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Doctors Without Borders Witness COVID-19 Catastrophe Unfold in Aden

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The international health NGO Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has issued a distress signal for thousands of Yemenis from their treatment center in Aden. The center is the only place in Aden with the facilities needed to treat people infected with the coronavirus and the NGO is facing a worrying flood of patients.

Between April 30 and May 17, 173 patients have been admitted to the center, 68 of whom have since died. Since patients are often admitted while already suffering from advanced infections, there is little that the NGOs medical staff can do to save their lives.

Yemenis dying in their homes

The fact that newly admitted people show signs of advanced stages of the infection’s symptoms suggests that many people are suffering from the infection at home, where they can do nothing but wait to die. While detecting cases is difficult, a rapid increase in burials in the city have revealed that as many as 80 people a day are dying, an eight-fold increase over ‘normal’ numbers.

Caroline Seguin, MSF’s operations manager for Yemen is raising the alarm. “What we are seeing in our treatment centre is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the number of people infected and dying in the city,” Seguin stated on MSF’s website. “People are coming to us too late to save [them], and we know that many more people are not coming at all: they are just dying at home. It is a heart-breaking situation.”

Immediate help is required

Rapid assistance from abroad is needed to save the lives of many who will perish from symptoms that could otherwise be treated. Help will have to come from the highest levels, according to Seguin. “The United Nations and donor states need to do more and do it urgently, not just for Aden but for the whole of Yemen,” MSF’s local manager said.

In order to make a difference and save local lives, the international community needs to urgently provide money for healthcare workers, protective equipment to keep them safe, and ventilators to help patients breathe.

“The high level of mortality we are seeing amongst our patients is equivalent to those of intensive care units in Europe,” Seguin stated, “but the people we see dying are much younger than in France or Italy: mostly men between 40 and 60 years old.” In order to ensure Yemen’s healthcare system that already struggles to treat Malaria and Dengue fever survives, rapid deployment of resources is needed.

Lebanese PM Says Country is Hurtling Towards Major Food Crisis

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Lebanon’s multitude of economic failings  —- its default on sovereign debt, currency crisis, high unemployment —- have only been amplified by the COVID-19 crisis. Now, Prime Minister Hassan Diab warns that the country’s dismal economic position, combined with a lack of investment in agriculture, and COVID-19 supply chain disruptions have pushed Lebanon to the brink of starvation.  

“Once the breadbasket of the Eastern Mediterranean, Lebanon is facing a dramatic challenge that seemed unimaginable a decade ago: The risk of a major food crisis,” Diab wrote in a letter to the Washington Post on Thursday, May 21.  

The embattled Lebanese Prime Minister explained that despite fertile soils and a good growing climate, Lebanon has failed to invest in its agriculture sector in recent decades as “a result of decades-long political mismanagement and corruption.” Over 50% of Lebanon’s food is now imported, and due to the currency crash driving up inflation, the price of staple food items has doubled in 2020.  

“A few weeks ago, Lebanon witnessed its first ‘hunger protests.’ Many Lebanese have already stopped buying meat, fruits and vegetables, and may soon find it difficult to afford even bread.” 

If Ukraine joins Russia in suspending wheat exports over COVID-19, a bread crisis would be highly likely in the small Middle Eastern state. At present, 80% of Lebanon’s wheat is imported from the two eastern European countries.  

Diab also had a bigger warning for the international community, which has been wary about giving aid to the deeply indebted country, about global food supplies and their security impact.  

“Food security is becoming a global crisis requiring a coordinated global response. It would be a tragedy upon a tragedy if our efforts to beat the covid-19 epidemic eventually gave way to mass starvation and migration, the effects of which would be felt for generations,” the Lebanese PM warned. 

To avoid a destabilizing global food crisis, that “may spark a new migration flow to Europe,” Diab is calling on the United States, the Group of 20 (G-20), and the World Trade Organization (WTO) to discourage restrictions on food exports in the wake of COVID-19 and keep supply chains open. 

He also said the US, G20 and World Food Programme (WFP) should implement policies to ensure food supply for low to middle income countries, and that the European Union and US must establish a dedicated emergency fund to ensure Middle East food supplies.  

The EU, US, and other organisations Diab singled out are yet to respond to his op-ed.

Read also: Lebanon: Unrest Grows in Parallel to COVID-19 and Liquidity Crises

 

Tripoli Government Resists After Russia, EU, UAE, Turkey Back Immediate Cease-Fire

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A glimmer of hope appeared for war-torn Libya as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu spoke on Thursday, May 21. The two foreign ministers announced that they had agreed on backing an “immediate ceasefire,” according to Reuters.

