According to BBC News, the rival authorities in Libya’s ongoing civil war have announced an immediate ceasefire resulting from an agreement brokered by the United Nations (UN). The deal officially halts the violence that has engulfed the North African country since the NATO-led toppling of its dictator, Muammar al-Qaddafi, in 2011.
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In a deal brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the leader of Sudan’s transitional government, Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, Sudan has agreed to normalize ties with Israel after decades of belligerence between the two states, according to The Guardian.
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In early October, a federal court in the United States ordered Iran to pay $1.45 billion in punitive and compensatory damages over missing ex-FBI Agent Robert Levinson. His family, as reported in Time Magazine, has called this decision “the first step in the pursuit of justice.”
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Fatah and Hamas reached a deal on Palestinian elections at the Palestinian Consulate in Istanbul last week, according to Al Jazeera. This has raised hopes that the factions can unite after years of animosity, facing a shared issue as Israel continues to threaten annexation while it normalizes relations with Arab nations.
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After 10 days of intense negotiation, the Yemeni government coalition and Houthi rebels have agreed to release over 1,000 prisoners. The war between the two parties began in 2014, when a Houthi-led rebel group, backed by Iran, took control of the northern and western regions of Yemen, including the capital of Sanaa. In March 2015, a Saudi-led coalition intervened, displaying support for the internationally recognized Yemeni government headed by President Hadi. In recent months, the rebels have also intensified drone-strikes and missile attacks on Saudi Arabia.
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On September 12, peace talks between the government of Afghanistan and the Taliban officially began in Doha, Qatar. For two decades, the Taliban and the Afghan government have been at war, with civilian casualties over 31,000 according to a study by Brown University. The peace talks follow an agreement between the Taliban and the U.S., which brought an end to the 18 year long conflict, reports DW.
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The United States reimposed what is, in effect, an arms embargo on Iran last Monday. This move is one opposed by the rest of the UN, and more specifically, the rest of the UN Security Council. The U.S. argues that it can legally do this through a “snapback,” while Iran has been critical towards the U.S. for making this move.
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After the one-month anniversary of the August 4 Beirut explosions that took place in the port of Lebanon’s capital, dark skies blanketed the city once again with two new fires that erupted within the past week. The former erupted on Tuesday, September 8 and the latter blazed through the port just two days after. The fire has since been contained and no new injuries have been reported. According to NPR, the Lebanese army declared that the latter blaze occurred in a warehouse that housed oils and tires in the port’s duty-free area.
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President Bashar al-Assad of Syria has stated intentions to expand business ties with Russia in response to new, crippling U.S. sanctions under the Caesar Act, according to Reuters. The Syrian economy has suffered enormously under these sanctions, as its economy was already struggling prior to implementation of the Caesar Act. According to Reuters, this has resulted in the Syrian lira losing 80 percent of its value. Most citizens are experiencing extreme poverty.
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On September 4, 2020, Serbia and Kosovo agreed to normalize economic ties as part of U.S. brokered talks that include Belgrade moving its Israel embassy to Jerusalem and mutual recognition between Israel and Kosovo, CBS News reports.
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