Misrata: Wrench in hand, Asawar Mustafa, a female Sudanese refugee in Libya, inspects an oil filter in the women-only section of a garage in western Libya, where being a mechanic is considered a man’s role.
That hasn’t deterred the 22-year-old whose main concern until recently was survival, having fled the war in Sudan with her family and abandoned her last year of studies in pharmacy.
“At first, the experience was a bit difficult,” said Asawar, who came to Libya with her four sisters, mother and brother, who works in the men’s section at the same garage.
She said she was afraid of “making mistakes and damaging the customer’s car.” But as she honed her skills, she became “passionate” about mechanics, even in the face of misogyny.
People have told Asawar “your place is at home” and “in the kitchen,” and that “this is not a job for you,” she said.
But the young woman was determined “not to let it become an obstacle... On the contrary, it was funny to me that someone would say that without knowing my circumstances.”
“I had one goal: I wanted the job.”
Each day, Asawar, wearing a white scarf and black blouse, welcomes a number of female drivers from Misrata, a large port city about 200 kilometers east of Tripoli.
“It’s great to see women making inroads in all fields,” including mechanics, said Fawzia Manita, a customer.
“More and more women are driving in Libya and need to feel comfortable in a place where they are dealing with women, whereas if they were dealing with men, they would feel intimidated,” said the 39-year-old.
Libya is struggling to recover from years of war and chaos following the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that overthrew longtime dictator Muammar Qaddafi.
Given its proximity to Italy, whose southernmost island of Lampedusa is around 300 kilometers away, Libya is also a key departure point for migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, mainly from sub-Saharan Africa, who risk perilous Mediterranean journeys to reach Europe.
Last month, authorities said that up to four in five foreigners in the North African country were undocumented.
The Mustafas left Sudan last October amid the war that broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese army under Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
The conflict has left tens of thousands dead, according to the UN. While more than 10.7 million Sudanese have been internally displaced, 2.3 million have fled to neighboring countries.
After a 10-day voyage through the desert, Asawar arrived in Kufra, an oasis where the UN says more than 40,000 Sudanese refugees live alongside 60,000 locals.
The town is around 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) away from Misrata, where Mostafa finally found a job.
“Those days were the worst days I’ve ever lived,” she told AFP, without wanting to elaborate.
She was reluctant to talk about her experience traveling first to Benghazi, in the northeast, then the capital Tripoli, in the west, then Misrata.
At the repair shop, the encouragement of her 19-year-old brother, Sahabi has been a lifeline.
“I’m here for her if she needs help” and “reassurance,” said Sahabi.
Abdelsalam Shagib, the 32-year-old owner of the shop, has also been supportive of Asawar, his only female employee.
He said the services offered to female clients should be diversified and conducted by more women. The profession “must not remain reserved for men,” he said.
“Women may want to work in this field,” he said.
According to the World Bank, the proportion of women in the labor force in Libya reached 37 percent in 2022.
There are other garages in Libya that offer a section for female drivers, but Shagib said his is the first to provide services by a woman.
“Today, women who come here are happy to deal with a woman and are more comfortable,” said Asawar.
She said that as long as “a woman is determined,” no job “is a man’s monopoly.”
“If the desire is there, you should not hesitate.”
‘I wanted the job’: Sudanese woman defies Libya patriarchy as mechanic
https://arab.news/whedh
‘I wanted the job’: Sudanese woman defies Libya patriarchy as mechanic
- The 22-year-old main concern until recently was survival, having fled the war in Sudan with her family and abandoned her last year of studies in pharmacy
Israel fosters hate, threatens peace framework that prevailed for decades, says Arab League chief
- Ahmed Aboul Gheit says wider recognition of Palestinian state is needed to facilitate negotiations with Israel ‘on an equal footing, grounded in legal parity’
- During meeting with the UN’s Middle East peace coordinator, he warns that Western tolerance of Israel’s war in Gaza will ‘exact a significant toll on regional stability’
CAIRO: The secretary-general of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, condemned the “tolerance exhibited by major powers and the Western world toward the continuation of the Gaza war for an entire year” and warned that it will “exact a significant toll on regional stability.”