After a March cease-fire in Syria between the two countries resulted in a state of relative calm in Idlib, desperate and weary Libyan civilians may be hoping the same could come true in their devastated country.

Calls for a cease-fire

Several other countries that are involved in the Libyan civil war have similarly expressed their wish for a pause in violence and the spiraling chaos of stalemates, reprisals, and minor territorial gains that have marked the conflict.

On Wednesday, May 20, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the UAE, Anwar Gargash, took to Twitter to affirm that the UAE’s position “has been firm and clear and shared by the majority of the international community.” He announced the UAE will back a comprehensive cease-fire and a return to political negotiations as “the only acceptable path forward.”

“This crisis has been going for almost ten years; Libyans will not have the chance to create a stable or prosperous country until combatants aim higher than tactical territorial gains.” Garbash tweeted, saying “these are mirages of victory and no substitute for a political process.”

The statement followed a May 12 statement from the EU. The European bloc’s foreign affairs chief, Josep Borrell stated that “the European Union demands that all parties act responsibly and immediately cease the fighting all over Libya,” while similarly calling for a resumption in UN-brokered negotiations.

The EU was responding to a report from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that highlighted the suffering the conflict has inflicted on Libya’s civilian population.

Laying down arms

The Eastern Libyan forces, led by Khalifa Haftar, initially called for a cease-fire on April 29, to coincide with the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. The call came days after Haftar proclaimed a mandate that was ill-received by his foreign allies, including the UAE, Russia and France.

However, the Tripoli-based government rejected the cease-fire as it was making territorial gains against the Eastern faction after having been under siege in the capital for over a year. Nevertheless, the advances made reveal a typical element of the Libyan conflict as they possess a temporary advantage that is anything but decisive.

The Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) appears to have lost some of its legitimacy in the eyes of international observers even as they have gained a temporary military advantage. While it makes advances against positions held by Haftar’s forces, the GNA continue to be powerless in the country’s oil fields that are the key to Libya’s economic outlook.

Doubts in Tripoli

As the Tripoli government delays answering the call for a cease-fire, Libya’s civilians continue to suffer. The GNA now risks losing its label as the ‘internationally recognized’ government as it appears to ignore calls from the UN, EU and even its important military backer Turkey. It is unclear how the GNA intends to continue fighting if Turkey opposes such actions.

As politicians and their aligned militias contemplate the sudden international pressure on Tripoli, the Libyan people remain the victim with little agency over their country’s fate. Antonio Guterres’ report to the UN Security Council on May 11 highlighted the dire situation that Libyans are facing as fighting continues.

The UN secretary-general report revealed how both sides had continued arming their mercenaries with more advanced weaponry in breach of the internationally-backed arms embargo. Guterres also brought attention to the 200,000 unfortunate people forced to abandon their homes in and around Tripoli. And, amid these factors, the coronavirus pandemic presents a looming and uncontrolled threat to all.

Delays increase suffering

The cease-fire is crucial to alleviating some of the Libyans’ suffering ahead of the end of Ramadan. Pointless fighting over minor territorial gains have, since the start of April, resulted in nothing but pointless suffering. An attack on pipelines in Shuwayrif, that carry vital water supplies to remote regions, left two million people without water.

Similarly, the stability near the Tunisian border is threatened by continued fighting and natural gas supplies were hindered in Miratah and Khums making it impossible to cook Iftar meals. While fighting directly impacts the daily necessities of civilians, the continued closure of the vital oil industry means Libya has few resources to improve the economic outlook of its population.

With most of the world uniting behind a cease-fire ahead of Eid al-Fitr, the Tripoli-based government risks losing any legitimacy it had left. And, as the UN pushes for diplomacy on the economic, military, and political elements of the conflict, the offered cease-fire provides an unexpected possibility of relief in what has been a conflict devoid of hope.

Iran Says Warships to Keep Sailing in Gulf Despite US Navy Warning

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The tit-for-tat rhetoric from the US and Iran over naval activities in the Arabian Gulf continued today with Iran’s defense forces saying they will continue to run missions in the contested maritime zone, in spite of the latest US warning. 

“The naval units of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman will continue their regular missions in accordance with professional principles as in the past,” an unnamed Iranian military official told state-sponsored ISNA on May 20. 

