Libya, EU strengthen ties

Once deemed a country with close terrorist connections, the European Union has begun talks with Libyan officials for the first time in years.

Discussions have centered around increased political, social, economic, commercial and cultural relations between the Union and the North African country.

Relations with the EU and the Mediterranean country were strained in 1988 after the Lockerbie plane incident. The aircraft, carrying 270 people crashed over Scotland and killed everyone on board and was deemed a terrorist action.

Since the incident, Libya has been much to blame for the crash. In 2001 Libyan Abdelbaset Ali Mohmet Al-Megrahi was arrested on charges of involvement in the bombing.

1.5 billion was recently deposited by the Libyan government to the State Department of The United States. The money was deposited as reparations for the bombing in 1988. Every American victim will receive approximately two million each.

The U.S. removed Libya from the list of countries sponsoring terrorists in 2006.

Moamer Kadhafi, current Libyan leader, has been working for years to rid the country of its terrorist connections. In 2003, Libyan officials announced it would halt production of nuclear and biological weapons. Consequentially in 2004, EU sanctions were lifted from the country.

Now, after a highly publicized trip from US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice and efforts to clean up international image, the EU is ready to take a larger role in Libyan politics.

Benita Ferrero-Waldner, external relations commissioner for the EU said in a statement to reporters that ""We are confident that the future agreement... will not only strengthen EU-Libya relations but they will also substantially contribute to Libya's current policy of consolidating its position in the international community."

Both parties are hoping that these revived relations will be beneficial.

Currently Libya exports 90 percent of its oil to EU markets and is the fourth largest supplier in the European blockade.

Ethiopian government asks for millions

Citing severe drought and lack of plentiful harvest, Ethiopian government officials have asked the international community for US$265 million in food aid.

This came after the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) released a report indicating Ethiopia has "extremely alarming" levels of hunger.

The state minister attributed the high number of hungry with the failure of the "belg" seasonal rains and a general lack increase in the price of global food.

According to State Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mitiku Kassa, $225 of the proposed $265 million would be used to buy food through December. The rest would go towards providing seeds, training and toilets.


Government agencies report that roughly 5 million people are being affected by the drought and are going hungry. Officials are worried that because global food and non-food sources are becoming increasinlgy scarce, many Ethiopians will be left behind during this severe drought.

Ethiopia is known for its periodic droughts and famines and warned the global community in July 2008 that this fall would be a tough one for Ethiopians. They have urged the international community, specifically private NGO organizations, do all they can to improve the living conditions of the many drought stricken areas with aid for food.

The north African country relies heavily on its agricultural industry. With approximately 80 percent of citizens owning rain-fed farms, the drought has caused serious problems in the usually plentiful November harvests. Livestock are also dying because of malnutrition and lack of water.

UNICEF indicates that the situation is getting more desperate by the day.

Below is a link to a UNICEF video detailing the history and significance of the Ethiopian droughts:
Take a look here.

Sunday suicide bombing kills three in recent string of attacks

Terrorist group al Qaeda has claimed responsibility for a suicide attack that killed three and injured six Sunday evening in Dellys, Algeria.

Located approximately 62 miles from the capital Algiers, Dellys is a small coastal town in the Takdemt district. The bombing had apparently been targeted to hit army barracks.

Previously know as the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), the terrorist organization adopted the name al Qaeda early last year (specifically of the North African sector) and has taken full responsibility for Sunday's deaths. The group killed 41 individuals in a December 2007 attack at a U.N. office and 37 in a September 2007 attack at a coastguard barrack.

According to the al Qaeda north African wing, the islamist extremist group will not cease attacks until U.S. and French political involvement decreases as well as what is described as the "apostate" Algerian government. Algeria gained independence from France in 1962.

The history of Algeria is one of bloodshed. The 90's were dominated by an ongoing struggle between the Algerian government and Islamist militants.

A 1992 election was won by the Islamist militants but was eventually annulled for reasons that are uncertain. 150,000 people were reported to have died in the civil war that followed. While there was an amnesty in 1999 and violence has become less intense, islamist militant groups have kept things active by connections with the international al Qaeda organization.

The attack on Sunday is minimal in comparison to a recent string of attacks plaguing the country--August alone witnessed 125 deaths caused by terrorist related activity making it the bloodiest month in almost a year.

The coastal town of Algiers simultaneously also been hit with flash floods, killing at least 29.

Additional Information can be found on the African Monitor's website as well as the Reuters AlertNet news feed.

The following is a report on the August 2008 terrorist attack on a government run training camp killing 42. The report is conducted by Reuters.