His comments came during a meeting in Cairo with Tor Wennesland, the UN’s special coordinator for the Middle East peace process. Their talks focused on the evolving situation in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, a spokesperson said, as well as the risks Israel’s war on Gaza pose to regional stability, particularly in light of Israeli calls for escalation of the conflict with Hezbollah along the southern Lebanon front.
Aboul Gheit warned that the “hatred fostered by Israel through its massacres undermines any prospects for comprehensive peace in the future and threatens to destabilize the peace framework that has prevailed in the region for over four decades.”
Wennesland offered his perspective on efforts to preserve the framework for a two-state solution, including the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. He and Aboul Gheit discussed anticipated diplomatic initiatives that could advance a two-state solution from a position of mere rhetoric and intentions toward tangible actions and implementation.
The Arab League chief emphasized the need for continued political engagement across all platforms, particularly within the UN and its Security Council, to uphold and maintain the vision for two states.
He said: “Expanding the recognition of the Palestinian state is a pivotal step in this endeavor, as it facilitates negotiations between the two states on an equal footing, grounded in legal parity.”
Aboul Gheit and Wennesland also discussed efforts to address the humanitarian crisis in war-torn Gaza and agreed that though such efforts will be crucial during the upcoming phase of the conflict, they must be complemented by a political path that directly addresses the core issue of the ongoing Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.
Widespread relief as rescuers tow burning oil tanker to safety in Red Sea
- EUNAVFOR Aspides: MV Sounion has been successfully towed to a safe area without any oil spill
- Greek-flagged oil tanker has been abandoned and burning in the Red Sea since late August
AL-MUKALLA: A burning tanker in the Red Sea carrying almost a million barrels of oil has been successfully moved to a safe location without leaking, the EU naval mission said, raising hopes of defusing an environmental disaster in the shipping artery.
In a post on X, the EU mission, known as EUNAVFOR Aspides, said on Monday that rescuers had completed the first phase of salvaging the burning Sounion oil tanker in the Red Sea after towing it to a safe area under the protection of its naval ships, bringing worldwide relief, primarily from marine experts who had warned of a disaster to the Red Sea ecology and shipping if the ship leaked oil or exploded.
“Under protection of EUNAVFOR Aspides, MV Sounion has been successfully towed to a safe area without any oil spill. While private stakeholders complete the salvage operation, ASPIDES will continue to monitor the situation,” the EU mission said.
It added: “The completion of this phase of the salvage operation is the result of a comprehensive approach and close cooperation between all stakeholders committed to prevent an environmental disaster affecting the whole region.”
The Greek-flagged oil tanker has been abandoned and burning in the Red Sea since late August when the Houthis attacked it several times over claims that ships owned by the Sounion parent company visited Israel ports.
Wim Zwijnenburg of the Humanitarian Disarmament Project at the Dutch peace organization PAX said on Tuesday that satellite images showed the burning ship and warships escorting it sailing near the coast of Eritrea.
“The MV #Sounion has been towed to safer waters for a salvage operation. Satellite radar imagery of today, Sept 17, shows the ship with its escort close to the coast of Eritrea, where they are likely to work on putting out the fires and making the ship ready for further towing,” Zwijnenburg said on X.
Since November, the Houthis have seized a commercial ship, sunk two, and burned several others while launching hundreds of ballistic missiles, drones and drone boats at ships in shipping lanes off Yemen in a campaign that the Yemeni militia claims is intended to put pressure on Israel to end its war in the Palestinian Gaza Strip.
Despite widespread condemnation for their attacks on ships and threats to the environment and navigation freedom, the Houthis threatened to continue to attack ships as well as fire drones and missiles at Israel.
Meanwhile, the Houthis held a military funeral procession in Sanaa on Tuesday for three of their officers who were killed in fighting with the Yemeni government.