Iran’s Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami responded by warning the US not to interfere with oil tankers bound for Venezuela, saying any harassment would “amount to piracy.”  

“The US and other countries know that we will react to the issue without any doubt and if the trouble continues and intensifies, it will be met with Iran’s unwavering and crushing response,” Hatami said in another statement carried by ISNA.  

Iran’s counter-threats come a day after the US Naval Forces Central Command renewed warnings for all Gulf mariners to keep their distance.  

“Due to recent events, in order to enhance safety, minimize ambiguity, and

reduce opportunities for miscalculation, all vessels are advised to maintain a safe distance of at least 100 meters from U.S Naval vessels in international waters/straits,” the navigation warning for the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, and Persian Gulf stated. 

“Armed vessels approaching within 100 meters of a U.S. Naval vessel may be interpreted as a threat and subject to lawful defensive measures,” the notice said.  

US Naval Forces Central Command reiterated that the navigation warning was not evidence of a change in its rules of engagement, but “designed to enhance safety, minimize ambiguity and reduce the risk of miscalculation.” 

Tensions have been running high in the Arabian Gulf ever since the US and Iran authorized their naval ships to destroy opposing vessels if harassed, in late April. A Tweet from US President Donald Trump sparked the escalation and triggered an aggressive response from the chief of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), General Hossein Salami, who promised “swift, strict, and effective” action against any US vessels it deems threatening.  

The initial outpouring of threats and counter-threats came after 11 Iranian vessels “repeatedly conducted dangerous and harassing approaches” to US Coast Guard ships in the international waters of the Northern Arabian Gulf in mid-April. Such interactions between US and Iranian vessels were commonplace in 2016-2017, but had died down in the intervening years.  

US-Iran relations have been strained ever since President Trump unilaterally pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal in May 2018 and re-imposed economic sanctions on the rogue nuclear state. The relationship grew more fractious in recent months after a US drone strike killed Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani in January, and retaliatory airstrikes on an Iraqi base killed US troops. 

Read also: Iran Hands Death Sentence to Couple Who Laundered $200 Million

NGOs: Algeria Endangers Lives by Punishing Free Speech Amid Pandemic

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Amnesty International has accused Algeria of using the COVID-19 crisis to prosecute political opponents. The watchdog said activists, journalists, and protesters related to the Hirak demonstrations face increasing oppression as news broke that three young activists were handed long prison sentences over social media posts.

On Wednesday, May 20, a judge sentenced activist Soheib Debaghi to one year in prison on charges related to posts on Facebook. The government appears to be prosecuting the young man over criticizing the government, limiting his free speech and potentially endangering his life, according to several NGOs.

False charges

On April 27, Amnesty International revealed Algerian efforts to quell dissent under cover of the global pandemic. Amnesty reported that political opposition often results in charges of “harming the integrity of the national territory,” “incitement to unarmed gathering,” or “publications meant at harming the national interest.”

Algerian authorities clearly did not heed the Amnesty report as they charged Debaghi on Wednesday with organizing an “illegal gathering,” as well as “insulting an official body and publishing potentially damaging material.”

Amnesty had urged the government to allow citizens their free speech, saying “Algerian authorities must urgently halt arbitrary prosecutions aimed at silencing Hirak activists and journalists amid the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Structural oppression

Debaghi’s sentence is the third unfortunate case this week. Larbi Tahar and Boussif Mohamed Boudiaf also received 18-month sentences for their own Facebook posts. These cases are examples of structural and systematic attempts at stifling dissent, according to Amnesty.

Heba Morayef, Amnesty’s director for the MENA region, is concerned that prison sentences amid a COVID-19 outbreak could endanger lives over controversial opinions. “The authorities must immediately and unconditionally release all peaceful activists detained solely for expressing their views online and offline and/or calling for a democratic change,” Morayef stated.

Human Rights Watch similarly expressed concern over Algerian oppression. Eric Goldstein, HRW’s MENA director, said that “while governments are freeing prisoners to reduce risks of COVID-19 spreading in prisons, Algeria continues to jail dissidents like Karim Tabbou for expressing political views.”

He reiterated the government’s misuse of the health crisis, saying, “at a time when the Hirak has suspended its peaceful protests due to the pandemic, the authorities have pounced to imprison one of its leaders after an expedited and unjust trial.”

Nowhere to go

The Algerian government has rapidly accelerated arrests and prosecutions of activists and their supporters. When the country first  reported coronavirus within its borders, Algerian authorities used the virus to ban protests and force citizens off the streets. The virus provided the opportunity to follow through with something the government had not been able to do for over a year: Force its citizens back into their homes.

