Libya, Egypt, Zambia.

Today's three stories you should know.

Sep 25, 2023

Libya

Eight current and former officials have been arrested in Libya, according to the chief prosecutor’s office, pending an investigation into the flooding disaster that destroyed much of the city of Derna and killed thousands of people. Two dams outside the city collapsed after Storm Daniel unleashed heavy rains across the east of the country. A statement from the office of General Prosecutor Al-Siddiq Al-Sour said prosecutors questioned seven former and current officials with the Water Resources Authority and the Dams Management Authority, and also former mayor Abdulmenam al-Ghaithi.

Egypt

Egypt will hold presidential elections in December, it was announced today, with President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi almost certain to extend his time in power to 2030. At the last election in 2018, Sisi faced just one opponent - an ally - after all serious candidates were forced out of the race or arrested. The country is currently in a dire economic situation with inflation reaching an all-time high of 39.7 percent in August.

Zambia

Zambia’s former president Edgar Lungu has been warned against jogging in public by the police who say his workouts are "political activism." Lungu has been joined on his weekly runs by supporters of his Patriotic Front party and curious members of the public as speculation mounts he is planning to run for the presidency again in 2026. The 66-year-old has been told he must seek police permission to go running in future but his lawyer said today he would continue jogging without notifying them.