Inside Libya to search for Lebanon’s lost leader - Global Eye, BBC World Service

Key Concepts

• Economic Sanctions/Embargo: Punitive economic measures, specifically those imposed by the US on Cuba.
• Brain Drain: The emigration of highly trained or intelligent people from a particular country.
• Deep Face Recognition: An algorithm used for identifying complex similarities between photographs, even imperfect ones.
• Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV): An unmanned underwater vehicle used for various tasks, including cable inspection and cutting.
• Splicing: The process of joining two ends of a cable, particularly fiber optic cables, by perfectly aligning individual strands.
• Undersea Fibre Optic Cables: Essential infrastructure for global internet connectivity, especially critical for Africa.
• Economic Mismanagement: Inefficient or corrupt handling of a country's economic resources.
• Political Continuity: The maintenance of existing political structures, policies, and leadership.

---

Cuba's Enduring Economic Crisis and Political Challenges

The segment from Havana highlights Cuba's most severe economic crisis since the Cold War, a situation exacerbated by decades of US economic sanctions and internal mismanagement.

• Impact of US Sanctions: The United Nations estimated the total cost of US economic sanctions on Cuba at over $130 billion by 2018. These sanctions, originally intended to topple Fidel Castro, have been intensified.
  • Obama-era Thaw and Reversal: A brief thaw under the Obama administration in 2014 allowed US citizens to travel more freely, attracting up to 5 million visitors a year. However, this policy was reversed by the Trump and Biden administrations, which imposed 263 measures against Cuba, primarily targeting tourism.
  • Tourism Minister's Perspective: Cuba's Tourism Minister acknowledged the severe impact, stating that the ban on US cruise ships alone might have cost the island one million tourists annually.
• Internal Economic Mismanagement: Years of underinvestment, particularly in crumbling Soviet-era energy infrastructure, have led to nationwide power blackouts.
  • Torre K Controversy: The newly completed five-star Torre K hotel, now Cuba's tallest building, stands largely empty and is viewed by many Cubans as an "expensive symbol of the revolution's economic mismanagement," a "waste" of resources that should have been directed towards essential services like hospitals.
  • Cost of Living Crisis: Rising inflation and a rapidly devaluing local peso have led to severe shortages of petrol and food, making it difficult for Cubans to meet basic needs.
• Social Unrest and Repression:
  • July 2021 Demonstrations: Widespread spontaneous demonstrations erupted across the island due to anger over the worsening situation. Police responded with a harsh crackdown, arresting hundreds of young Cubans, many receiving long prison sentences.
  • Suppression of Dissent: Dissidents are not tolerated, with tight restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly. Most independent journalists are either imprisoned or forced into exile.
• Exodus and Brain Drain: Approximately one in ten people have left the island, predominantly younger Cubans. This exodus raises fears of a "brain drain" among critical professions like doctors, engineers, and teachers.
• Political Leadership and Future Outlook: President Miguel Diaz-Canel, chosen by Raul Castro, preaches "continuity" in socialist politics and economy. However, he faces an increasingly hostile US administration, with figures like Marco Rubio advocating for Cubans to have control over their economic and political destiny, even if it threatens the regime's stability. The future of the Cuban Revolution hinges on whether the state will ease its economic stranglehold to allow greater private enterprise or maintain its decades-old system.

---

The Mysterious Disappearance of Imam Musa al-Sadr

The BBC Eye team conducted an extraordinary investigation into the 1978 disappearance of Musa al-Sadr, a prominent Shia cleric and leader of Lebanon's Shia community, in Libya. His fate is considered as significant as the killing of John F. Kennedy by his supporters.