The government used a legitimate threat to stop the Hirak protests that had rocked the country for over a year. Without addressing the movement’s concerns, Algeria was able to pressure its citizens by appealing to their sense of solidarity and practicality.

The government would reserve none of that compassion for its opponents as it ceased the moment to further silence opposing voices, according to Human Rights Watch.

Since Algeria detected its first case, at least a dozen activists have been questioned for their online expressions. Several received lengthy sentences that could see them exposed to coronavirus while in prison.

 

 

Read also: Algeria, Saudi Arabia Extend COVID-19 Curbs Ahead of Eid al-Fitr

UAE Flight Delivers Aid to Help Palestine Fight COVID-19

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The un-branded Etihad cargo plane from Abu Dhabi landed at Israel’s Ben-Gurion Airport late on Tuesday night with 16 tons of “emergency medical supplies” to support Palestine’s fight against COVID-19. 

The flight is considered the first UAE-Israel direct commercial flight, and carried vital equipment such as ventilators and personal protective equipment (PPE). 

The United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO) coordinated the aid delivery. Israel does not have diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates or its five fellow Gulf Arab states.  

Representatives from the UNSCO, the UAE, and Israel welcomed the special aid flight which will provide much-needed supplies to assist Palestine’s efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19.

“The UAE is an important partner, whose continued support for peace and for the Palestinian people at this critical time is highly valued. Global solidarity is in the interest of everyone,” said the UN’s Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov, in an official statement. 

“Today we are facing the most challenging crisis since the Second World War. We can get through it only by working together,” Mladenov stressed. 

The UAE’s Ambassador to the UN, Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, thanked UNSCO for arranging the aid flight, also noting that COVID-19 is a shared crisis. 

“This is an international crisis that requires an international response. The UAE is grateful to UNSCO for facilitating the UAE’s support for the Palestinian people, and for the UN’s tireless efforts to coordinate and assist the global fight against the pandemic.” 

The UAE is a major donor to the Palestinian people, and has given more than $828.2 million since 2013 to support various projects and initiatives in the occupied zones.  

Israel’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Danny Danon, took to Twitter to express his excitement at what the flight could mean for UAE-Israeli relations. 

“For the first time, an Etihad cargo plane just landed at Israel’s Ben-Gurion airport! Hopefully soon, we will see passenger flights, too,” he tweeted on May 19.  

“Having visited, I know the UAE is a fascinating place, and look to continue improving relations between our countries,” he added. 

An Etihad spokesperson confirmed the aid-carrying cargo flight took place on Tuesday, but specified there were no passengers on board.

Read also: UAE Passes 500 Ton Milestone in COVID-19 Aid Provision   

 

 

Global COVID-19 Cases Reach 5 Million

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On May 20 the world reached another unfortunate milestone as the global number of recorded coronavirus cases reached 5 million. The virus that was transferred to humans in a Chinese market just five months ago has now claimed 325,000 lives as governments continue to grapple with measures to control its spread.

Only a few months ago terms such as “social distancing” or “flattening the curve” were the exclusive jargon of infectious disease experts and public health officials, but the spread of coronavirus around the world has created new nomenclatures as people attempt to understand the threat.

Some of the simplest joys of life such as a walk in the park or having coffee with friends have become inaccessible luxuries to millions, and many experts predict life will never fully return to “normal.”

Large urban centers

The worst hit areas by the coronavirus pandemic have so far been capitals and large cities around the world. From Moscow to Madrid and from New York to Nairobi, the virus has spread rapidly and has proven hard to stop amid the gleaming skyscrapers and crowded streets of our urban centers.

In India alone, 50% of all cases occurred in its ten biggest cities and in the US, New York has become a focal point of the country’s epidemic with nearly 30,000 deaths and a little more than 61,000 recoveries. In Russia, Moscow accounts for nearly half of all cases in a country that geographically spans nearly half the globe.

Different measures

The response to the virus still lacks unity, as each national government has executed a different approach in detecting and containing the spread of COVID-19. Sweden stood out for uniquely avoiding all lockdown measures. The nation suffered the highest number of deaths per capita in Europe while many of its neighbors can now draw down measures. The rest of Europe saw a patchwork of different measures, testing methods, and ways of recording cases and deaths.

