LONDON: From the orange desert sand of southeast Libya, investigators were met with the unmistakable signs of yet another cruel atrocity. In crude pits dug in this remote expanse, the tattered clothing and yellowing remains of multiple victims emerged from the earth.

DAMASCUS: Syrian forces were clashing with gunmen loyal to an Assad-era special forces commander in Latakia on Thursday, the province’s security director said, after authorities reportedly launched helicopter strikes. The port city of Latakia and the rest of Syria’s Mediterranean coast are the heartland of the ousted president’s Alawite minority and were considered bastions of support during his rule. “The armed groups that our security forces were clashing with in the Latakia countryside were affiliated with the war criminal Suhail Al-Hassan, who committed the most heinous massacres against the Syrian people,” the security director told state news agency SANA. Nicknamed “The Tiger,” Hassan led the country’s special forces and was frequently described as Assad’s “favorite soldier.” He was responsible for key advances by the Assad government in 2015. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights had earlier reported “strikes launched by Syrian helicopters on armed men in the village of Beit Ana and the surrounding forests, coinciding with artillery strikes on a neighboring village.” SANA reported that militias loyal to the ousted president had opened fire on “members and equipment of the defense ministry” near the village, killing one security force member and wounding two. Alawite leaders later called in a statement on Facebook for “peaceful protests” in response to the air strikes, which they said had targeted “the homes of civilians.” Tensions erupted after residents of Beit Ana, the birthplace of Suhail Al-Hassan, prevented security forces from arresting a person wanted for trading arms, the Britain-based Observatory said. Security forces subsequently launched a campaign in the area, resulting in clashes with gunmen, it added. The Observatory said it could not verify the identity or affiliation of the gunmen. The tensions erupted after at least four civilians were killed during a security campaign in Latakia, the monitor said on Wednesday. Security forces launched the campaign in the Daatour neighborhood on Tuesday after an ambush by “members of the remnants of Assad militias” killed two members of the security forces, state media reported citing security sources. Islamist rebels led by Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham led a lightning offensive that toppled Assad on December 8. The country’s new security forces have since launched extensive campaigns seeking to root out Assad loyalists from his former bastions.

JUBA: South Sudan’s peacebuilding minister was arrested on Thursday, the latest in a series of detentions targeting leaders allied with First Vice President Riek Machar. “The National Security Service (NSS) has struck again, arresting Hon. Stephen Par Kuol, Minister of Peacebuilding and Secretary General of the National Transitional Committee (NTC), from his office a few minutes ago,” Machar’s press secretary Puok Both Baluang wrote on Facebook. Kuol’s arrest follows that of the oil minister and deputy head of the army, also allies of Machar and senior members of his Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO) party, in the last two days. The arrests have raised concerns about destabilising the fragile peace agreement between President Salva Kiir and Machar. South Sudan, the world’s youngest country, ended a five-year civil war in 2018 with a power-sharing agreement between the two bitter rivals. Growing tensions have threatened to undo their unity government, particularly violent clashes in the northeastern Upper Nile State, where the government says there are ongoing clashes between the army and rebels backed by Machar’s forces. The United Nations has warned of increasing clashes in Upper Nile State involving the use of “heavy weaponry” and multiple deaths. Regional countries and Western embassies issued joint statements on Wednesday, calling for fighting to end. “Juba-based leaders must demonstrate their commitment to peaceful dialogue and should put the interest of the South Sudanese people first,” said the embassies, which included the United States, Britain and the European Union. There has also been criticism of political moves by Kiir, described by analysts as attempts to consolidate his position and sideline Machar. Last month, Kiir fired two of the five vice presidents in his unity government without consulting other stakeholders, and removed the governor of Western Equatoria State, a member of Machar’s movement.