase humanitarian access, something peace negotiators were proud of, but … RSF has constantly broken their promises,” he added.
An uncertain future

What Sudan is experiencing at the moment is “the most complex situation” since its independence, according to Sennesael.

“Sudan is split into two, and the closest it resembles to is Libya – two governments claiming sovereignty, and none of them able to actually control their entire territory,” he said.

“The power struggle between two Generals has reopened historical fault lines across the whole country, engulfing all different groups … into a deadly civil war where each group wants to take advantage of the ongoing violence to settle score with its neighbour – at the local, regional and national level.”

He warned that there could be potentially a future scenario “where local conflicts will ignite national violence and national violence will fuel conflicts across multiple regions across Sudan.”

Elbalal emphasized that settling the issue of control of the capital, Khartoum, is essential for any sort of stability.

“The situation is unstable … Unless the RSF is forced out of the capital, there will be no serious negotiations by either party, from the government side or from the RSF,” he said.

READ: Sudan worst humanitarian crisis for children in world, says UN

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.

AXA insurance firm divestments from Israel banks, arms manufacturer

August 21, 2024 at 6:23 pm

The office building containing the headquarters of AXA Investment Managers in the La Defense business district in Paris, France, August 2, 2024 

[Nathan Laine/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Multinational insurance firm, AXA, has reportedly sold off all its investments in Israeli banks and arms manufacturer Elbit Systems, following a persistent and ongoing campaign by pro-Palestine activists.

According to the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, the French insurance firm, AXA, has steadily divested from major Israeli banks and the state’s main arms company Elbit over the past six years, with it first partially divesting from Israel’s Elbit Systems in December 2018 and in March 2019, before fully withdrawing by the end of that year.

The campaign, led by the global Stop AXA Assistance to Israeli Apartheid coalition, also reportedly successfully pressured AXA to divest from two Israeli banks – Bank Mizrahi-Tefahot and First International Bank of Israel – by the end of 2022.

According to research from the organisation, Profundo, commissioned by the corporate accountability group, Ekō, which is part of that coalition, AXA still retained over $20 million worth of shares invested in three Israeli Banks: Bank Hapoalim, Israel Discount Bank and Bank Leumi.

The insurance firm then reportedly divested from all three of those banks by 24 June, 2024, however, with it also refraining from reinvesting in the other two major Israeli banks, Bank Mizrahi-Tefahot or First International Bank of Israel, since at least 31 December, 2022.
For all the hypocrisy, divestment from Israel is still possible and essential to ending apartheid

The report by BDS also quoted AXA’s CEO as announcing in April this year that the company has “zero investments in Israeli banks, direct or indirect”.

Fiona Ben Chekroun, the BDS movement’s Europe Coordinator, stated that “BDS pressure works. The confirmation of AXA’s divestment from all Israeli banks and Elbit Systems is a major milestone for the movement that follows years of strategic BDS campaigning.”

Leili Kashani, a campaigner with Ekō, also stated that her company’s “new report shows AXA engaged in clear, fast, and intentional divestment from Israeli banks long targeted by Ekō and other human rights activists for their complicity in war crimes against Palestinians.”

She added, however, that “AXA is not off the hook yet. We are still investigating AXA’s investments to make sure it is not complicit in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza.”

Kashani added that “Our data and the sharp drops in our graphs despite steady or rising share prices show that AXA divested due to external pressure to stop crimes against Palestinians, and not in response to market prices.” She praised it as “a big win for the growing movement for Palestinian rights, and proves that persistent public pressure can compel corporations to act ethically.”

MEMO contacted AXA for comment, but it did not respond by the time of publishing.

Democrats block pro-Palestine delegates from speaking, but pro-Israel voices given platform


August 22, 2024 

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators rally ahead of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) near the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, US on, August 19, 2024 

[Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu Agency]

Pro-Palestinian delegates at this week’s Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago were denied the opportunity to speak about the impact of Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip, even as pro-Israeli speakers were featured, Anadolu Agency has reported.

Convention organisers denied a request to include a speaker addressing the impact of Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip, according to the Washington Post, which quoted a person familiar with the decision who spoke on condition of anonymity because the information was not yet public.

The request came from “uncommitted” delegates who have withheld support for Vice President Kamala Harris in protest at the Biden administration’s strong backing for Israel during the conflict. The delegates had hoped to include a speaker who would discuss the devastation in Gaza, but their request was denied without explanation.

