[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 week`s roundup to maghreb@jadaliyya.com by Thursday night of every week.]
Algeria
AQIM defectors raise fears of IS branch in North Africa Algeria and Tunisia are focusing their security concerns on the potential rise of an Islamic State branch in the Maghreb.
Self-immolation in Algeria highlights housing crisis An Algerian man set himself on fire after he could not pay the rent and the landlord threatened to evict him and his family.
L’opposition passe à l’offensive Most of Algeria’s various opposition leaders and parties meet again, including Ali Benflis.
Algérie: Le Maroc au coeur du conflit entre Belkhadem et le clan Bouteflika? After President Bouteflika’s dismissal of long-time political ally Belkhadem, Algerian media questions the role of Morocco in the fall out.
Algerian Rai Music Agaila Abba describes the important role of rai music and artists in the Algerian resistance.
Libya
Libya`s constituent assembly says vote on country`s new constitution will be held in March A referendum on the draft constitution will be held in March, according to Libya’s state news agency; government hopes this will help quell the ongoing violence.
UN envoy calls for end to fighting, beginning of political process The United Nation’s special envoy to Libya, Bernardino León, met with Libyan parliamentary representatives and political actors to urge implementation of the cease-fire resolution passed by the UN Security Council last week.
Mauritania
Mauritania and Algeria sign media cooperation agreement Mauritanian media sees enhanced media cooperation with Algeria as a signal of the “crisis of confidence” between Mauritania and Morocco.
Freedom Fighter: A slaving society and an abolitionist’s crusade Alexis Okeowo discusses the life and work of Mauritania’s most well-known abolitionist activist, Biram Dah Abeid.
The Lost Libraries of the Sahara Nina Strochlic describes the libraries of Chinguetti, Mauritania, one of the former intellectual and religious capitals of the Islamic world.
Morocco
La monarchie commande une histoire sur mesure Nabil Mouline, a researcher at CNRS, argues that ‘the generations to come “should recognize the existence of a sovereign nation that does not derive its legitimacy solely from the monarchy.”
الإقلاع الاقتصادي وطبيعة القرارات السياسية Youssef Belal discusses the role of the monarchy and the nature of political and economic decision making in Morocco.
Assassinat de Charles Ndour: Le CNDH joue au sapeur-pompier a Dakar The National Human Rights Council (CNDH) gets involved in calming relations between Rabat and Dakar after brutal murder of Senegalese migrant Charles Ndour in Tangier neighborhood; a CNDH delegation led by Driss El Yazami traveled to Dakar from 6-9 September.
Racist violence against sub-Saharan Migrants on the rise in Morocco Violent attacks against sub-Saharan migrants perpetuated by Moroccan youths has erupted in a Tangier neighborhood called Boukhalef, in spite of the country’s so-called overhaul of the migration and asylum system.
L’Etat marocain face au meurtre de Charles Ndour : expulsion de victimes et témoins According to the Moroccan NGO GADEM, authorities in Tangier arrested dozens of sub-Saharan migrants for their involvement in a “non-declared protest” against the racist violence perpetrated against them in Boukhalef, and deported nineteen migrants to Dakar on 1 September.
Tunisia
Tunisia`s main Islamist party to stay out of presidential election The Ennahda Party has said it will not field a candidate in the upcoming presidential elections and instead support a consensus candidate “ensuring an inclusive government for all Tunisians.”
Tunisia starts registering presidential candidates Over forty-eight presidential candidates, including four women, have expressed interest in registering for the presidential vote
Struggling Tunisia appeals to world for investment Tunisian Prime Minister Mehdi Jomaa asked for international economic support to aid Tunisia’s weak economy and fragile democratic transition
La FIDH et l’OMCT demandent la fin des « violences policières » contre les défenseurs de droits de l’Homme en Tunisie International Human rights groups express alarm over police violence against human rights activists in Tunisia.
Western Sahara
Procès Gdim Izik: Human Rights Watch demande une révision du procès devant un tribunal civil Human Rights Watch called on Morocco’s Benkirane government to cancel the Gdeim Izik verdict and retry the accused in a civil court.
The Curse of Resources Susaane Kaiser writes on the fight for natural resources in the Western Sahara and the increasing regional criticism directed at Morocco over its unethical practices in disputed territory.
Western Sahara: Brazil`s House of Representatives Urges Government to Recognize SADR Brazil’s House of Representatives sent a formal request to President Dilma Roussef to take “a clear stance” on the Western Sahara and condemn Morocco’s human rights violations.
MINURSO Press Review from September 3 The United Nations Mission for a Referendum in the Western Sahara (MINURSO) offer a press overview of Western Sahara related news.
Le Maroc poursuit ses violations des droits humains Secretary-General of the Polisario Front Mohamed Abdelaziz writes a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon arguing that Morocco’s various human rights crimes, such as illegal occupation, human rights violations, pillaging of natural resources, and the blockade imposed on the territory, continue.
Most Recent Articles from Jadaliyya’s Maghreb Page
Algeria’s Jewish Past-Present Sarah Abrevaya Stein examines the North African Jewish past and how it is used in Algerian politics today.
حوار مع القيادية اليسارية المغربية نعيمة الكلاف Brahim El Guabli interviews Morocco’s leading leftist activist Naima Al Guallaf.
Djerba, Tunisia: Garbage Disposal, the Environmental Crisis, and the Awakening of Ecoconsciousness Rania Said explains the importance of Djerba’s campaign and strike against the government’s disregard for the problem of garbage disposal on the Tunisian Island.
نفس الكتاب".. جرحٌ تعجز الكتابة عن لَأْمِه" Ayoub El-Mouzain puts the dialogue between Moroccan exchanged between Moroccan writer Abdelkebir Khatibi and French psychoanalyst Jacque Hassoun in the context of Israeli’s most recent aggression against Gaza and the relationship between “people of the book and owners of the land.”
ملف من الأرشيف: محمد شكري A profile of Mohammed Choukri, one of Morocco’s most renowned writers and social critics. His first novel was entitled For Bread Alone. The Tangier native and literary legend died in 2004.
Sahrawi Realities: The Remembrance of Gdeim Izik (Part 2): Samia Errazzouki continues her analysis of the ways in which social mobilization, creation of space, and new modes of resistance intersect within the Sahrawi community after her visit to the Dakhla Refugee Camp.