Prayers for the absent were held in a number of Arab countries for the souls of the victims of the floods in eastern Libya and the devastating earthquake in northern and central Morocco last week.
Thousands of people in Egypt, Palestine, Jordan and Bahrain performed Friday prayers for the souls of the victims of the floods in eastern Libya and the devastating earthquake in northern and central Morocco last week.
In Gaza, thousands of worshipers in the Gaza Strip’s mosques performed absentee prayers for the souls of the victims of the floods that struck eastern Libya.
Mosque preachers and worshipers in the Strip called for mercy for the flood victims and for the wounded and injured to recover quickly, according to the official Libyan News Agency.
In Egypt, worshipers at Al-Azhar Al-Sharif performed the absentee prayer as a tribute to the souls of the victims of the Moroccan earthquake and the Libyan hurricane.
The worshipers prayed to God to have mercy on their brothers, the victims of the devastating earthquake and hurricane, and to protect the world from the evils of these disasters. Nazir Ayyad, Secretary-General of the Islamic Research Academy, led the worshipers, according to the official Al-Azhar Mosque Facebook page.
On the evening of September 8, a seven-magnitude earthquake struck several major Moroccan cities, such as the capital, Rabat, Casablanca, Meknes, and Fez (north), and Marrakesh, Agadir, and Taroudant (center).
According to the latest data from the Ministry of Interior, the earthquake resulted in 2,946 deaths and 5,674 injuries, in addition to major material destruction.
In Libya itself, employees of the United Nations mission in Tripoli, led by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Mission in the country, Abdullah Batili, performed prayers in absentia for the souls of the victims of Hurricane Daniel.
The mission said in a statement on the “X” platform: “In the face of the horror of the injured person in eastern Libya, specifically in the city of Derna, United Nations employees share these difficult moments with the Libyan people.”
During the past days, thousands of Libyans performed in the cities of Tripoli, Misrata, Al-Zawiya and Benghazi, and absentee prayers were offered for those who were lost in that disaster.
As for Jordan, local media reported that mosques in the Kingdom held absentee prayers after Friday prayers for the victims of the Moroccan earthquake and the Libyan hurricane, based on a previous circular from the Ministry of Endowments.
Al-Ghad newspaper (independent) reported on its website that “Jordanians in all mosques of the Kingdom performed absentee prayers for the souls of those who died in the Moroccan earthquake and in the floods in the Libyan city of Derna,” attaching pictures from the central area of the country in the capital, Amman.
In Bahrain, mosque preachers prayed during Friday sermons for mercy and forgiveness for the victims of the Moroccan earthquake and the Libyan hurricane, and that God would grant his recovery to the wounded and afflicted, and to spare our country and all other Muslim countries from evil and adversity.
The country's official news agency reported, "In implementation of the directives of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the crowds of worshipers performed absentee prayers (after Friday prayers) for the victims of the earthquake that occurred in the sisterly Kingdom of Morocco, and the victims of the floods that followed the hurricane that struck several regions in sisterly Libya." .
On September 10, Hurricane Daniel swept through several areas in eastern Libya, most notably the cities of Derna, Benghazi, Al-Bayda, Al-Marj, and Sousse, leaving more than six thousand dead and thousands missing, according to what was announced by the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health in the Government of National Unity, Saad Al-Din Abdel Wakil, in 13th of the same month.
Africa : “An act of war” Italy calls on the United Nations to stop the flow of migrants
Italy called for United Nations intervention to confront the enormous pressures due to the increasing number of irregular migrants coming from Africa. On Thursday, Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini described the significant increase in the number of migrant arrivals in the past few days as an “act of war.”
Italy on Friday called for United Nations intervention to confront the enormous pressures represented by the increasing number of irregular migrants arriving from Africa.
Foreign Minister Antonio Taiani said, on the sidelines of the annual industrial conference of Confindustria in the capital, Rome: “We will talk about the problem resulting from the situation in Africa during the United Nations General Assembly, which will be held next week in New York,” according to the state news agency ANSA.
He stressed that the problem should not be underestimated, adding that "the situation in Africa is not explosive, but has already exploded," calling on the United Nations to "intervene to confront the pressures of the increasing numbers of irregular migrants coming from Africa" to his country.
Tayani stressed the need to take immediate and widespread measures to deal with the growing problem of illegal migration, and said: “We must move forward in returning people who have no right to remain in Europe.”
He continued: "Europe cannot pretend that nothing has happened, and I am convinced that France will understand our problems," adding that he will visit Paris and Berlin immediately upon his return from New York.
For its part, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said in a statement that the situation on the island of Lampedusa is critical after the arrival of unprecedented numbers of migrants and refugees by sea in recent days, stressing the priority of ensuring “adequate assistance” for the most vulnerable groups.
It also called for the establishment of a regional consensus mechanism for arrival and redistribution procedures for migrants arriving by sea in Italy towards the European Union.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, about 126,000 migrants arrived in Italy by sea this year until September 14, which is nearly double the number compared to the same period in 2022.
On Thursday, Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini described the significant increase in the number of migrants arriving in the past few days as an “act of war,” adding that the government was prepared to stop the flow “in any way possible.”
Matteo added: "The diplomatic path is necessary, but the government is working day and night, and I do not rule out any kind of intervention."
The record influx of migrants increases pressure on the right-wing government headed by Georgia Meloni, which pledged to crack down on irregular migration during the election campaign that led to its election last September.
Nigeria : “They feed him military meals.” Macron accuses Nigerien coup plotters of detaining the French ambassador
President Emmanuel Macron announced that the French ambassador to Niger is “detained” by the ruling military, pointing out that the food he eats is “military rations,” while France still considers Mohamed Bazoum the legitimate president of Niger.French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday accused Nigerien coup plotters of "detaining" the French ambassador, pointing out that the food the ambassador was eating was "military food rations."
In late August, the Nigerien military, who carried out a coup against President Mohamed Bazoum and seized power, ordered the French ambassador to leave the country after France refused to accept the deadline in which the current Nigerien government demanded his departure.
France considers that the current Nigerien government does not have the legitimacy to submit this request.
“In Niger, at the time I am speaking to you, we have an ambassador and diplomatic staff who have been taken hostage in the French embassy,” Macron said during his visit to the Saumur-en-Auxois region in central-eastern France.
He added that the soldiers "deny (these) food, and the ambassador takes military food rations."
Macron pointed out that Ambassador Sylvain Ette "no longer has the possibility of leaving. He is persona non grata."
When asked about the possibility of the ambassador returning to Paris, Macron said: “I will do what we will agree on with President Bazoum because he has the legitimate authority, and I speak to him every day.”
For her part, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna confirmed that Sylvain Ette is working and will remain in his position as long as President Macron wants to.
Colonna added on Friday evening: “He is very useful to us thanks to his contacts and the contacts his team makes, He still has a small team around him.”
France still considers Bazoum the legitimate president of Niger.