Africa

Turkey on Jan. 22 welcomed a recent compromise between the warring sides in Libya on a mechanism to appoint a temporary executive authority in the country. 

Tunisians protested on Jan. 20 to demand the release of hundreds of young demonstrators arrested in several nights of disturbances, venting their anger also against the government's handling of a deepening social crisis.

Turkey's Armed Forces have provided the Libyan Navy with five weeks of training in underwater warfare, Turkish defense officials said on Dec. 27. 

The move is part of Turkey's commitment to Libya based on agreements between the two countries, the officials said.

Nearly two years after the overthrow of autocrat Omar al-Bashir, Sudan is taking steps to rejoin the international community from which it was long shunned. That includes its film industry.

Defense Minister Hulusi Akar has warned that the forces of Khalifa Haftar and their supporters based in eastern Libya would be viewed as "legitimate targets" if they attempted to attack Turkish forces in the region.

Speaking during a visit to Turkish troops in Tripoli on Dec. 26, Akar said Haftar had recently started making calls targeting Turkish forces in Libya.

An agreement signed on August 6 this year for the partial demarcation of maritime boundaries between Greece and Egypt was posted on the United Nation's Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea on Thursday, by the organisation's Office of Legal Affairs.

About 2.3 million children in Ethiopia's Tigray region do not have access to humanitarian assistance since a conflict started early November, according to the United Nations Children's Fund.

In a statement late on Dec. 15, UNICEF said the situation will worsen if access to the children is delayed.

Western Sahara is mostly under Morocco's control, where tensions with pro-independence Polisario Front have simmered since the 1970s.

The United States has adopted a "new official" map of Morocco that includes the disputed territory of Western Sahara, its ambassador to Rabat said.

Turkish discount grocer BİM has agreed on selling 35% shares of its Moroccan affiliate to the U.K.-based Blue Investment Holding, according to a statement sent to Turkey's Public Disclosure Platform (KAP) on Dec. 9. 

Blue Investment Holding is owned by Helios Investment Partners, a private equity fund manager focused on the Africa region.

A Turkish ship transporting medicine to Libya's port of Misrata was detained early on Dec. 8 by forces loyal to Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar. 

Haftar's forces detained the vessel and its 17 crew members, including nine Turkish citizens, claiming they did not comply with instructions.