CAIRO: Egypt declared three days of mourning on Tuesday “in solidarity with our brothers in Morocco and Libya” for the victims of the earthquake and storm that hit the two North African countries in recent days.
“President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi extended his as well as the Egyptian people’s sincere condolences over the victims of the humanitarian catastrophes in Morocco and Libya,” spokesman Ahmed Fahmy said.
“Three days of mourning were declared in the Arab Republic of Egypt in solidarity with the brothers in Morocco and Libya over the victims,” Fahmy added.
El-Sisi gave directives to the Egyptian Armed Forces to provide immediate humanitarian aid to both states during a meeting with a number of senior commanders on Tuesday.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry reaffirmed Egypt’s support for and full solidarity with Morocco following the earthquake, that has caused thousands of deaths and injuries, during a phone call with Nasser Bourita, Morocco’s minister of foreign affairs, African cooperation and expatriates.
Ahmed Abu Zeid, spokesman for the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that Bourita appreciated the condolences sent to its leadership and people, as well as Cairo’s decision to declare a state of mourning.
Speaker of the Egyptian House of Representatives Hanafy Gebal also offered his sincere condolences on behalf of the chamber on Tuesday to both Morocco and Libya, the latter of which was struck by Storm Daniel at the weekend.
He was joined in his condolences by Shawqi Allam, the grand Mufti of Egypt, who expressed his full solidarity with the families of the victims.
Egypt’s Ministry of Religious Endowments, or Awqaf, allocated 30 million Egyptian pounds ($970,666) of its budget as part of a broad aid package provided by the Egyptian state, divided equally between Morocco, Libya, and Slovenia after devastating floods his the Balkan country.
Mohammed Mokhtar Gomaa, the Egyptian minister of religious endowments, confirmed that the time has come to put the outcomes of the climate conference in Sharm El-Sheikh into practice and to join international efforts to confront the challenges of climate change and its devastating effects.
Moroccan television reported on Monday that the death toll from the earthquake that struck the country had reached 2,862, while the number of injured reached 2,562.
Since most of the areas affected by the earthquake are difficult to reach, the authorities have not issued any estimates for the number of missing people.
Moroccan rescuers, supported by foreign teams, continue to search for survivors and provide assistance to hundreds of people who have lost their homes.
In Libya, the head of the government appointed by Parliament, Osama Hammad, said in a statement that Storm Daniel “caused about 2,000 deaths and thousands of missing people.”
The storm swept eastern Libya on Sunday afternoon, leaving behind damage to infrastructure and public facilities.
The Libyan Presidential Council declared the cities of Derna, Shahat, and Al-Bayda in Cyrenaica disaster zones and requested international support to confront the effects of the floods caused by the storm.
Egypt declares three days of mourning in solidarity with Morocco and Libya
https://arab.news/pwk7u
Egypt declares three days of mourning in solidarity with Morocco and Libya
- El-Sisi gave directives to the Egyptian Armed Forces to provide immediate humanitarian aid to both states during a meeting with a number of senior commanders on Tuesday
International law at ‘breaking point’ amid ‘epidemic’ of conflicts: Survey
- Gaza war highlighted as one of the most concerning areas; atrocities in Sudan also noted
- ‘Well over’ 100,000 civilians have been killed in past 18 months amid ‘rampant impunity’
LONDON: A new survey of 23 conflicts worldwide has said more than 100,000 civilians have been killed in the past 18 months, with adherence to international humanitarian law reaching “a critical breaking point.”
The “War Watch” survey highlighted the war in Gaza as one of the most concerning areas in an “epidemic” of violence, while also noting concerning levels of atrocities in Sudan.
Taken under the auspices of the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, the survey covers July 2024 to the end of 2025.
Lead author Stuart Casey-Maslen said: “Atrocity crimes are being repeated because past ones were tolerated. Our actions — or inaction — will determine whether international humanitarian law vanishes altogether.”
In Gaza, local authorities say 18,592 children and 12,400 women have been killed since Israel invaded the Palestinian enclave in October 2023.
The report said Gaza’s overall population had declined by “about 254,000 people, a 10.6 percent decline compared with pre-conflict estimates,” making it one of the most deadly conflicts in the world. It noted that despite a ceasefire being agreed late last year, civilian casualties have continued.
In Sudan, after the fall of the city of El-Fasher to the Rapid Support Forces last October, widespread reports of survivors “being gang-raped by RSF fighters” — including in the presence of relatives — were recorded in numerous instances.
The survey said: “We do not know how many civilians have been killed in the conduct of hostilities during armed conflicts in 2024 and 2025, but we do know that the number is well over 100,000 in each of the two years.”
It added that “serious violations of international humanitarian law (IHL) were wrought … on a huge scale and with rampant impunity.”
The report said IHL and the laws of armed conflict, established after the Second World War to protect civilians, must be upheld by every state under the Geneva Conventions “in all circumstances.”
It added: “Addressing widespread impunity for serious violations of international law should be treated as a policy priority.”
The report suggested several policy ideas to reduce the number of people suffering, including arms export bans for countries “where there is a clear risk that the arms or ammunition to be delivered will be used to commit or facilitate serious violations” of IHL.
It also proposed limiting the use of drones and artificial intelligence targeting in civilian areas, as well as unguided gravity bombs or inaccurate long-range artillery.
In addition, it called for “systematic prosecution of war crimes,” saying more political and financial support need to be given to the International Criminal Court by members of the international community.