Hope for initial government policies that aimed to reach “herd immunity” were dashed after cases rapidly rose. Countries such as the UK and the Netherlands reluctantly switched to unpopular lockdown measures in order to “flatten the curve” and prevent healthcare systems from buckling under the weight of new cases needing intensive care. While Italy and Spain started as the worst hit countries, the United States and Russia have rapidly overtaken them.

Vaccine news

Life will not return to normal until the development and broad distribution of a vaccine, according to experts. Over 100 vaccines are currently under development in labs across the planet, but public health experts have cautioned that a vaccine could still be far away.

Meanwhile, the distribution of an eventual vaccine is causing a global debate . France and the US argue over first rights to a French pharmaceutical’s potential vaccine while UNAIDS gathered 140 experts and world leaders to urge for a universally distributed vaccine.

Experts at the WHO have cautioned against the use of experimental or organic alternatives but the promise of miracle cures or outright denial of the seriousness of the virus have sparked national debates worldwide.

Long-lasting effects

One surety is that the pandemic will have a lasting effect on more than just our health. In 2020 and beyond, the virus will change how governments approach surveillance, health care, and climate change, according to the World Economic Forum.

The IMF is monitoring the efficacy of the roughly $9 trillion in fiscal support that governments have made available as some warn the measures will leave the world indebted and increase inequalities. While large corporations are receiving broad economic support, the World Bank fears the coronavirus pandemic will push 60 million into extreme poverty in what it called an “unprecedented crisis.”

Every day scientists, politicians, and economists learn more about the virus. The virus’s evolution continues to shed light on both cooperation and cynical political games. What remains to be seen is what effect the pandemic will have on solidarity between humans after sharing the pain of a global threat.

Saudis Pioneer Electronic Sports in the MENA Region

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In the midst of the global pandemic, Saudi Arabia is hosting one of the biggest sports tournaments on earth. While Saudi investment in a 127-year old soccer team in Newcastle has met with great resistance, its investment in e-sports could ensure a pioneering role in what could become the sport of the future.

Booming esports market

One of the few industries that has increased hiring during the pandemic, electronic sports are experiencing a boom. The industry is offering six-digit wages for employees at leading companies in the market, even as many people are still unsure what esports actually are.

E-sports, also known as eSports or electronic sports, refers to the growing interest in video game tournaments where players compete in front of large audiences. The esports market has seen a steady rise. The trend originally started in the 1970s and 1980s when arcade gaming tournaments began to receive significant press coverage, but the advent of the internet proved to be the start of a global phenomena.

The popularity of video gaming steadily grew. In the 2000s, video-gaming tournaments started to receive television coverage, with South Korea dedicating two 24-hour cable TV channels solely to broadcasting video gaming. Esports started to become more organized and- 2006 saw the first tournament . The initial competition offered a $1 million prize to the competition’s winner.

Since then, esports has grown exponentially, with major international tournaments, celebrities and millions of fans filling stadiums. In 2015, Las Vegas saw the construction of the first dedicated ‘Esports Arena’ and top tournaments offer prize money worth tens of millions of dollars. The top 80 digital athletes have all made more than a million dollars in winnings.

Pioneers in MENA esports

The popularity of electronic sports has been noticed by traditional athletes. Soccer legends like Gareth Bale, Ronaldinho and Ruud Gullit all have started their own esports teams, while basketball legend Michael Jordan started investing in the sport back in 2018. With growing popularity and prestige, esports appear to be going nowhere but up.

Saudi Arabia has clearly picked up on the trend. In 2017, Saudi Arabia started SAFEIS, the Saudi Arabian Federation of Electronic and Intellectual Sport, which aims to push Saudi Arabia to the forefront of electronic sports. It also started Kafu Games, an online platform hosting esports. The country even has a national team for various games as well as a professional esports league.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, esports have moved from large stadiums to online streaming, a more or less seamless transition compared to the difficulties most major sports leagues face. The global health crisis has presented an opportunity for esports to grow even faster and Saudi Arabia is now contributing to that growth by organizing one of the largest tournaments in the world.

Gamers Without Borders

Saudi Arabia is organizing the massive “Gamers Without Borders” tournament, a seven-week-long tournament where some of the world’s elite gamers compete. In order to promote local talent the tournament also features a dedicated SAFEIS tournament, and between June 1 and June 3 the eMBS Cup Challenge will see Saudi gamers and soccer players compete.

Unique to the tournament is the charity element. The online tournament features a $10 million prize pool, to be distributed to COVID-19 charities of the winner’s choice. The tournament has been going since April 24, with Reuters coverage publishing the names of winners, much like it would for traditional sports tournaments.

