Libya closes southern borders, declares military areasDecember 17, 2012 - 08:58 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Libya's parliament has ordered Sunday, Dec 16, the temporary closure of southern borders and declared seven southern regions restricted military areas. A parliament spokesman, Omar Humidan, said the move was aimed at stemming the flow of illegal immigrants and goods. There was no indication of how long borders with Chad, Niger, Sudan and Algeria would remain shut. Libya's southern regions have struggled with lawlessness since former leader Muammar Gaddafi was toppled last year. One member of parliament, Suad Ganur, said the situation had deteriorated recently because of possible international military action against Islamist militants in northern Mali. She also said that there had been an "upsurge in violence and drug trafficking, and the presence of armed groups that act with complete impunity". The move comes after the European Union proposed to help train Libyans to secure their southern borders and prevent the trafficking of arms from the country. The parliamentary decree said the southern regions of Ghadames, Ghat, Obari, Al-Shati, Sebha, Murzuq and Kufra would be "considered as closed military zones to be ruled under emergency law". According to BBC, it is unclear what this latest decree means in practice because - in the continued absence of a conventional national army - most provinces and cities effectively rule themselves. There was little sign of any change after the government declared a military area in the mountains near the western city of Zintan earlier this year. Also on Sunday, gunmen killed four policemen in an attack against a police station in the eastern city of Benghazi. Officials said they thought the attack was linked to the detention of men suspected of involvement in a series of recent assassinations. At least two members of the security forces were killed in a separate incident in the town of Bani Walid, a stronghold for Gaddafi loyalists during the uprising against his rule. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Government reveals details from Pashinyan’s meeting in border village Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has met with a group of residents of a border village in Armenia’s northern Tavush province Narek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28. Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia. Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports. |