“That’s unacceptable to us,” said Abbas Alawieh, co-founder of the Uncommitted National Movement. “This is not over.”

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, an outspoken member of Congress for New York, also criticised the decision, urging the convention to reverse it. “Just as we must honour the humanity of hostages, so too must we centre the humanity of the 40,000 Palestinians killed under Israeli bombardment,” she wrote on X. “To deny that story is to participate in the dehumanisation of Palestinians. The DNC must change course and affirm our shared humanity.”

In contrast, Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg, whose son Hersh Goldberg-Polin was at a music festival when the Palestinian group Hamas attacked on 7 October, took the stage at the convention in Chicago on Wednesday. They were greeted with an extended ovation and chants of “bring him home” by thousands of Democratic delegates.

“This is a political convention, but needing our only son and all of the cherished hostages home is not a political issue,” said Polin. “It is a humanitarian issue.”

Underlining support from President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, Polin added that they are “both working tirelessly for a hostage and ceasefire deal.”

Uncommitted, pro-Palestine delegates also started a sit-in protest on Wednesday night outside the convention to protest against the lack of a Palestinian American speaker.

“We cannot in good conscience continue Muslim Women for Harris-Walz in light of this new information from the Uncommitted movement, that VP Harris’s team declined their request to have a Palestinian American speaker take the stage at the DNC,” explained the group after the couple’s speech. “The family of the Israeli hostage that was on the stage tonight has shown more empathy towards Palestinian Americans and Palestinians than our candidate or the DNC has. This is a terrible message to send to Democrats. Palestinians have the right to speak about Palestine.”

The group urged the DNC and Harris’s team to reconsider their decision before the convention concludes, “for the sake of each [one] of us.”

Israel is continuing its brutal offensive on Gaza which began after the cross-border incursion by Hamas last October. The onslaught has killed over 40,200 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and wounded nearly 93,000 others, according to local health authorities. Vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice for its actions in the blockaded enclave. It denies the allegation.

Canada must stop US sale of Canadian-made weapons to Israel, rights groups urge

August 21, 2024 

Protestors rally and march in Los Angeles, California, US on March 2, 202

4 [David McNew/Getty Images]

Canada has declined to comment on a planned US sale of Canadian-made weapons to Israel, following criticism from rights groups who argue that the arms contribute to Israeli human rights violations against Palestinians.

In a statement to Al Jazeera yesterday, a Global Affairs Canada spokesperson said the government “will not speculate on a possible Foreign Military Sale by the United States.”

The statement also noted that since 8 January, Canada has not approved any new arms export permits to Israel, and this policy remains in place.

Earlier this year, Canada announced it would not issue new export permits for weapons to Israel in response to widespread protests over Israel’s military actions in Gaza, which have resulted in the deaths of more than 40,200 Palestinians over nearly 11 months.

However, rights groups pointed out that Canada has not revoked existing arms export permits and that the ban does not cover Canadian weapons or components that are first sent to the US before being shipped to Israel. These transfers are challenging to monitor due to a long-standing trade agreement that facilitates the exchange of military goods between the US and Canada.

Last week, the US Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) revealed that a Quebec-based company, General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems Inc., is set to be the primary contractor for a potential $61.1 million deal to supply munitions to Israel.
According to the DSCA, the company is expected to deliver tens of thousands of “M933A1 120mm High Explosive Mortar Cartridges and related equipment,” with shipments scheduled to begin in 2026.

Michael Bueckert, vice president of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East, criticised the Canadian government for potentially allowing the shipment. He told Al Jazeera that Canada’s credibility would be undermined if it permits such transfers while claiming to halt arms exports.

He said: “If Canada is going to knowingly allow weapons to be transferred to Israel while it claims to be stopping this sort of thing, it just destroys their entire credibility.”

Doing so in an area where there are prevalent allegations of “genocide”, he continued, “shows that they’re more interested in public relations than taking action to prevent complicity in genocide.”

The National Council of Canadian Muslims also urged the Canadian government to block the transfer. “Any decision otherwise would render the Government’s earlier weapon permits ban to become moot,” its CEO, Stephen Brown, said in a statement yesterday.

More than ten months into the Israeli onslaught, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.