[This is a roundup of news articles and other materials circulating on the Maghreb and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of the Maghreb Page Editors or of Jadaliyya. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each roundup to maghreb@jadaliyya.com]
Algeria
Powers and Preachers Dalia Ghanem-Yazbeck, resident scholar at the Carnegie Center in Beirut, discusses her article “State-Owned Islam in Algeria Faces Stiff Competition,” explaining the paradoxes of “tight but not total” state control of religion in Algeria.
Les dernières inondations ont fait cinq morts Flooding in Algeria’s Northwest region have resulted in five deaths.
President Bouteflika and the army's political end game There has not yet been an an official announcement that the ailing President Bouteflika will run for a fifth consecutive term. Analysts say this may be an attempt to gauge popular support for Bouteflika before committing to a campaign while simultaneously preventing other candidates from entering the race.
La diaspora a transféré plus de deux milliards de dollars en Algérie en 2017 Over the course of 2017, Algerians living abroad sent 2.1 billion dollars in remittances back to Algeria, a significant increase from recent years.
"خبير اقتسادي "قرار طبع النقود انقذ اويحيى وارقام التضخم غير صحيحة Economist Farhat Ait Ali claims that the Algerian government exaggerated statements on the impending bankruptcy of the country in order to pressure citizens into allowing the administration to take extreme or unusual economic measures.
L’activité syndicale frappée d’interdits Algeria’s Ministry of Labor imposes restrictions on labor union activity.
فرنسا ترحل إماما جزائريا.. وحقوق الانسان الجزائرية توضح French authorities deported Algerian imam Hadi Doudi from French territory, accusing him of inciting hatred and violence in his sermons and traveling to Syria.
Libya
$750 M worth of Libyan Fuel is Stolen: Sanalla Mustafa Sanalla, Chairman of Libya’s National Oil Corporation, announced that thirty to forty percent of fuel produced and imported into LIbya is stolen or smuggled, resulting in an annual financial loss of 750 million dollars.
En Libye, le retour de Khalifa Haftar dissipe les craintes d’un vide de pouvoir After questions loomed over the future of the Libyan National Army following Khalifa Haftar’s illness, Haftar returned to Libya on 26 April, dispelling doubts about his health.
Libya after Haftar? Amid rumors of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar’s illness, his weakening position in Eastern Libya indicates that either one of his sons or Chief of Staff may soon rise to take his place or the Libyan National Army may unravel entirely.
Libye : qui est Abdessalam al-Hassi, le successeur pressenti de Khalifa Haftar ? A profile of Abdessalam al-Hassi, a close ally of Abu Dhabi, who is being floated as the possible successor to Khalifa Haftar amid reports over his ailing health.
معرض بلندن يحكي تاريخ ليبيا الماضي والحاضر Twenty-five Libyan artists put together an exhibition called “Tracing the Lost Scene” on representing Libya’s past and contemporary history through personal memories in London, organized by the Noon Art Foundation.
الزائدي: هكذا يمكن استعادة الدولة الليبية Mustafa al-Zaidi, Secretary of the Executive Committee of the National People’s Movement, released a statement arguing that the restoration of the Libyan state would come through honesty, amnesty, and tolerance as Libyans are committed to coming together and rebuilding their homeland.
Mauritania
As drought keeps men on the road, Mauritania's pastoralist women take charge As a drought in southern Mauritania depletes grazing land, women take the lead in managing farms and villages, while the men travel to find food and water for the herds.
Mauritanian President to Step Down After Second Term Expires Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz announced in an interview with Jeune Afrique magazine that he would abide by term limits and step down from the presidency, though he planned on maintaining his involvement in politics.
Mauritanie : Bouamatou mise sur Havas pour soigner son image Mohamed Ould Bouamatou, cousin of Mauritanian president Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, hires PR company Havas Worldwide to improve his public image.
والي "تيرس ازمور" يحث عمال "سنيم" على الحوار After the company’s latest board meeting, the governor of Tiris Zemmou attempted to discourage workers of the National Industrial and Mining Society (SNIM) from escalating to large-scale protests in order to make demands, instead encouraging a dialogue approach.
La Mauritanie pénalise l’utilisation des sachets plastiques souples Mauritanian lawmakers pass a law banning the production, distribution, and use of plastic bags.
انعقاد المؤتمر الاول للمنتدى الشنقيطي للفقهاء والقراء Nouakchott hosted the first conference of the Shanqeeti Forum of Jurists and Scholars, with dozens of scholars and imams attending, focused on cooperation in order to counter extremism.
Morocco
Fifa experts give Morocco 2026 World Cup bid mixed review Fifa experts plan to visit Morocco again due to concerns over the capacity and features of stadiums and hotels listed by Morocco in the 2026 World Cup bid, despite other positive responses.
Dirham: le prochain élargissement de la bande de fluctuation pas avant 2019? Morocco will not advance toward the next stage of liberalizing its currency before 2019.
عفاف برناني في أول خروج لها: السجن لا يرعبني..وهو أهون علي من شهادة الزُّور وظلم بوعشرين Moroccan journalist Afaf Bernani gives her first interview after a judge sentenced her to six months in prison for accusing a police officer of falsifying her testimony. The testimony claims Bernani was assaulted by journalist Taoufik Bouachrine--an allegation Bernani refuted.
Has EU just triggered a war? Europe under fire as it 'backs' Morocco over disputed region EU and Moroccan representatives will meet in Rabat to draft a key fisheries agreement for waters off the coast of Western Sahara, contradicting a previous ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) and potentially escalating the regional conflict.