With esports rapidly growing in popularity, Saudi Arabia appears to have found an investment in the future that causes less opposition than its forays into traditional sports. As esports tournaments start to rival traditional leagues and tournaments, the Gamers Without Borders tournament and Saudi gaming initiatives could become a new avenue into the world of competitive sports.

 

NGO: Malta Puts Lives of Migrants at Risk Off Libyan Coast

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The Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) engaged in dangerous manoeuvres at sea and failed to assist migrants adrift in the Mediterranean over the weekend of April 10-13, according to a new report by sea rescue support non-governmental organization (NGO) AlarmPhone.

AlarmPhone reports that four separate migrant boats reached out to them to raise the alarm as they drifted in the Mediterranean over the Easter weekend. 

“The Easter weekend was violent and deadly in the Mediterranean Sea,” the NGO says. 

“Shortly after Italy and Malta declared their harbours ‘unsafe’ and closed for migrant landings, migrant boats were left adrift in European Search and Rescue (SAR) zones while being surveyed by European authorities from the air. Several people in distress were left to die, starving or drowning while being closely watched by Malta and Frontex,” AlarmPhone writes in the May 20 report. 

Four Boats 

Of the four boats, one made it to Portopalo di Capopassero, Sicily, on 13 April and one drifted in Malta’s search and rescue (SAR) zone for days before NGO Aita Mari came to its aid on the same day.  

A third boat with 63 passengers was pushed back to Libya on April 14/15 and the fourth overcrowded and unseaworthy boat carrying 101 migrants was, according to witness testimony and video evidence, provided with equipment and escorted towards Italy by Maltese authorities.  

On April 12, the fourth boat arrived in the Sicilian port of Pozzallo, some 500 kilometres from Zliten in Libya where it launched on April 8, much to the surprise of Italian authorities. 

The Mayor of Pozzallo, Roberto Ammatuna said the flimsy craft’s surprising arrival was, “undoubtedly the new strategy of the traffickers, who most likely transferred many desperate people from a mother ship to a smaller boat.” 

NGO: Malta Puts Lives of Migrants at Risk Off Libyan Coast
Map showing route from Zliten in Libya to Pozzallo in Sicily [Photo credit: AlarmPhone]
Dangerous Manoeuvres 

After reconnecting with some of the migrants from that vessel on May 3, AlarmPhone says subsequent investigations revealed it was not traffickers but the Armed Forces of Malta who facilitated the migrants miraculous arrival in Pozzallo.  

In the latest distressing incident involving Maltese authorities, migrants told the NGO that the Maltese authorities failed to assist the boat, ran dangerous manoeuvres around people who had thrown themselves overboard in an attempt to be rescued, and then provided the vessel with fuel and a new engine, before escorting it in the direction of Italy.  

When the boat arrived within sightof the Maltese coast line, a commercial vessel approached and told them they were 30 minutes away from a port. Then a white boat arrived and provided the passengers with red life vests and left without offering further assistance or information.  

The boat continued towards Malta but ran out of fuel and then was intercepted by an AFM boat. AFM officers ordered the migrants to hand over the boat’s satellite phone and GPS which were reprogrammed with Libya as the end destination. The officers also threatened to turn them back towards Libya. 

“They came to us and said, ‘Malta has a virus called corona if you’ve heard about it. We can’t take you there because everyone is sick in Malta. And Malta is small and can’t take all of you’,” one of the passengers reported. 

Between 20 and 25 frightened migrants jumped into the sea, in their life vests, to try and force the Maltese military to rescue them. A video taken from the boat then shows the Maltese vessel ‘PO2’ making dangerous passes very close to the migrants in the water.   

One of the migrants told AlarmPhone: “we said no, we won’t go back to Libya, we made it to Malta. Anyways, we jumped into the water.” 

“Then we got into the water, they were likely to kill us,” a second passenger reported. “They made waves, and we drank sea water, and we were very tired because the sea water was very salty. They have done all this so that we wouldn’t go into Malta.” 

New tactic, directions for Italy

After that incident, a second, larger AFM vessel arrived. The migrants report they were threatened with guns by the crew members from the AFM vessels. The Maltese officers then tried to tow the migrant boat, now out of fuel, damaging its engine. The migrants continued to protest and refuse to return to Libya. AFM then changed tack, telling migrants, “ok we made a decision we won’t return you to Libya.” 

