World News In Brief: Libya, Mozambique, Tanzania & Türkiye

16 January 2025

The resolution authored by the United Kingdom was passed by 14 votes with none against – permanent Council member Russia abstained.

It introduces new provisions concerning the arms embargo and assets freeze measures imposed in 2011 following the overthrow of long-term ruler Muammar Gaddafi.

It also establishes a new listing criterion targeting individuals and entities involved in the illicit exploitation of crude oil or refined petrol in Libya.

Background

The Council's 2014 resolution allowed Member States to inspect vessels at sea suspected of smuggling petrol products from Libya. The most recent renewal of this authorisation was in October 2023, extending it until February 1, 2025 – and the PoE’s mandate until February 15, 2025.

On December 5, the PoE briefed the sanctions committee on its final report, highlighting an increase in diesel fuel smuggling. The report recommended a new designation criterion to address this.

The PoE also suggested measures to accommodate a request from the Libyan Investment Authority (LIA) to reinvest its frozen assets, which have depreciated under the current freeze.

Tropical cyclone recovery underway in Mozambique, says OCHA

UN aid teams in northern Mozambique are doing their utmost to provide help to communities hit by two deadly cyclones in a month.

Tropical cyclone Chido – which devastated the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean leaving thousands feared dead - hit Cabo Delgado province on 15 December, killing 120 people and injuring more than 800, after smashing into Mecufi district and Nampula province.

Wind gusts exceeded 200 kilometres per hour and left a high number of houses either partially or completely destroyed. In all, some 400,000 people were affected.

A second storm, Dikeledi, hit Nampula on Monday, killing three.

Concern over food supplies

Paola Emerson of the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, told UN News that 12 more named storms are predicted until April alone. She said that “food is the main concern” for people as three million are already food insecure across Mozambique:

“All month long, UN humanitarians have been providing assistance complementing government efforts. As of Saturday, the World Food Programme and its partners had reached more than 190,000 people in five districts with one week food rations,” she said.

“A vaccination campaign to deal with cholera was launched on 6 January and it has reached 86 per cent of the nearly 200,000 people that were targeted.”

To date, Ms. Emerson said that 109,000 people have received shelter and non-food items, including tarpaulins, blankets, ground mats and cookware, while 60,000 have received urgent medical care and disease prevention.

The UN aid official said that about 50,000 people were affected by the Dikeledi storm and more than 7,000 homes were destroyed, along with 82 classrooms and 142 acres of agricultural land.

WHO prepares to support Tanzanian Government in Marburg virus response

Following reports of suspected viral haemorrhagic fever cases in Tanzania, the World Health Organization (WHO) has ramped up its readiness to assist the Government in investigating and responding to the situation.

In a press release on Thursday the UN health agency said national health authorities have dispatched a team of experts to the Kagera region, where the cases of Marburg virus have been reported.

WHO is mobilising technical expertise and logistical supplies to support these efforts. Early notification of the investigation's outcome is crucial for a swift response.

"We stand ready to support the government in its efforts to investigate and ensure that measures are in place for an effective and rapid response," said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.

"With the existing national capacities built from response to previous health emergencies, we are able to swiftly scale up efforts to protect communities as well as play our advocacy role for international support and solidarity."

At this time, WHO does not recommend any travel or trade restrictions with Tanzania.

Previous outbreak

Tanzania previously faced an outbreak of Marburg virus in March 2023, also in the Kagera region. The outbreak was controlled and declared over in less than two months due to strong measures.

Marburg virus disease, a highly virulent illness causing haemorrhagic fever, belongs to the same family as Ebola.

Symptoms begin abruptly with high fever, severe headache, and malaise, potentially progressing to severe haemorrhagic symptoms within seven days. The virus spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids of infected individuals, surfaces and materials.

There is no licensed treatment or vaccine for Marburg virus disease. Supportive care, including rehydration and symptom treatment, improves survival rates.

Previous outbreaks have occurred in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ghana, Kenya, Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda, South Africa, and Uganda.

Türkiye: Expert dismayed over misuse of counter terrorism laws targetting human rights defenders

Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders Mary Lawlor expressed grave concern on Thursday over the continued detention of nine prominent Turkish human rights defenders and lawyers, all of whom were arbitrarily arrested and sentenced under counter-terrorism charges.

The UN Human Rights Council-appointed independent expert said she found “alarming” the process of silencing “human rights defenders and peaceful voices who are critical of government policies, sentencing them to lengthy prison terms.”

“This is contrary to Türkiye’s international human rights obligations,” she emphasised.

The detainees include eight members of the Progressive Lawyers’ Association (ÇHD), known for defending victims of police violence and torture.

Arrested between 2018 and 2019, they all faced charges such as “membership of a terrorist organisation,” with two of them also charged with “propaganda for a terrorist organisation.”

Prison sentences

Some of the sentences reached 13 years in prison and were later upheld by the Supreme Court in 2020.

Another member, Oya Aslan, was separately convicted in 2022, with her 11-year sentence confirmed by the Supreme Court in 2024.

Meanwhile, lawyer Turan Canpolat, held since 2016, was sentenced to 10 years based on a coerced testimony later taken back.

All are held in high-security, closed prisons. Mr. Canpolat, in particular, endured three years of solitary confinement without disciplinary orders, which Ms. Lawlor described as “extremely disturbing.”

The Special Rapporteur – who is not UN staff and receives no salary for her work – has called on Türkiye to uphold fair trial standards and ensure that detainees’ appeals receive impartial hearings.

She has raised the issue twice with the Government since 2020 but remains dismayed by Türkiye’s failure to stop criminalising human rights defenders.

She will remain in contact with the Turkish authorities, she said.

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