By Juliana Katung

Libya has called on United Nations Security Council to lift arms embargo imposed on it to enable the country counter activities of terrorists in the region.

Libyan Foreign Minister, Mohammed al-Dairi made the call at an emergency session of the UN council meeting in New York.

He said terrorists activities in the country is becoming worrisome and needs be addressed urgently, explaining that the warring militias battling for control in Libya since 2011 are likely to take side with Islamic State terrorists.

The Minister emphasised that Libya needs a “decisive stance” from the international community to tackle terrorism.

“If we fail to have arms provided to us, this can only play into the hands of extremists,” he said.

According to him, lifting the embargo would help the country further strengthen its army to deal with rampant terrorism that engulfed the country.

Libya has been under an arms embargo since the 2011 uprising that ousted the former leader, Col Muammar Gaddafi.

Meanwhile the Egyptian Foreign Minister, Sameh Shoukry who supported the lifting of arms embago said terrorism activities in Libya in recent time has posed an enormous danger in the region.

He however called for a naval blockade on arms taken to areas that are not in the control of the internationally recognised Tobruk government in Libya.

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By Juliana Katung

A fight broke up Tuesday, at a venue of press briefing in Johannesburg, South Africa, between the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Central Command team and the supporters of MPs Andile Mngxitama and Khanyisile Tshabalala – both suspended from the party, for causing a fractional dispute within the party.

MPs  Mngxitama and Tshabalala held a press Conference last week to reveal the misuse of the party’s fund by its leadership.

This has caused fractional battle within EFF in recent time, which led to their suspension in the late night of Monday; both notified through Email – also tweeted on Tuesday morning – but still went ahead with the press briefing as scheduled, but were interrupted by a few members from the Central team.

Speaking on behalf of the central team, spokesperson Mbuyiseni NTelos said they expected Mps Andile Mngxitama and Khanyisile Tshabalala to respect the decision of the majority of the party that suspended them.

The spokesperson who stated this in a statement made available to reporters said the central command team of the party has taken a unanimous decision to take disciplinary action against the two fighters.

“The leadership hopes that the fighters Mngxitama and Tshabalala will also co-operate and give the internal process of the organisation due respect and attention.

“This is strictly an internal process and we shall not be engaging the media about it beyond this point”, the statement added.”

Meanwhile, Mngxitama had to be escorted out of the Cape Sun Hotel in Cape Town last week Thursday, where he had intended holding a press conference ahead of the state-of-the-nation address by President Jacob Zuma.

Fights broke out between EFF members and suspended members supporters same Thursday.

The Press conference earlier scheduled last week Thursday according to Mngxitama’s which was later reschedule for Tuesday morning, was to  clarify “why some of the EFF MP’s cannot insist for the party leadership to payback the alleged misuse of fund.

However, EFF leader Julius Malema questioned Mngxitama’s loyalty to the party, asking him why he will hold a press briefing on the day of the state- of-the-nation address, if he loves the party as he claim.

Egypt says it has carried out air attacks on locations in Libya believed to be occupied by Islamic State.

The attack is part of Egyptian response to a video released by Islamic State showing the killing of about 21 Members of Egypt”s Coptic church in Libya.

Report says the joint attack carried out with Libya’s Airforce hit Islamic State camps, training sites and weapons storage areas in Libya.

A Libyan official, Saqer al-Joroushi told Egyptian state television between 40 to 50 militants were killed in the attack. “There are casualties among individuals, ammunition and the (Islamic State) communication centres,”

He said “More air strikes will be carried out today and tomorrow in coordination with Egypt.”

The Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi speaking on a National Television shortly after the release of the video, said his country would react on the deaths of its citizen as it deems fit.

Acccording to him, necessary means and timing would be choosen by Cairo for the avenge of the 21 Egyptian christian brutal killing.

Sisi, who said he met with the country’s top military commanders to discuss the killings, called for seven-day mourning .

The killing was showed in a video released on sunday morning by the jihadist group on a social media.

The beheaded Egyptian Copts were captured in Libya by the Islamic group for some time and later killed..

In the video, militants in black marched the captives, dressed in orange jump suits, to a beach and were forced on their knees, then beheaded.

The Five minute video appeared on the twitter feed of a website that supports the Islamic State with the caption: “The people of the cross, followers of the hostile Egyptian church.

In the video, a militants stood with a knife in his hand before the killings, saying “Safety for you crusaders is something you can only wish for.”

A statement by the Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox church on Sunday which confirmed the incident said it was “confident” that those who beheaded a group of Egyptian Copts in Libya will be punished.

Meanwhile the United States on Sunday condemned the killing describing the act as despicable and cowardly murder.