Abdelilah Benkirane "reporte" sa participation à un congrès de la jeunesse du PJD à Marrakech Former prime minister Abdelilah Benkirane will no longer attend a meeting of the Party of Justice Development’s youth branch.
المحامون الاستقلاليون يدخلون على خط تهديد حجيرة بالقتل Omar Hajira, a member of the Executive Committee of the Istiqlal Party and Member of Parliament from the Oujda district, responds publicly to threats of assassination.
Reportage. Le boycott de Sidi Ali, Centrale Danone et Afriquia est en marche A report examining the impact of a call to boycott three major companies in Morocco following anger over pricing and accusations of corruption.
ارتفاع الإنتاج المحلي يخفض واردات المغرب من الجبوب الفرنسية Resulting from a recent increase in domestic grain production from improved rainfall, Morocco decreased its reliance on grain imports.
Tunisia
Tunisia reopens consulate in Libyan Capital Tripoli Tunisia reopened its embassy in Tripoli, three years after it closed the embassy when ten staff were kidnapped.
Exposition « Une modernité tunisienne »: Creuse, rétrograde et mal-organisée A critical review essay on an exhibit entitled “A Tunisian Modernity.”
Will Tunisia's Municipal Elections Change Anything? The 6 May elections, taking place after four postponements, will be the first at the municipal level since the “Arab Spring,” but without reform of the law governing municipal councils, the underlying inequalities cannot be remedied.
Pour la 1ère fois en Tunisie : 36.000 soldats et policiers iront voter demain For the first time in Tunisian history, military and police officers will be allowed to vote in municipal elections.
من بروكسل الى الحايرية: ملامح الرهان الاوروبي على حركة النهضة في تونس Rachid Ghannouchi, leader of the Ennahda Party, pursues support both within the capital, Tunis, and with meetings with European Union representatives in Brussels, Belgium, demonstrating a desire for electoral backing from the Tunisian people and European donors.
Ultras en Tunisie: Derrière la fièvre du virage, une ode à la résistance The intersection between soccer fans and socioeconomic and political resistance in Tunisia.
تونس..انطلاق الحملة الدعائية للانتخابات المحلية As the campaigns ramp up for the first municipal elections in Tunisia since 2011, efforts continue into how to protect the rights of the 5,369,843 registered voters.
Western Sahara
Algerian activist rules out war with Morocco over support for Western Sahara Anwar Malek, an Algerian writer and human rights activist, argues that Algeria would not go to war with Morocco over the recently escalating conflict between Rabat and the Polisario Front in the UN-mandated buffer zone.
Shifting Geopolitics May See Movement in Western Sahara An analysis on recent developments regarding the Western Saharan conflict and the prospects for a shift in the status quo.
UN council set for vote on preparing Western Sahara talks The United Nations Security Council will vote on a draft resolution, presented this week by the United States, that hopes to prepare Morocco and the Polisario Front for negotiations to end the conflict in Western Sahara.
مجلس الأمن الدولي يمدد عهدة بعثة المينورسو لستة أشهر The United Nations Security Council votes to extend the mandate of the UN-peacekeeping mission for six months, instead of a year.
وفد من وزارة الدفاع الصحراوي يشارك في الاجتماع الثامن لخبراء دول شمال افريقيا A delegation from the Sahrawi Ministry of Defense participated in the eighth meeting of North African experts in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, alongside delegations from Algeria, Egypt, and Libya.
The Youth Movement in Sahrawi Refugee Camps The potential impact of generational shifts in the Sahrawi refugee camps in Tindouf, Algeria on the Western Sahara conflict.
جبهة البوليساريو تعبر عن ارتياحها لمصادقة مجلس الأمن الدولي على قراره الجديد The Polisario Front releases a statement reacting to the United Nations Security Council resolution, expressing its approval of the resolution.
UN adopts resolution urging solution for Western Sahara The United Nations Security Council adopts a resolution on the Western Sahara conflict, emphasizing the need to resume negotiations between Morocco and the Polisario Front.
Latest from Jadaliyya
Samia Henni, Architecture of Counterrevolution: The French Army in Northern Algeria (New Texts Out Now) An interview with Samia Henni on her latest book that examines the often neglected aspects of France’s efforts to maintain Algeria under French rule during the Algerian War of Independence.
The Life Span of Alternative Media: Cases of Lake and Mamfakinch in Morocco Journalists and activists in Morocco helped to launch a new wave of alternative online media before, during, and after the 2011 Arab Spring; two alternative media in particular, Lakome and Mamfakinch demonstrate in their life cycles trends of interaction between alternative media, politics, and economic powers.
Jeffrey R. Halverson and Nathaniel Greenberg, Islamists of the Maghreb (New Texts Out Now) Jeffrey Halverson and Nathaniel Greenberg discuss their book, Islamists of the Maghreb, in light of the central role that Maghreb countries played in the "Arab Spring."
زحف الثورة المضادة Seven years after the "Arab Spring" began in Tunisia, issues of revolution and counterrevolution persist, as does the urban-rural divide.
James McDougall, A History of Algeria (New Texts Out Now) Interview with historian James McDougall on his latest book entitled A History of Algeria.
Tunisia and the International Community since 2011: Rentierism, Patronage and Moral Hazard Despite perceptions of a democratic Tunisia, the incoming flow of loans has upheld a undemocratic practices of patronage, failing to address protesters’ dominant socioeconomic grievances.