• Imam Musa al-Sadr's Background: Rose to fame in the 1960s as a "great thinker" and "great leader." His movement, "the movement of the deprived," was a human rights movement akin to Martin Luther King's, but focused on rights and dispossession across all religions, not just sectarian lines.
• The Fateful Trip to Libya (August 1978): Sadr traveled to Tripoli with his chief of staff, Sheikh Mohammed Yaacoub, and journalist Abbas Badreddine, despite warnings not to accept Colonel Gaddafi's invitation.
  • Events in Libya: Witnesses reported Sadr was treated rudely, prevented from making international calls, and Gaddafi repeatedly delayed their meeting for six days. He was last seen on August 31, 1978, driven away from his hotel in a government car.
• Kassem Hamade's 2011 Discovery: Beirut-based journalist Kassem Hamade, reporting from Libya during the 2011 uprising, uncovered crucial information.
  • Justice Minister's Revelation: He interviewed Mustafa Abdel Jalil, Libya's Justice Minister, who revealed that Libyan authorities fabricated a story that Sadr had gone to Italy. The minister then dropped a "bombshell": Sadr was "killed in a Libyan prison" on Gaddafi's orders, with Gaddafi having the "first and last word in all decisions."
  • Secret Morgue: Kassem was tipped off about a secret morgue containing bodies over 30 years old, one possibly belonging to Sadr. He visited the locked room, filmed an attendant, and photographed a tall corpse that appeared to have been "executed," likely shot from behind.
• Deep Face Recognition Analysis: A team at Bradford University, led by Professor Ugail, used a "deep face recognition" algorithm to compare Kassem's morgue photo with genuine images of Sadr.
  • Algorithm Reliability: The algorithm identifies complex similarities in imperfect images and has been tested on millions of images, proving "extremely reliable" in international investigations.
  • Scoring System: A score below 50 indicates no relation, 60-70 suggests the same person or a close relative, and 70+ is a direct match.
  • Results: Despite missing facial features in the morgue photo, it scored in the 60s against four genuine photos of Sadr, indicating a "high probability that this could be him." This score was significantly higher than comparisons with 100 random Middle Eastern men and comparable to Sadr's family members.
• BBC Team's Imprisonment in Libya: The BBC team, following Kassem's investigation, traveled to Tripoli. They found two independent witnesses who corroborated that Sadr and Gaddafi had argued in a mosque over a Quranic verse.
  • Detention: After locating the building Kassem identified as the morgue (which was no longer active), their filming permits were revoked. The team was seized, taken to a secret prison, held in solitary confinement for six days, blindfolded, repeatedly interrogated, and accused of spying. They were told they would be imprisoned for "decades." They were eventually released and deported after BBC pressure and diplomatic intervention.
  • Interrogators' Knowledge: Their interrogators, who identified themselves as belonging to the "old regime," knew about the secret morgue and claimed the employees Kassem met were dead, hinting they knew the body's location.
• Amal's Stance and Lost DNA: Amal, the organization Sadr founded (now a powerful Lebanese Shia party), holds annual rallies calling for Sadr's return, refusing to accept his death.
  • Nabih Berri's Claim: Amal leader Nabih Berri maintains that Sadr and his companions were "moving between the basements of Libyan prisons" until shortly before the fall of the Libyan regime, denying any "material proof" of his death.
  • Lost DNA Sample: Kassem had obtained a DNA sample from the corpse in the morgue and provided it to senior Amal officials, but they never responded. Amal later informed the BBC the sample had been "lost."
  • Rejection of Evidence: Sadr's eldest son, an investigating judge, and a senior Amal figure were shown the BBC's photo analysis results but remained unconvinced, questioning the veracity of the analysis and the BBC's motivations.
• Conclusion: The investigation strongly suggests Sadr was "almost certainly murdered" and his body may have been found. However, the mystery persists due to the lack of political will from current Libyan authorities and Amal leadership to examine the facts.

---

The Hero Ship: Keeping Africa Connected to the World

Millions of businesses and citizens across Africa experience internet blackouts due to accidental damage to undersea internet cables. The segment highlights the critical role of the "Leon Thevenin," one of the few ships globally dedicated to repairing these vital connections.

• Africa's Internet Dependence: Unlike other continents with extensive onshore internet infrastructure, Africa's internet primarily relies on undersea fiber optic cables. Many African countries depend on a single cable, meaning damage can cause entire nations to go offline.
• The Leon Thevenin: This ship, described as a "hero" that "saves communication," cruises hundreds of miles annually to keep Africa online. Its crew sees themselves as "the link between Africa and the world."
• Undersea Cable Structure: These cables contain hair-thin fiberglass cores, through which data (text messages, streaming) travels. They are protected by multiple layers of plastic, metal, and copper.
• Cable Repair Process (Splicing):
  1. Locating Damage: The crew sends electrical pulses through the cable to pinpoint where the signal is lost.
  2. ROV Deployment: A Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) is deployed to visually inspect the fault, scanning for common causes like anchor damage, fishing net scars, or natural breaks from strong ocean currents. Most breaks are human-caused.
  3. Cutting and Retrieval: Once the ROV identifies the fault, it cuts the cable, which is then carefully brought to the surface. This is a delicate operation as the cable weighs several tonnes.
  4. Splicing: Specialized "jointers" meticulously fix the cable by "splicing." This involves perfectly aligning each hair-thin fiber strand. Any error can leave entire networks offline. This process is described as "making the impossible possible."
  5. Redeployment: After hours of repair and rigorous testing, the fixed cable is returned to the ocean floor.
• Significance: The successful completion of these repairs brings a sense of "satisfaction and relief" to the crew, who understand the profound impact of their work in keeping countries connected and enabling digital economies.

---

Synthesis and Conclusion

This Global Eye episode presents a stark contrast between the struggles of a nation grappling with economic hardship and political repression, and the quiet heroism of those maintaining global connectivity, alongside a deep dive into a decades-old international mystery. Cuba's segment paints a picture of a country caught between external sanctions and internal mismanagement, leading to widespread discontent, an exodus of its youth, and a leadership facing immense pressure to either adapt or risk further decline. The investigation into Musa al-Sadr's disappearance highlights the persistence of historical injustices and the challenges of uncovering truth when political will is absent, even with compelling evidence. Finally, the story of the Leon Thevenin crew underscores the hidden, yet vital, infrastructure that underpins modern life, showcasing how dedicated individuals perform complex technical tasks to ensure essential global communication remains uninterrupted, often against significant odds. Together, these narratives reveal the complex interplay of geopolitics, human rights, technological reliance, and the enduring quest for truth and stability in different parts of the world.