Despite the significant drop in hostilities in Yemen since April 2022, when a UN-brokered truce went into effect, the Houthis have organized dozens of similar funerals for hundreds of their fighters killed on the battlefields in Sanaa, Hodeidah, Saada, Amran, and other Yemeni provinces under their control.
Dozens of Yemeni government soldiers have also been killed in clashes with the Houthis over the past two years.
A Yemeni government field commander was killed on Sunday when the Houthis attacked government troops in the southern province of Dhale, the latest in a series of deadly Houthi attacks on government forces.
Iran ambassador to Lebanon wounded in pager explosion: state media
- State television said his wounds were “superficial” and that he was “conscious and in no danger“
TEHGAN: Iran’s ambassador to Beirut was wounded in a pager explosion Tuesday but his injuries were not serious, state media reported.
“Iranian ambassador to Lebanon Mojtaba Amani was injured in a pager explosion,” state television said, adding that his wounds were “superficial” and that he was “conscious and in no danger.”
Pagers belonging to members of Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah exploded simultaneously Tuesday, wounding hundreds of its members across the country.
A source close to the group, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, blamed the blasts on an “Israeli breach” of its communications.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
Hezbollah has been exchanging near-daily fire with Israeli forces since its Palestinian ally Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, sparking war in Gaza.
More than 1,000 people, including Hezbollah members, wounded in Lebanon when pagers explode
- Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon Mojtaba Amani was injured in the explosions, Iran’s Mehr news agency reports
- Hezbollah says detonation of pagers “biggest security breach” group subjected to in nearly year of war with Israel
BEIRUT: More than 1,000 people, including Hezbollah fighters and medics, were wounded on Tuesday when the pagers they use to communicate exploded across Lebanon, security sources told Reuters.
A Hezbollah official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the detonation of the pagers was the “biggest security breach” the group had been subjected to in nearly a year of war with Israel.
Iran’s Mehr news agency said the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, was injured by one of the blasts. Reuters could not immediately confirm the report.
Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the Gaza war erupted last October, the worst such escalation in years.
The Israeli military declined to comment on Reuters enquiries about the detonations.
A Reuters journalist saw ambulances rushing through the southern suburbs of the capital Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold, amid widespread panic. A security source said that devices were also exploding in the south of Lebanon.
At Mt. Lebanon hospital, a Reuters reporter saw motorcycles rushing to the emergency room, where people with their hands bloodied were screaming in pain.
The head of the Nabatieh public hospital in the south of the country, Hassan Wazni, told Reuters that around 40 wounded people were being treated at his facility. The wounds included injuries to the face, eyes and limbs.
The wave of explosions lasted around an hour after the initial detonations, which took place about 3:45 p.m. local time (1345 GMT). It was not immediately clear how the devices were detonated.
Lebanese internal security forces said a number of wireless communication devices were detonated across Lebanon, especially in Beirut’s southern suburbs, leading to injuries.
Groups of people huddled at the entrance of buildings to check on people they knew who may have been wounded, the Reuters journalist said.
Regional broadcasters carrying CCTV footage which showed what appeared to be a small handheld device placed next to a grocery store cashier where an individual was paying spontaneously exploding. In other footage, an explosion appeared to knock out someone standing at a fruit stand at a market area.
Lebanon’s crisis operations center, which is run by the health ministry, asked all medical workers to head to their respective hospitals to help cope with the massive numbers of wounded coming into for urgent care. It said health care workers should not use pagers.
The Lebanese Red Cross said more than 50 ambulances and 300 emergency medical staff were dispatched to assist in the evacuation of victims.
Hezbollah fired missiles at Israel immediately after the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas gunmen on Israel. Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging fire constantly ever since, while avoiding a major escalation as war rages in Gaza to the south.
Tens of thousands of people have been displaced from towns and villages on both sides of the border by the hostilities.
Israeli raid kills 3 Hezbollah men, group hits back with guided missiles
- Israeli military reported “targeting a Hezbollah cell in the town of Blida, resulting in the death of three members”
- Israel says it thwarted Hezbollah operation to assassinate high ranking security official
BEIRUT: Three people were killed and two others injured during an Israeli raid on two houses in the border town of Blida, Lebanon, on Tuesday.
