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  1. Political talks pave the way for Libyan election

    Rana Jawad

    BBC North Africa correspondent, Tunis

    The United Nation’s Mission to Libya has announced the start of political talks which are expected to pave the way for elections.

    The virtual meetings for what will be called the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum will bring together 75 participants from across the country’s regions, including ethnic, political, and tribal representatives.

    There will be two stages in the political dialogue, which is being mediated by the UN mission.

    The virtual meetings which start on Monday will lead to face-to-face talks due to be held in the Tunisian capital, Tunis, on 9 November.

    The aim, according to the UN, is to build a consensus around what a new unified Libyan government will look like, and to pave the way for elections to be held as soon as possible.

    In a statement, the UN’s political mission also said it hoped Libyan Prime Minister Fayez El Sarraj would remain in power until the dialogue forum decides the way forward.

    Last month, the Libyan prime minister said he would “hand-over” power to his replacement by the end of October at the latest.

    This plan now seems unlikely to materialise given the timeline of the political negotiations.

    The negotiations come after a "permanent" ceasefire deal was signed in Geneva on Friday between Libya’s military rivals.

  2. Talks on Nile Dam dispute to resume

    Kalkidan Yibeltal

    BBC News, Addis Ababa

    Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam

    Talks between Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt over the controversial mega-dam across the Blue Nile are set to resume on Tuesday after a seven-week hiatus.

    The announcement by South Africa's President and Africa Union chairman, Cyril Ramaphosa, comes days after US President Donald Trump suggested that Egypt might “blow up” the dam.

    Ethiopia sees the US as siding with Egypt in the dispute and termed Mr Trump’s remarks as “reckless, unproductive and a violation of international law”.

    It has summoned US ambassador in Addis Ababa.

    The resumption of the talks is a “reaffirmation of the confidence that the parties have in an African-led negotiations process," Mr Ramaphosa’s statement on Monday said.

    Dina Mufti, a spokesperson at Ethiopia’ foreign affairs ministry, has told the BBC's that government believes Mr Trump’s remarks will not deter the negotiations.

    “The three countries are in talks with the African Union as a negotiator. This doesn’t concern the President [Trump]. The only thing that concerns him is to encourage and support us to arrive at a deal and then accept our agreements,” Mr Dina said.

    Ethiopia sees the $4.6bn (£3.5bn) Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in the western part of the country as an integral part of its plan to provide electricity for tens of millions of its citizens.

    But Egypt and Sudan, who are dependent on the Nile waters, are concerned that it might impact their water supplies.

    Despite sitting down for negotiations multiple times, the three countries have not managed to arrive at a comprehensive deal.

    Read more:

  3. Libya reopens oil field

    BBC World Service

    El-Feel oil field

    Libya's state oil company has announced the reopening of the last major oil field under its control, days after the country's warring parties agreed a ceasefire deal.

    The National Oil Corporation says it has lifted its restrictions on El-Feel oilfield - meaning that it has ended all the closures of oilfields and ports brought on by a months-long blockade by forces loyal to the Khalifa Haftar - the military commander based in eastern Libya.

    Gen Haftar's forces imposed the blockade in January when they were still besieging the capital, Tripoli, but agreed to lift it in September.

    Libya's economy is dependent on oil.

    More about Libya:

  4. Egypt closes polls for first round of elections

    Women cast their ballot papers at a polling station in Giza, Egypt
    Image caption: There was a heavy turnout in the polls

    Polls in Egypt closed on Sunday after a heavy turnout for the parliamentary elections in 14 provinces.

    A second round of voting is scheduled for 7-8 November for 13 other provinces.

    Run-offs for all the provinces will be held on different dates in November and December.

    The new legislators will begin their term in January 2021.

    More than 4,000 candidates are vying in the polls.

    The previous parliament was full of President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi's supporters.

    In 2013, Mr Sisi led the military's overthrow of Egypt's first democratically elected president, Mohammed Morsi, following protests against his rule.

    More:

  5. Israel to send $5m of wheat to 'new friend' Sudan

    Israel will send $5m (£3.8m) worth of wheat to its "new friend" Sudan, according to a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office.

    Sudan is preparing to normalise relations with Israel - the latest in a series of Arab League countries to do so. A statement released last week said delegations would meet "in the coming weeks".

    The African country is facing a nationwide food crisis.

    Mr Netanyahu's office said on Twitter that Israel will also assist Sudan's transition:

    View more on twitter

    President Donald Trump has moved to remove Sudan from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism.

    Sudan is in transition from the military dictatorship of its former leader, Omar al-Bashir.

    Read more:

  6. Video content

    Video caption: Socially-distanced Sesame Street

    The Middle East's version of Sesame Street, Ahlam Simsim, hopes to calm children's fears about coronavirus.

  7. Analysis: What this Libyan ceasefire agreement means

    Rana Jawad

    BBC North Africa correspondent, Tunis

    A resident walks amidst the rubble of a building that was damaged when forces loyal to eastern-based strongman Khalifa Haftar shelled the residential neighbourhood of Znatah in the Libyan capital Tripoli, held by the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA), on May 1, 2020.
    Image caption: Parts of Libya had been shattered by the shelling in Libya over the years

    The ceasefire agreement which has been signed today in Geneva by Libya’s rival military representatives contains a tall order of requests from both sides - key of which are the withdrawal of troops from frontlines to their respective camps, an exit of foreign troops involved by proxy over the next three months, and freezing foreign security agreements.

    Libya’s conflict over the years morphed into a wider one with foreign powers including Turkey, Russia, and the UAE backing rival administrations there.

    The UN’s acting envoy to Libya Stephanie Williams says a lot of work needs to be done in the days and weeks ahead to implement the commitments outlined in the agreement.

    But this deal is not the end of the negotiating process, for a long-lasting settlement in Libya.

    Another crucial deal that needs to be reached is a political agreement that satisfies both camps, which could play a role in how this latest military agreement is implemented.

    Read more: Why is Libya so lawless?

  8. Libyans sign ceasefire agreement

    BBC World Service

    Stephanie Williams
    Image caption: The UN special envoy to Libya Stephanie Williams said the agreement was a sign of hope

    Libya's warring factions have signed an agreement on a permanent ceasefire at the end of their talks in Geneva.

    The United Nations' acting special envoy for Libya, Stephanie Williams, described the accord as "a crucial sign of hope for the Libyan people".

    Addressing the ceremony in Arabic, Ms Williams said the hard work ahead will be implementing the terms of the agreement.

    The internationally recognised Libyan government in the capital Tripoli and the renegade Gen Khalifa Haftar in Benghazi have signed several ceasefire deals since the toppling of Col Gaddafi in 2011.