Instead, survivors say the AFM provided them with five gallons (40L) of fuel, a new engine to replace the damaged one, and reprogrammed their GPS for Sicily. An orange boat then came alongside and instructed the migrant boat to follow it. The migrant boat followed the larger one for several hours before the larger boat changed course, telling them to continue straight ahead to Italy where they landed on April 12 in Pozzallo harbour.

 “Then the big boat came to us, and told us ‘come behind me, follow me’. We left Malta on our left, and we were on its right, so we didn’t enter Malta,” a passenger told AlarmPhone. 

“We went behind him for 12 hours, the whole night. From 6:00 in the afternoon until 6:00 in the morning. They gave us fuel. And early in the morning they told us to always go straight ahead, ‘don’t go this way or that way’. It left us at sea and he left.” 

Upon arrival in Sicily, authorities placed the migrants in quarantine. 

NGO: Malta Puts Lives of Migrants at Risk Off Libyan Coast
The migrants in their boat after arriving at Pozzallo Harbour in Sicily [Photo credit: AlarmPhone]
The incident raises a number of questions about the Armed Forces of Malta’s conduct, their understanding of Search and Rescue operation standards, as well as Italian and European Union knowledge of the incident. AlarmPhone reiterated that “rescuing people in distress at sea is an unconditional obligation for all captains of all boats around, as well as for coastal states.”

A spokesperson for the Italian Coastguard told The Guardian Malta did not inform them about the boat. The AFM and Maltese government are yet to comment on the video and survivors’ accounts.  

Read also: Malta Rescues 112 Migrants Amid Allegations of Ignored Distress Calls

Exploring Al Jazeera’s Pattern of Promoting War Criminals

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Al Jazeera is no stranger to controversy. Yet, when the Qatari network posted earlier in May a podcast glorifying the late Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, many responded with cries of outrage. Given Soleimani’s role in the Syrian war, the general, along with government forces, faced accusations of crimes against Syrian civilians.

The new controversy recalls previous incidents that led readers to seriously question Al Jazeera’s editorial line. Some critics condemn how the outlet portrayed or became a “propaganda tool” for figures who, just like Soleimani, have blood on their hands.

Turning a ‘criminal’ into a hero

On May 8, Al Jazeera posted a 26-minute Arabic language podcast on YouTube titled “Soleimani…Iran’s Spearhead” as part of a series on iconic figures. The list also included the likes of legendary Egyptian singer Oum Kalthoum, 12th century polymath Averroes, former PLO head Yasser Arafat, and decorated Egyptian writer Naguib Mahfouz.

A voiceover, portraying Soleimani in first person, heaped praise on the general who was killed by a US airstrike in early January. The content shocked internet users who denounced Al Jazeera’s choice of words to describe Soleimani. 

The podcast elevated the slain Iranian general to a rank usually reserved for such historical Arab leaders as Abdelkader Al Jazairi, Omar El Mokhtar, and Mohamed Ben Abdelkrim El Khattabi: Leaders unanimously hailed as heroes who fought for their countries’ emancipation from colonialism.

In contrast, Soleimani was a highly divisive figure. While he might be a hero to some, others, especially Syrians opposed to the Assad regime, see him as a criminal.

“I am Qassem Soleimani, the soldier who dedicated his life to serving Islam and the Islamic republic and preserve its glory and dignity,” said “Soleimani” in the podcast.

The narrative went on to describe the late commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s Al Quds brigade as a “soldier who is leading jihad in the sake of Allah.” The podcast framed him as a military man whose name inspires fear for the US, Israel, and the so-called “agents of the interventionist plan in our region.”

The controversial tribute to Soleimani reached its peak with the following passage: “I praise Allah for cleansing my heart of the love of this worldly life, and granting me my ultimate wish: To die as a martyr for his sake.”

Many found Al Jazeera’s podcast outrageous. These critics recognize Soleimani as a criminal who targeted innocent civilians.

“Frightening and hideous is the scope of glorifying a terrorist and one of the biggest criminals in the region,” protested one Twitter user. “This is an insult to Syrians, Iraqis, Lebanese and Yemenis and a horrifying promotion of the war crimes and killings of children in the name of the arguments advanced by the criminals themselves.”

“Al Jazeera posted a podcast glorifying the war-criminal, human rights abuser, enemy of democracy, enemy of freedoms and enemy of Arabs Qassem Soleimani,” read another tweet.

Faced with the backlash, the news outlet removed the podcast from YouTube and deleted its promotional tweet. Still, the network kept the controversial episode available on its website.

