Tuesday 11,Feb,2025 {HMC} Egypt announced Sunday that it will host an emergency Arab summit on Feb. 27 to discuss “new and dangerous developments” after U.S. President Donald Trump proposed to resettle Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.

Trump’s suggestion, made at a White House meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week, infuriated the Arab world, including Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia — key allies of Washington.

Both Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and Jordanian King Abdullah II dismissed Trump’s call to resettle 1.8 million Palestinians in Gaza and for the U.S. to take ownership of the enclave, but Trump claims that they would eventually accept it.

A statement from Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said it would host the Arab League summit in Cairo following talks at the highest level in Arab countries in recent days, “including the state of Palestine that asked to hold the summit in order to discuss new and dangerous developments for the Palestinian cause.”

Source: AP

Tuesday 11,Feb,2025 {HMC} Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud held a phone conversation with Qatar’s Amir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, on Monday to enhance their long-standing bilateral ties and cooperation.

The leaders discussed ways to strengthen their fraternal relationship, with both reaffirming their commitment to advancing collaboration across various sectors, including economic development, infrastructure, security, and humanitarian support. The conversation emphasized a shared vision of fostering long-term regional stability and sustainable development.

The phone call highlights the growing partnership between Somalia and Qatar, with both sides agreeing on the importance of mutual cooperation to address common challenges and seize economic and diplomatic opportunities.

The conversation between President Mohamud and Amir Al Thani coincided with the departure of Somaliland President Abdirahman Irro to Dubai for the 2025 World Government Summit.

A delegation from Somalia’s federal government is also attending the summit, which brings together global leaders, policymakers, and experts to discuss governance, economic development, and innovation.

Tuesday 11,Feb,2025 {HMC} Gunshot wounds have been discovered on some of the bodies of migrants and refugees recently discovered in mass graves in Libya, the United Nations says.

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) expressed “shock and concern” on Monday over the discovery of the two mass graves in the North African country, saying that they were found by authorities following a police raid which saw hundreds rescued from people traffickers.

According to the IOM, 19 bodies were discovered in Jakharrah, located around 250 miles (400km) south of Benghazi. At least 30 more were found in a mass grave in the desert region of southeastern Kufra, which could contain as many as 70 bodies.

While gunshot wounds were discovered on some bodies, confirming previous reports from Al-Abreen, a charity helping refugees in the country, the exact circumstances of the deaths were unknown, said the UN agency.

“Far too many migrants along these journeys endure severe exploitation, violence and abuse, underscoring the need to prioritise human rights and protect those at risk,” Nicoletta Giordano, the IOM’s chief of mission for Libya, said in a statement.

Last year, authorities unearthed the bodies of at least 65 migrants in the Shuayrif region, south of the capital Tripoli.

Human traffickers have benefitted from more than a decade of instability, smuggling migrants and refugees across the country’s borders with six nations – Chad, Niger, Sudan, Egypt, Algeria and Tunisia.

Rights groups and UN agencies have for years documented systematic abuse of migrants in Libya.

On Monday, the IOM urged the Libyan authorities to ensure “a dignified recovery, identification, and transfer of the remains of the deceased migrants while notifying and assisting their families”.

According to the agency, more than 22 percent of the 965 recorded deaths and disappearances of migrants and refugees in Libya last year occurred on land routes.

“This highlights the often-overlooked risks migrants face on land routes, where fatalities frequently go underreported,” the IOM said.

Libya has seen more than a decade of instability after plunging into chaos following a NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

The political turmoil has given rise to rival governments and competing armed groups, which have been accused of violations against migrants.

“Migrants and asylum seekers, including children, arbitrarily detained in facilities controlled by armed groups affiliated with both governments or smugglers and traffickers, suffered inhumane conditions, torture, forced labor, and sexual assault,” Human Rights Watch said in a recent report on Libya.

Tuesday 11,Feb,2025 {HMC} Security forces in Somalia’s semi-autonomous state of Puntland foiled an attack by ISIS militants in the Haraya area of the Toga-Jeceel in Al-Miskaat Mountains late Monday night.

Puntland security officials displayed the bodies of several militants killed in the clash, including some who detonated explosives during the failed assault. Military officials confirmed they had prior intelligence about the attack, allowing them to counter the assault effectively.

“We shot all of the ISIS militants involved in the attack,” a senior official said, adding that casualties among Puntland forces were minimal.

Puntland authorities indicated they would provide more details once available. The attack marks the second direct assault by ISIS on Puntland forces since the start of the military campaign against the group in December 2024.

In a related development, Puntland security officials announced on Monday that an airstrike in the Bari region killed over 13 foreign ISIS fighters within the last 24 hours. The strike targeted terrorist hideouts in the Dhasaq area of the Al-Miskaat mountain range, a key ISIS stronghold.

“The airstrike operation in the last 24 hours has killed more than 13 foreign ISIS terrorists in the Dhasaq area, which is part of the Calmiskaad mountain range,” Puntland’s counterterrorism unit said in a statement Monday.

The regional security forces did not specify which country carried out the airstrike. However, the strike comes more than a week after US Africa Command (AFRICOM) confirmed conducting airstrikes against ISIS in Somalia in coordination with the Somali government.

Source Hiiraan online