Rescue workers were seen searching through debris in footage shared by activists on social media.
The Israeli military reported “targeting a Hezbollah cell in the town of Blida, resulting in the death of three members.”
The intensity of violent hostilities between Hezbollah and the Israeli army escalated after reports from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office indicating that the security Cabinet approved a decision to expand the war in Lebanon, “with the aim of allowing Israeli settlers in the north to return to their homes.”
This escalation came a day after Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant met with US presidential envoy Amos Hochstein, who delivered a message from the US warning of the “dangers of escalating tensions in Lebanon and the necessity of containing the conflict to avoid a full-scale war.”
But Gallant told Hochstein that “the only viable path to ensure the return of the residents of the north is through a military operation against Hezbollah.”
Netanyahu’s office said he made it clear to Hochstein during their meeting “firmly and decisively that our residents cannot be returned without a fundamental change in the security situation in the north, and Israel appreciates and respects the support of the United States, but will do what is necessary to maintain its security and facilitate the safe return of residents of the north to their homes.”
This escalation coincided with the Israeli military’s announcement regarding what it termed the "foiling of a Hezbollah attempt to assassinate a high ranking security figure using an explosive device,” but it did not specify the location or date of the incident.
The announcement said: “We warned the targeted individual before the explosion. The Shin Bet uncovered the explosive device linked to a remote activation mechanism, which included a camera and a mobile phone intended for activation by Hezbollah from Lebanon.”
It added: “Security assessments indicate that certain elements within Hezbollah were also involved in the preparations related to the Tel Aviv operation in September 2023, and that Hezbollah continues to escalate tensions in the region, leading it toward perilous situations.”
Hezbollah opened the southern front on Oct. 8, 2023, to support “the resistance in the Gaza Strip against the Israeli army.”
Since then, the militant group has had daily confrontations on the borders with the Israeli army, which several times breached the rules of engagement.
Hostilities reached areas deep inside Lebanon and northern Israel, leading to the death of more than 650 people on the Lebanese side, the majority of whom were Hezbollah cadres and members, in addition to civilians, paramedics and media personalities.
More than 110,000 people fled border villages to other towns deep inside Lebanon, as Israeli raids and bombings destroyed thousands of houses and infrastructure in the border region.
Media reports in Beirut quoted a source close to Hezbollah on Tuesday, saying that “any Israeli military land operation in southern Lebanon will not be a mere promenade and will cost heavily.”
The source added: “Israelis know that there are many obstacles facing any land operation. Nevertheless, Hezbollah is ready for any scenario and will deal with any bad option.”
The ball is in Israel’s court, the source said, “as it continues its violations of the Lebanese airspace and its occupation of the Kfarchouba Hills and the Shebaa Farms.”
Hezbollah increased the intensity of its operations against Israeli military outposts in the past 24 hours, on Tuesday targeting “Israeli soldiers in the Karantina Hill,” according to its official statements.
On Monday night and Tuesday morning it also targeted “a gathering of soldiers in the Al-Abad site with a guided missile,” in addition to “buildings used by the enemy’s soldiers in the Manara settlement.”
The militant group also hit “several Israeli vehicles in the Ramiyah outpost with a guided missile.” At the time a support force entered the area, it was targeted by Hezbollah “with artillery missiles, causing confirmed hits.”
Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency UNRWA, said: “We should always be ready for the worst, although we are hopeful that the worst won’t happen.
“The situation is really worrying.”
Lazzarini visited Nabih Berri, speaker in Lebanon’s Parliament, Prime Minster Najib Mikati, and Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib and discussed the issues confronting UNRWA, which “faces financial challenges.”
He said there are calls for UNRWA’s dismantlement, and that pressure is being exerted by the Israeli Knesset in this direction. “Not a day goes by without UNRWA facilities and employees being targeted.”