A contradictory editorial line

Al Jazeera’s “tribute” to the notorious Iranian general illuminated stark contradictions in the network’s editorial policy.

The network has opposed Bashar al-Assad’s regime since the 2011 onset of the Arab Spring. By doing so, Al Jazeera has been faithful to its alleged position as a network that supports and promotes uprisings throughout the region. The network seemed to praise movements which toppled dictators such as Hosni Mubarak in Egypt, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in Tunisia, Ali Abdullah Saleh in Yemen, and Muammar Gaddafi in Libya.

This editorial line mirrored official Qatari foreign policy, based on backing popular uprisings in the region. Al Jazeera only made exceptions to this pattern when it served Doha’s interests. 

One of Al Jazeera’s most prominent anchors, Ghassan Ben Jeddou, resigned in 2011 because the network reportedly had “double-standards” in its coverage of uprisings in Syria and Bahrain.

Qatar still maintained normal relations with Bahrain, potentially explaining why the network did not back the Shia-led protests in the tiny kingdom.

At the same time, Al Jazeera constantly blasted the Assad regime for crimes committed against its own people. The outlet criticized the same regime that Iran and Soleimani intervened to support, thus allowing the regime to continue those crimes. This begs the question: How did Al Jazeera decide to frame Soleimani as a hero?

The only obvious explanation for this contradiction is the fact that the Qatari government, while still opposed to the Assad regime, maintains good relations with Iran.

The Qatari government has the luxury to adopt two seemingly opposed stances as it deems convenient to its interests, but it is difficult to understand why a media organization that presents itself as a “voice for the voiceless” would follow suit.

Critics condemn Al Jazeera’s terrorism reporting

Five years ago, Al Jazeera aired an exclusive interview with the founder of “Jabhat Al Nusra” (meaning The Nusra Front), Abu Mohammad Al Julani.

Conducted by Ahmed Mansour, one the station’s biggest names, viewers found the interview disturbing in both form and substance.

Mansour built his reputation as a fierce interviewer who challenges his guests’ statements, often advancing his own moral views.

This reputation did not hold during his interview with Al Julani. Mansour threw softballs to the leader of a terrorist organization who did not back away from some of his most extreme views, especially regarding religious minorities in Syria.

The interview framed the status of religious minorities in the regions under Al Nusra’s control as something about which “only Western media” were concerned.

“We do not care about what the West says. We apply the sharia of Allah. We do not need the West to tell us what human rights or animal rights are,” Al Julani told Mansour.

It was obvious to viewers that Mansour could challenge Al Julani with some basic arguments: Human rights are universal, religious non-Sunni minorities in Syria are Syrian citizens and have equal rights in their country, and the Syrian uprising started as a reaction to oppression with the hope of building a more democratic government. He did not do so.

In an op-ed for Orient News, Ghassan Yassen described the interview as a “shock” to Syrians, calling it a “lame propaganda film.”

As for Mansour, Yassen said: “The interviewer who conducted his past interviews as if he were an intelligence officer suddenly turned into a lamb in the presence of the emir.”

‘Bin Laden’s favorite station’

The interview is reminiscent of a time when Al Jazeera aired exclusive tapes of Al Qaeda founder Osama Bin Laden and his eventual successor, Ayman Al Zawahiri, which earned Al Jazeera the nickname “Bin Laden’s favorite station.”

Critics argued the network turned into a platform that Bin Laden and Al Zawahiri used to spread their extremist messaging and hateful agenda.

“Al Jazeera appears to enjoy the confidence of Bin Laden, who has faxed statements exclusively to Al Jazeera, including one he apparently signed himself,” wrote Warren Richey of the Christian Science Monitor.

The US’ announcement of Bin Laden’s death in May 2011, prompted reflection on how Al Jazeera portrayed the Al Qaeda leader. A six-minute profile summing up his life and legacy strangely disregarded the thousands of people who died in bombings perperated by Al Qaeda and inspired by Bin Laden.

Instead, Al Jazeera presented him only as the man who stood against the US with all its military might. “On September 11, 2001, the US lost a great deal of its fear-inspiring status as the two World Trade Centers crashed to the ground,” said the network’s report.

While many US actions in the MENA region merit condemnation, the path that Bin Laden chose to oppose American interventionism was clearly wrong.

Thousands of innocent civilians lost their lives as a result. This is something that Bin Laden boasted of and that Al Jazeera, unfortunately, chose to ignore.

 

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